- Jason  Davis

So Eddie's not coming, and the story is now less about whether or not he'd work for - or be wanted by - an MLS team, and more about the PR mess the premature announcement of his signing has become. Trust the league, that Eddie had all but signed on the dotted line and chose the eleventh hour to back out, or believe Eddie and agent Richard Motzkin that there wasn't a firm deal and someone in New York jumped the gun?

It's funny that the signing of a middling American striker with fewer goals to his name in the last two and a half years than clubs has caused such a furor. It's summer in MLS, the playoffs are looming, and everyone is desperate enough to see even Eddie Johnson as a potential solution. MLS has changed, but MLS hasn't changed at all.

-Jason Davis

Across the country, in small enclaves of Internet-tethered American soccer fans who forgo bread and water for the sustenance provided by transfer scuttlebutt, brows are being furrowed at an alarming rate. Edson Buddle has signed with a 2.Bundesliga club, FC Ingolstadt 04.

The net for potential USMNT players is cast necessarily wide in the hope that anyone with American ties can be brought into the fold.  While Germany (Jermaine Jones, possibly Daniel Williams) and Mexico (a plethora of young players) are the focus at the moment, there's reason to cast an interested eye towards Russia.

The "Americans Abroad" roundup is a popular feature with US-based soccer blogs because we're always interested in how our boys are playing in Europe, Mexico, etc.  There aren't so many Yanks (though the number is growing) plying their trade in foreign lands that we can just relax about it.  We need to know who played, who scored, who made a difference, and who furthered the cause of Americans in the world of soccer/football/futbol.  It's half about just staying informed on our national teamers and national team prospects and half about our continuing inferiority complex when it comes to the reputation of American players elsewhere.  When our Yanks don't play, we're naturally discouraged.

Derby County's Conor Doyle

As foreign clubs cast their scouting nets over the American soccer landscape, more and more young American kids are landing in surprising places.  In some cases, these kids have cultural connections or passports that make their moves easy; in others, they've been lucky enough to find themselves playing in front of the right scouts at exactly the right time.  After going on trial, these players have managed to catch on with clubs and entered the professional environment earlier than anyone thought they would.

I'll admit it, I have a soft spot for Eddie Johnson. I know he has mostly underwhelmed to this point in his European career, and there's really no reason to believe he's suddenly going to become a top American striker. He hasn't always been the most well-adjusted player mentally, and for all his physical gifts, his play is hardly a credit to American soccer or an indication he'll be back in the USMNT first team any time soon.


I can't help it, I still root for GAM.


And that's exactly why I didn't react to Eddie's comments about the lack of respect Americans receive in England as most probably did. Eddie's perspective is certainly skewed; he hasn't played well enough to get into the first team at Fulham, so he sees the road for Americans in England as pitched in an uphill direction. These comments could be easily parsed as Eddie playing the victim.


Although I think he's probably right to a point.


Eddie goes on to praise the style of new Fulham boss Mark Hughes, while also making sure to say "all the right things" in regards to his ability to get on the field for the Cottagers. This means nothing, really, since all athletes are trained to parrot these type of statements when asked about their prospects. But Eddie does have a chance to impress a new manager, and while he hasn't dressed for Fulham in their first two league matches, it's not impossible that he features at some point during this campaign.


Unlikely, maybe, but not impossible.


Anyway, I wish Eddie luck. I hope he explodes in a flurry of Premier League goals and manages to defeat the insidious bias against American players in England. I hope the Mark Hughes era at Craven Cottage gives him a chance to justify the club's purchase of him and by proxy improves Major League Soccer's standing as a place to find quality players at reasonable prices (except for Donovan - he'll cost you).

Aston Villa has signed American fullback Eric Lichaj to a three year extension, a good sign that the 21 year old is on the verge of breaking into the first team. That's certainly his goal after going out on loan the past two seasons. What the managerial change at Villa might mean for Lichaj is obviously uncertain; playing time is key for a player of his age, so unless he's solidified his place as a capable squad player who can step in when needed, or reserve games are enough to push him along, perhaps another loan is in the cards.


Aston Villa has committed to seeing his development through, a clear step in the right direction. Lichaj is off of the radar of many American soccer fans simply because he has yet to feature in his clubs first team; while Edgar Castillo (admittedly a natural left back, though I'm told Lichaj can play both sides) gets the hype, a player like Lichaj might end up being the better contributor in the long run.


Lichaj would be worth keeping an eye on this season even without the Villa drama; but with a new boss coming in shortly, Lichaj's fortunes could very well be tied to who it is and how they rate the young American. Lichaj's ability to impress whatever staff aids in the transition is key. I'll go ahead and speculate that the contract extension is an indication that he's done that on some level.


The x-factor in Lichaj's spot on the Villa roster is the new roster rules related to homegrown players. The best guess is that Lichaj does in fact count as homegrown, though that's tied to when he originally signed with the club (which is tough to pin down).


If you haven't already, add Lichaj to your list of Americans in Europe to watch this season; Villa fans I've talked to are high on him, and 2010 could be something of a breakout year.

Tipped by Grant Wahl on Twitter this morning, it appears that Oguchi Onyewu will spend at least another year with AC Milan after he renewed his contract with the Rossoneri.


But here's the kicker: By Gooch's own request, and because he lost the entire season due to the knee injury he suffered in October, he has waived any compensation.


That's right, Onyewu will play in Italy for free next year.


Without some additional thought, I'm hesitant to react forcefully to this news. On the surface, it's a stand up move by Onyewu; he got paid for a year in which he didn't play, and obviously would still like a chance to prove himself in Serie A. Voluntarily taking no pay shows a level of personal commitment and integrity that is rarely seen in the world of professional sports.


But there's a flip side, a practical one, that makes the move rather dangerous. AC Milan was none too happy about paying Onyewu's salary this season after he was injured while on international duty; this move essentially compensates them for the lost season, but out of Onyewu's pocket. This type of thing would never, ever, fly in an American sport where players unions hold sway; playing for free is just about the craziest thing a professional athlete with a short career can do.


One has to wonder if Milan told Onyewu and his representatives that they weren't planning to bring him back after "losing" the funds paid to him this season. Coming off of an injury, and with essentially the same resume he had prior to landing in Milan, Gooch's options were to either head out of town with his tail between his legs or suck it up and take a bullet to get a second chance to prove he belongs.


Again, I'm still processing this. We may need to flesh it out in the comments to get it covered from all of the appropriate angles. Is this good or bad?


One more note: with camp opening in Princeton today, I hope to have some thoughts to share on the various question to be answered as some point soon. As the World Cup preparations begin to hit high gear, I'll be putting up shorter-than-usual posts with news and musings as they come up.


*UPDATE*

- Thanks to Sully below, I have to scratch everything I wrote that insinuated it would be 2010-11 in which Gooch would be unpaid. He essentially just tacked an unpaid year to the end of an extension. He'll play for free in 2012-13, provided he's still in Milan. Damn me, apologies for the confusion. This changes things a bit from the "danger" perspective and make it just a good faith move on Gooch's part.

If, by some unbelievable chance, you just crawled out of a nuclear bomb shelter after eating canned beans for the last twenty years, allow me to fill you on the most recent happenings in the world of soccer.


Lionel Messi is really, really good. So good, in fact, that his status as a member of the human race is even now being considered by top men the world over. Is he perhaps the greatest footballer ever? Many, with apologies to Diego and Pele, would might make that very case. He's that good.


But it didn't take the four goals Messi scored against Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League to make us realize just how good the diminutive Argentine is¹; his status as "World Class" was already cemented, he just added a few more bits of evidence to an already large pile.


Messi's exploits, while fantastic enough to have me enraptured, nevertheless led to an inevitable thought as an American soccer fan; will the United States ever produce anyone on that level?


No, probably not. At least not during the lifetime of myself or anyone reading this, and even then the player in question could be raised elsewhere and represent America through the magic of dual-citizenship. But that doesn't preclude the States from spawning a player of amazing talent that will make a dent on the international stage. The US has only really taken the sports seriously, in a manner that sees young players go abroad to places like England, Holland, Germany, etc., in the last 25 years; based on the sheer size of our (ever growing) soccer-playing population and the element of chance, it's bound to happen one day, right?


This discussion could easily veer off into reviews of player development, the American youth club structure, and the need for more quality coaches. Most of those things will sort themselves out over time, or be mitigated by the numbers of players getting into the game at a young age; with a population of 300 million, participation among youth numbering in the multiple millions, and enough visibility in the sport to bring scouts here from Europe, Mexico, etc., there's no reason to doubt that one day, Americans will be featuring for the biggest clubs in Europe.


But that global superstar, the type that stops whole continents while he mesmerizes us with feats of jaw-dropping talent, is so far in the future he's almost impossible to see from here. A once or twice a generation phenomenon at best, players like Messi will continue to come from traditional soccer countries.


Donovan, Bradley, Dempsey, and others have proven that American outfield players can compete in some of Europe's top leagues. The next step is for the US to produce a star, a player who is the object of the affections of the world's top clubs, features prominently in competitions like the Champions League, and proves that America's next wave of talent will supersede is a harbinger of things to come.


Messi-caliber though? I don't even dare to dream.

¹I forget to add the footnote, where I intended to make a fairly lame joke that the phrase "diminutive Argetine" is mandatory in any piece about Messi. Fail.

Week 2 of the experimental return of Deep Cuts. As I mentioned last week, the effort will be to bring you links to things you might not otherwise encounter on your daily scan of the internet, with an occasional mainstream story sprinkled in from time to time.


Let's get this party started.


The World Cup isn't creating jobs in South Africa

That sound you hear is the air leaking out of the "World Cup effects positive change" balloon.


Tim Howard is up for Merseyside Sports Personality of the Year

I wonder if the trophy is a sterling silver hubcap.


Another "Soccer is great, but MLS is doody" piece

College papers: Turning students into Eurosnobs one burnt out philosophy major at a time.


Growing soccer in African-American communities (Cached version because this site seems to have had a malfunction)

Nothing funny about this, other than the multiple mentions of soccer as a "white-boy sport".


Some guys talk about soccer players moving abroad

We have a winner in the "Huh?" category.


And finally, Happy Birthday to Avoiding the Drop, one of my favorite blogs. Yeah, I'm a day late. Sorry guys.


One more note before I go; I'll be appearing on the George Mason University Soccer Show this evening with host Ted Meyer between 5 and 6 PM ET. You can listen live here.

A young American has burst onto the scene of one of Europe's top leagues, playing well and turning heads, and unless you regularly visit the Yanks Abroad section of Big Soccer, you may not have ever heard of him.


His name is Daniel Williams, and like (former) Yank fan crush and Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones, he has dual German/American citizenship. Williams is only 20, has started three consecutive matches for Bundesliga side Freiburg SC, and has impressed enough to make at least one "Team of the Week".


The roughly translated text on Williams:


"Danny Williams (SC Freiburg): The 20-year-old has surprisingly been established since the winter break in eleven live - and quite rightly so. Very focused and snapped, took the last formstarken Schalke Sanchez almost completely from the game. 78 percent of his tackles on the right-back won Williams."


Williams is playing right back for Freiburg, though he might actually be more of a natural defensive midfielder; while the US has several options in that position, finding quality outside backs has been a problem. If Williams can play there, is eligible for the US, and has not yet been capped by Germany, Bob Bradley may have little choice but to give him a look. Unfortunately, the timing isn't ideal with it being a World Cup year, but beggars can't always be choosers; there's even a call by a small fringe (the ones that are aware of him) for Williams to be called in for the March 3rd friendly against the Netherlands.


It would be a short trip for the youngster, and his rapid rise from youth squads to first eleven at Freiburg indicates he may be ready to handle a larger challenge.


There are, of course, serious questions about Williams. Three games doesn't make a quality player, no matter the league. He's young and would have to adjust to the US setup and its cultural differences. He's so new to the scene that even getting good information on him is difficult. While not expected to be included in any German call-ups in the near future, he has stated at least once, when posed the question of which nation he would like to play for, that he feels very connected to Germany.


It's also unclear whether he speaks English or has had any contact with US Soccer or Bob Bradley.


Perhaps it's best to put Williams' name on the "Watch List", let him get his feet in the Bundesliga, and see how he grows. If and when he is open to playing for the United States, then Bradley (or his successor) can consider bringing him in.


If you're the type of USMNT fan that is always on the lookout for new names to add to the player pool and watch European leagues because of Americans playing there, you now have a reason to hunt down Freiburg matches. For reference, Williams wears "28".


Max Zeger contributed to this report. Follow him on Twitter @mcmz403.

After soliciting for suggestions for my next post, my being full of writing energy but missing an area of focus, I was asked to present an argument for whether Jozy Altidore should return to MLS.


But I'm not going to, yet. Instead, I'm going to first do what I usually do; take a specific issue and step back to take a more general view, hoping to either draw conclusions or raise relevant questions that might not seem obvious on the surface.


I suppose it's a good thing that Major League Soccer provides young American players with a safety net. Not getting enough playing time abroad? Well come on home, young man, and we'll find a spot for you! Sure, the competition isn't as good (generally), you probably won't make as much, and there's no real fame to be gained by being a footballer in a country that puts the sport about as high as BMX racing and stuff that happens in an "octagon", but hey, what else are you going to do? It's a World Cup year, remember?


There's a large segment of the American soccer community that reacts, for lack of a better word, violently the moment a young player hits a rough spot in Europe. The calls for an MLS return are loud and impassioned, usually based on the idea that the player in question would find themselves on the field here rather than rotting on the bench there. But, would it really be what's best for them? Is throwing in the towel the right move? How would that affect the player's psychological makeup and development in the long run?


Unfortunately, no one really knows, and the basic truth that playing is always better than not playing carries a lot of weight.


None of this is to say that certain players might not be better off back in MLS. It's truly up to the player and comes down to the state of their career; for some, MLS would be a step back, a last ditch resort, and an admission that their career is on life support. Not because MLS is a terrible place to play, but because they've invested so much to making it in Europe that the only mental effect possible is a destructive one.


On occasion, "coming home" is absolutely the right move. Sometimes, when a player is either out of options, finds the going too difficult in Europe, or simply wants to be a part of a burgeoning league in the country he's from, Major League Soccer is an attractive landing spot. But there needs to be less calls for Americans to return to the US and the warm bosom of MLS and more push for those players to show resolve.


Back to the specific. Jozy Altidore is going through a rough patch at Hull, not helped by the recent tragedy in Haiti, and finds himself without consistent playing time less than six months before the World Cup. His club is acquiring more talent, players who will make it even more difficult for Altidore to get on the pitch. This has some asking if Jozy might not be better off back at home, where playing time is guaranteed and his World Cup form can better be maintained.


In essence, people are saying Jozy should quit.


I'm just not a fan of that. Whether it would help the fortunes of the National Team or not, saying that because Jozy finds himself in a less-than-perfect situation dictates a step back from his goals is ludicrous. Last time I checked, Americans were known as stubborn go-getters, intent on making things go our way until there is absolutely no hope.


Okay, so I'm exaggerating, and there should always be pragmatic considerations; but ducking out at the first sign (or second perhaps, depends on how you count) of trouble will do him no good. He needs to stick it out, fight for a spot, and build a mental strength that will serve him well throughout his career. We know he has the ability.

Only in the modern world where footballers regularly share their thoughts on Twitter can so much of a player's future be tied to a throw away comment.


If you blinked you missed it; Freddy Adu, he of the cancelled Beleneses loan and uncertain next destination, let it be known that he has a decision to make before fueling the rumor mill by following up with a whimsical shout to his friends in Greece (Eddie Johnson) and England (Jozy Altidore).


The tweet in question, which amounted to "Hull or Aris?" and has since been deleted, become fodder for on at least one well-known American soccer blog, backed up by reports out of England that Hull is indeed looking at the young American. For what it's worth, reports linking Adu to Aris also preceded his tweet.


Transfer rumors are notoriously unreliable, and there's no reason to believe that these are any different; even if both clubs mentioned are legitimately interested in Adu, boiling his choice down to just those two clubs would be premature. Believing Adu's tweet to be a joke and the speculation to be spurious, I tweeted my assessment. It was only a short time later that I received a reply from Adu's twitter account (we can only assume it was Adu himself that sent it) saying "smart man". That message has also been deleted.


Either Adu was backtracking after making a mistake with the first tweet, or I was correct in my view.


As for why those message are now gone, I can only assume that either Adu himself thought better of them being in the public domain while his status is in question, or his agent directed him to remove them for the same reason.

Jozy Altidore is still searching for consistent playing time at EPL strugglers Hull. Freddy Adu's status is again in limbo after being sent back to Benfica (who don't really want him) by Belenenses. Eddie Johnson is headed to Greek Superleague side Aris FC after failing to break into the rotation at Fulham. Three young "name" American players, each with their own problems succeeding in the tough environs of European soccer, and ripe for criticism because of it.


To hear some tell it, the issues each player is facing, often viewed as self-inflicted by (reported) lack of effort, ill-advised public outbursts, and general bad attitude, is indicative of a wider problem with young Americans employed abroad. Be it generational and cultural, there must be something intrinsically wrong with American footballers, because this evidence seems bears it out.


Except that the evidence, as one would expect with across a range of examples, is by no means uniform. In fact, the number of American players "failing" in Europe, an assessment that naturally depends on the how success is defined, is relatively small. For every Freddy Adu or Eddie Johnson, there's a Mike Grella, Marcus Tracy, or Alejandro Bedoya; players without the name recognition but who have worked hard and carved a niche for themselves in various leagues. To say that a singular "American attitude" pervades the player base plying their trade abroad outside of the United States, is disservice to those who are taking full advantage of their opportunities.


Our natural inclination as observers is to group like things, then draw conclusions using those shared elements. We want to lump Adu, Altidore, Johnson, and others together because they share a common nationality and upbringing; American soccer exports are few enough that each case is imbued with more significance than it probably deserves, making the disheartening cases all the more visible. It therefore seems logical that at least some of their failures (again, relatively speaking) is attributable to the the origin of their passport.


Each of the players in question, as well as Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and a multitude of others, carries the burden of American soccer's emergence with them. As more and more players head overseas, the largest amount of individual scrutiny will be saved for the most-hyped among them. That is certainly the case for Altidore and Adu, two young players whose personal reputations have somehow become tied to a wider view of American talent. Because they get the headlines, have the largest transfer fees, or garner attention from quarters that generally ignore soccer, their cases take on added importance.


That flawed thinking not only goes for soccer minds in Europe and elsewhere, but for Americans analyzing and observing the game. The psychology involved is complicated, but two main factors seem to be at play; knowledgeable Americans, those who view themselves as authorities, respond to the overrating of some players with harsh assessments that often involve generalizations, while also exhibiting aspects of an inferiority-complex. They're American, and they're countrymen are stagnating in Europe, so their reaction is to downplay those players as "not good enough in the first place" in order to deflect any ridicule they might receive from their colleagues abroad or the better to reinforce their own expert credentials. Hard to blame them.


That's not to say the players should be beyond reproach or that every analyst is guilty of the above. But the unavoidable fact that not every hyped player can "make it" gets lost in all of the noise. Scouting in every sport is hit-and-miss, and even the most intelligent soccer minds tap up youngsters that never amount to anything more than reservists. We remember those that rise from starlets to stars and laud the ones that fulfill their potential, but what about the rest? How many Americans succeeding in Europe, as have more than a few, will it take before those that fail are no longer evidence of some American pandemic of bad attitudes?


Each player, regardless of his provenance, is deserving of critique if he fails to live up to his presumed talent. Clubs don't buy or take players on loan that they do not think can help them win or have sufficient ability to progress to that point, so when the player fails to make an impact it's difficult to find any explanation than that his mental strength and discipline are lacking. Still, so many factors go into a players development that it's difficult to pinpoint any one as the source of the issue; does Freddy Adu or Jozy Altidore's origin mean more than the coaching, environment and training techniques to which he's exposed?


There may not be a widespread bias against American players (and if there is, it's fading considerably), and there may be less generalization of their abilities than in the past; but there likely remains a sense, both in their own home country as well as abroad, that Americans are collectively guilty of certain things. Rarely are stereotypes fair to the entirety of a population, even if a portion of that population embody it. The labels of "lazy" and "entitled" are starting to stick to young American players because a few bad apples; that's not only unfair, it's the result of a flawed assessment.


There is no over-arching problem with American players, but there are a few giving their fellow countrymen a bad name.

Last show of the year, people. There's news and discussion of Donovan, Holden, and Beasley, plus an interview with an English footballer looking to play in the US and a rundown of the top five American soccer moments of 2009.


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Here's a nice little snow day (for us in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast anyway) news roundup from guest writer Matt of US Soccer Daily.


If you are stuck in your house because of the massive snowstorm currently sweeping across the Northeast and looking for something to do to pass the time, then grab some hot chocolate and read through some of today’s top bits of US soccer news.


-First off, great news coming out of the Real Salt Lake camp. Andy Williams announced on his Twitter account (@bommadog) yesterday that his wife is now cancer free. This is immeasurably uplifting news for the Williams family, who have had quite an eventful year juggling Andy’s professional duties with their persistent pursuit of treatment options. MLS, RSL, and the fans rallied around Marcia Williams and her bout with a rare form of leukemia, and the conclusion of that battle is a heartwarming finish fit for the holiday season. Andy Williams has always been one of the good guys of MLS, and he handled himself with grace both on and off the field throughout this incredibly trying time.


-If you didn’t tune in this morning, you missed another fantastic showing by DaMarcus Beasley, who continues to fill up the stat sheet for Rangers. Beasley scored a goal and assisted on another in Rangers’ 6-1 rout over Motherwell. It was the fourth consecutive start for Beasley, who is looking much more confident and explosive on the ball with each passing week. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, I would expect Beasley to be in Bob Bradley’s camp early next year.


-During Fulham’s 3-0 rout of Manchester United and following the match, commentators gave Clint Dempsey a lot of praise for his play. This isn’t particularly odd, given Dempsey has been a Fulham stand out for some time now, but it seems as if English announcers are paying even more attention to Yanks in the EPL since the World Cup draw. In addition to discussing Dempsey, they also mentioned Landon Donovan’s loan move and predicted success for the Galaxy captain. Now, while this doesn’t sound overly important, it must be noted that the English media is notorious for piling pressure on the Three Lions. The more commentators praise American players and build up the USMNT, the more pressure the media will begin to put on Fabio Capello’s side. While it might not be much, every little bit helps, particularly in a country with the pundits jump on every opportunity to label the national team as underachievers.


-Carlos Bocanegra was an unused substitute in Stade Rennes’ 1-0 home victory over Paris Saint Germain. After a long spell of consecutive starts, Bocanegra has now gone three straight matches without a start (one of which he was suspended for). While American fans should not hit the panic button just yet, it is worth keeping an eye on, as Bocanegra will certainly be in South Africa if healthy. The US captain has not had a poor run of form in Ligue 1, but rather just seems to be in the midst of a competitive battle for playing time. With a USMNT back line still filled with question marks, let’s hope Bocanegra can reassert himself in the starting XI as soon as possible.


-Last, but not least, the Kansas City Wizards look like they are on the brink of starting construction on their new soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. One of the biggest remaining hurdles for the ownership group has been selling STAR bonds in a fairly difficult market, but President Robb Heineman sounded very upbeat in an update on the Wizards website Thursday night, saying:

“Based on the information that we've received from the bond financing community, we are now confident that bonds can be sold. In fact, although the formal agreements have yet to be inked, we're confident enough in the pace and direction that, starting next week, you'll begin to see yellow machines on site at Village West in Kansas moving dirt, at our expense.”

Assuming all goes according to plan, the stadium is projected to be finished by the middle of the 2011 season. KC’s ownership group has really done a great job since coming on board in 2006, and they deserve a lot of praise for the work they have done to make this new stadium a reality.


Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy the snow everybody.

by Matt - US Soccer Daily

Eddie Johnson was always on the fast track to national team success. The Bunnell, Florida native played with U-17 national team, scoring nearly a goal per game in 25 appearances. He then moved on to the U-20 national team, where he shined at the 2003 U-20 World Cup, scoring four goals and winning the Golden Shoe. Once he got his chance with the senior team, Johnson kept up the torrid pace he had set with the youth teams, scoring four goals in his first two caps. Needless to say, American fans were excited by the goal scoring prowess of the then 20 year old.


Johnson’s ability caught the eye of a number of European scouts, as well, and MLS fielded significant transfer offers from overseas suitors. After a series of rejected transfers and nixed deals, Eddie would finally make the move in January 2008, joining the American contingent at Fulham. Now, about two years later, Johnson has yet to make much of an impact in England, and the emergence of Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore made him an afterthought in the minds of most American fans. But with Davies’ unfortunate injury, it might be time to bring Eddie back into camp. With Brian Ching, Conor Casey, and Kenny Cooper falling in behind Altidore in the pecking order, the US is lacking for speed up front, and Johnson could bring just that.


Johnson’s time on loan last season really helped him turn a corner. His game sense has improved, and he now has a high work rate that helped him become a fan favorite at Cardiff. Johnson played well this season in Fulham’s preseason tour of Australia, and he has frequently found the back of the net with the reserves (most recently scoring two goals in a match earlier this week). His style of play is not too unlike that of Charlie Davies, and an Altidore-Johnson partnership up front might wreak similar havoc for opposing backlines.


The major knock against bringing in Eddie is the fact that he’s only made three appearances this season. (In those appearances, Eddie has an assist and has created a couple of quality goal scoring opportunities.) Other speed options, like Robbie Findley and Jeff Cunningham, meanwhile, have played and scored regularly in MLS, so they might be more appealing options. But Cunningham, 33, has been somewhat of an enigma over his career and never really made a mark at the international level, failing to score in 10 caps. Findley, meanwhile, does not have any real international experience, something Johnson does have.


More than anything, the thought of bringing Eddie Johnson back into the national team is an intriguing one. He’s always had raw ability, but now with a high work rate an improved attitude, it might be Eddie’s time to shine. Bob Bradley should exercise all options in the coming months to try to fill the holes in his lineup, and I would not be surprised to see EJ called into camp. His early success might have been too much too soon, and a couple years of learning and maturing overseas could be the missing piece of the puzzle. If he can manage to earn some playing time and make an impact in friendlies over the next couple months, Eddie might just find himself back on the fast track to national team success.

If you haven't noticed, things aren't going so well for the Hull City Tigers. Assumed to be relegation candidates before the current Premier League season started, the Tigers are living up to that billing in spades.

Their most recent misadventure, a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield, is not disappointing for Hull in terms of result (a win over a top four opponent away was never going to a likely proposition) but in the nature of that beating that they took. Hull's battle to stay up will be more about getting points out of matches with clubs like Birmingham (to whom they've lost) and Bolton (whom they've beaten) than doing well against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

But the Liverpool defeat on top of some other recent poor results has lit the burner under Phil Brown, and the Hull manager is staring to feel the heat. For most Americans, beyond those who have fully taken to Hull as passionate fans, the question of Phil Brown's potential sacking might now matter if it weren't for one rather large question:

If Brown is fired, what happens to Jozy?

Jozy's not going anywhere, of course, and should be with Hull for the balance of the Premier League season. But if Brown, the man ostensibly behind the acquiring of the young American on loan from Villareal, is no longer manager, where does that leave Altidore's prospects for playing time?

Altidore has yet, and may never, entrench himself as a first team choice for the Tigers. He entered this weekend's match as a late-game substitute for Geovanni, at a point in the action when the outcome was well decided; with several more experienced forwards options available, spot minutes may be the best that we can expect for Jozy. Managers in peril tend to rely more on seasoned players they're familiar with than unknown youngsters for whom consistency is still an issue; it's also unlikely that would change under a new manager, since a new man would probably do the same in an effort to save the club from relegation.

Either way, it's a tough time for American fans tracking Altidore's progress, and it shows not signs of getting better. He can still make his mark at Hull, and the hope and belief is that he can be a starter in the Premier League before too long. Unfortunately, it's difficult to see a path that leads there at the moment, and perhaps we should (and some certainly did) have seen the problems coming. Clubs bound to struggle cannot afford to wait on young talent, no matter how much potential there might be, while their chance of remaining top-flight slip away with every dropped point.

The World Cup is rapidly approaching, and Jozy Altidore is already a prominent part of the US National Team. The more time on field, especially for a player of his age, the better; at twenty years old, Altidore cannot afford to be wasting away on the Hull bench when so much of the American hopes in South Africa will be tied to his performance.

Phil Brown has received the dreaded (I'm required by the sportswriters' code to describe it as "dreaded") vote of confidence from Hull's chairman, which probably means he'll receive his walking papers shortly; even if he doesn't, as a manager under fire from multiple angles, he's not likely to take chances or be experimental. Would a replacement, either a caretaker or a newly installed permanent manager, be more likely to put Jozy on the pitch?

Maybe Jozy's just damned either way.

Jozy Altidore could be forgiven for feeling a little pleased with his Hull City FC debut on Saturday - his first touch of the ball in the EPL was an effective if perhaps fortuitous assist for the game-winning goal.

Minutes later he saw his shot power over the opposition goalie but wide of the post. Another chance soon followed but again he was unfortunate not to score. And all this in the half an hour he played after coming on just after the hour mark. Talk about an impact substitution.

Despite only having seen 30 minutes of him play, the Hull City fans were more than pleases with his contribution. The message boards were buzzing with compliments (“Looked brilliant going forward for us and linked well"), comparisons (with Carlton Cole, Emile Heskey and Ruud Van Nistelrooy) and chant suggestions (the most amusing of which was - to the tune of ‘Que Sera Sera’ - “Jozy Altidore/He's magic like Dumbledore/You give him the ball he'll score/Jozy Altidore). Already his Wikipedia entry has dedicated as much detail to his 30 minutes with Hull as it has with his spells at Villareal and Xerez which, for Generation.com, is complimentary indeed..

What was especially promising about Jozy’s debut was the immediate partnership forged with striker Kamel Ghilas (and a goal within one minute of the partnership forming on the pitch is certainly immediate). The players gelled at once, exchanging crisp passes during the game, and enjoying after the game. For a team not renowned for being exotic, Hull City appear to have stumbled upon an American-Algerian partnership that shows much promise.

Hull manager Phil Brown (having previously lambasted his team in a humiliating on-pitch team-talk, and enjoyed some impromptu karaoke) is hardly one to shy away from a bit of drama - and his post-match comments reflected this. "I looked into the whites of his eyes and asked him if he was ready to play". It's fair to say that he was. After visa trouble, a swine flu scare, and a frustrating and barren last 14 months of football, it was clear that Jozy was simply relieved to see things finally click on the pitch.

Greg Seltzer reports that Freddy Adu's loan prospects with Danish side Odense are bleak, after negotiations with Benfica broke down.

The American forward/midfielder will continue to train with his Portuguese club in the interim; a loan deal would still appear to be in the cards at some point, with Adu not figuring in Benfica's immediate plans.

Seltzer's information is that the snag occurred over Benfica's portion of Adu's salary during the loan; Odense wanted them to pay more than they were offering (I assume). The report also indicates that while the loan deal is off for the time being, talks could restart at a later date. It's unclear if another club's interest has affected Benfica's position, or if another deal is imminent.

This isn't good new for those of us who truly want Adu to get a chance to succeed; Denmark, Portugal, Holland; at this point, it doesn't matter, and Adu just needs to play. The chances of his making the World Cup roster next year (especially in light of the emergence of Stuart Holden) are growing dimmer by the day, and a loan with playing time assured is the first step towards him getting back into the national team picture.

For all of the setbacks that Adu has brought on himself, it's unfortunate that something like this, typical loan negotiations gone bad (for now) that are out of his control may put off his growth once again.