New article at ESPN. Dempsey's Ambition Outgrows MLS Dell'Apa seems to be extending Da Bruce's contention that only by moving to European leagues can our USMNT player's fully develop.
If Deuce truly desires to play in Europe, then he needs to play there. If he wants it and doesn't do it, he would always wonder "what if". I wish him the best in that endeavor. I just wish he would go out with a little class and dignity, and not sandbagging as I currently believe he is.
If we are ever gonna get serious about being contenders we not only need players abroad but we need guys playing in the best clubs in europe. Obviously Dempsey has the ambition to work his way up with a Charlton but that was denied. I think our keys for the next cycle will obviously be the development of guys like Dempsey. I have full faith that Dempsey can work his way up to a top notch club.
Our best attacking player and our 2nd best defender in the WC were MLSers; so I don't think Deuce or other USMNT players 'need' to play in Europe to get better. Playing in Europe will however definately improve the bank balance.
That goes more to the quality of the player pool than to any transient benefit from playing for those teams, however. We need talented enough players that they play for the best clubs in order to contend -- we won't start contending because the best clubs magically create better players.
"need"? No. He needs food, water, a place to sleep at night, and a personal relationship with the one true God. Everything else is a "want."
The ball is round in the US, too. Unless he is far and away the best midfielder in MLS, then no, he doesn't need to move. He isn't. So no, he doesn't need to move. Now if he's lazy, he might need the extra stimulation. I don't know.
"Deuce" just needs to play. He needs to stop doing shit that gets himself suspended. Doesn't really matter where that is. If he goes to Europe and gets in punch-ups with a teammate or starts slinging elbows around, then he'll be suspended over there, too.
that's it, MLS isn't a charity, he was happy to make $70K per year to play soccer when he signed the contract, they have the right to wait for a fair offer. The only person that can stop Dempsey from going to Europe no later than the end of next season is Dempsey...by turning into "Clint II, the Return of the Ugly American Footballer". As for whether he NEEDS to go to Europe to help the national team...well people who state that case and give the World Cup as a reason are conveniently overlooking the fact that in both of the last 2 WC finals most of the best performances were put in by MLS players.
I think Deuce needs to go because he is the type of player that will rise to the occassion and push himself to be the best . if Deuce is playing in Europe with some of the best players in the world , he will push himself to play with them and to be better . And I want to see Deuce nutmegging some of the best defenders in the world , week in and week out
Couldn't agree more with your and Andy's comments. He needs to suck it up and be a professional and the opportunity will come to him. Crying and continueing to get suspended will lower his value and opportunites abroad. Plus, he is not that good at the moment to think that he won't be anything other than a player struggling for playing time in a good European league. However, the real question is: How will this effect his music career? Will he pull a Lalas?
This is a free country, regardless of the MLS contracts - let him go grab some bucks and experience. He was one of the few to play decent in the World Cup. Just please don't send Reyna back over here...
Galarcep weighs in: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=377088&root=mls&cc=5901 Scroll down from some other interesting stuff about DMB. Here's a bit: