Greg Berhalter has a mystery Yank wanting to come and play at Columbus Crew Stadium, and with the Crew having the number one spot of the allocation order they will be able to sign the unknown player.
"I don’t want to say names, but I got a call yesterday about a guy who wanted to specifically come to Columbus," Berhalter told Stars and Stripes FC. "A big national team player, and I thought that was interesting. All of a sudden we’re getting calls where people are coming to us."
With the mystery player interested in playing for the Crew and Berhalter keeping his name in the dark till further notice. The speculations of who this player is will begin, the possible list of players can be Juan Agudelo, Brek Shea, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Oguchi Onyewu, Mix Diskerud, and who knows maybe even Jozy Altidore. It doesn't matter what other players they have or what the Betfair odds are of CC winning anything this season. Remember since the Crew hold the number one spot of the allocation order, Berhalter can get anyone he pleases as long as they enter the allocation process.
“We can get anyone,” The former U.S. international told Soccer By Ives. “As long as ownership says, ‘Let’s do it,’ we can get anyone. We’re in the position. We play good enough football that anyone would want to come play with us. I think that spot is very valuable to us for that reason. To say that we’re just a placeholder in that, that’s not true.”
Well first we can count Jozy Altidore out since he seems determined to break through at Sunderland. Jermaine Jones has almost a secure deal with the Chicago Fire. Sacha Kljestan seems destined to be heading to the Los Angeles Galaxy, according to a Soccer By Ives source.
Now for players like Juan Agudelo who currently do not have a club, that could be a possibility of him coming to the Crew, but he would not fit the bill of a "big national team player." Plus Agudelo just left Major League Soccer less than a season ago, and his hunger for European soccer does not seem to be satisfied yet.
Now for the Brek Shea's, Oguchi Onyewu's and the Mix Diskerud's, there is a chance of these players coming to the Crew. However, with these players already belonging to clubs it will cost MLS some money to get the rights for their contracts to enter the allocation process. Of course it will not be an immense of money for Onyewu or Shea, since both players are struggling to break through their respective clubs. Also like Agudelo, Shea who recently left MLS is also doubtful of returning from Europe.
For Onyewu, a place like Columbus could be a potential new home for the 11-year journey man. Ever since the knee injury he suffered right before the 2010 World Cup in the final World Cup Qualification match against Costa Rica, where he would have to carried out of the game. He has never truly found his dominating form since that injury, he has bounced around club to club in Europe since the injury, and Columbus can potentially become his new home. However, both Shea and Onyewu both do not fit the "big national team player" as well.
As for Diskerud, the Crew will have to give a good amount of money to get the USMNT creative midfielder from his club team Rosenborg BK is one problem. The other obstacle would be to convince Diskerud to come and play in Columbus, the Norwegian/American almost came to MLS a couple years ago. Portland Timbers Coach Caleb Porter almost recruited his former Under-23 U.S. Men's National team midfielder he coached in qualification to the 2012 London Olympics summer games. However, Diskerud was turned off how players could easily be traded to another club in the MLS, so to bring the creative midfielder to play in the state of Ohio, the Crew will have to draw up a special contract for him, which makes Diskerud coming to MLS a long shot.
With the Crew coach holding his cards close to him speculations can only be formed till the former U.S. international center back reveals who is this USMNT mystery man?
