It appears that Oguchi Onyewu is a definite goner from Belgian side Standard Liege. Goal.com is reporting that the American defender will pick a new club within the next month.
Top of the suspect list is German club Monchengladbach, where fellow American Michael Bradley currently plies his trade.
While Onyewu's agent is suggesting that 'Gladbach aren't the other club interested in his client's services, we haven't heard much on Gooch's potential suitors in quite some time. France and Spain have both been mentioned as possibilities, and although I can't verify, I'm sure one or more English teams have been mentioned.
Whenever one of our National Team boys is mentioned as a transfer candidate, the American soccer blogosphere erupts with commentary on where the player "should" end up. Generally this is based on the style of play in a given league, which we see as as either an aid to his success, or a way to ensure that he develops properly (so he can play better for the Nats).
I think most of us believe that Gooch has improved drastically over the past few years, although he still has more than a few detractors. But he remains our most consistent, well-heeled defender, and the next step in his career should be viewed under the heading of improving-the-reputation-of-Americans rather than improving-an-American-as-a-player.
To that end, I'm going on record that I hope Gooch goes to the biggest club possible; as long as he can get playing time, the bigger the club, the better is it for the American reputation. As much as European clubs might claim no bias when it comes to the nationality of a player, I think it would be naive to believe that one doesn't exist against Yanks. For that reason, I'd rather Onyewu end up at Paris Saint-Germain than Borussia Monchengladbach (this is not a discussion on the actual quality of the league; while the Bundesliga might or might not be better than Ligue 1, PSG is a bigger club than 'Gladbach).
What are your thoughts? What club would you like to see Onyewu sign with in the summer?
