By: Jordan Raanan, My Sportsbook Soccer Editor
Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The United States has professed to be an up-and-coming soccer power for several years. That assertion is finally bearing its fruits.
The U.S. men's national team put together an impressive run during the 2002 World Cup and opened some eyes with a surplus of young talent. The rest of the world, especially the soccer powers in Europe, refused to accept the warning, denying the ascent of the traditional doormats and brushing off the Americans' success as an illusion. A lucky once-in-every-50-years mishap. But, ever so slowly, the Americans are defying the doubts of the naysayers.
The U.S. is currently ranked seventh in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ever position for the squad. Young stars like Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey and Eddie Gaven have already staked their claim to spots on the team. Even younger prospects such as Freddy Adu, Guillermo Gonzalez and Danny Szetela remain enshrouded in the weeds, ready to supplement the current core as the Americans prepare to take the soccer world by storm in the not-so-distant future.
U.S. soccer players are not only proving their worth for the national team and on home soil, but are slowly infiltrating some of the top leagues in the world, making an impact at some of the most prominent clubs in Europe. There are players scattered about England, Portugal, Holland, Germany, France, Denmark and Norway. Tim Howard currently starts for English Premiership powerhouse Manchester United; Donovan will head to traditionally strong Bayer Leverkusen in Germany at the end of the year; goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, midfielder Claudio Reyna and striker Brian McBride have all had success in the Premiership; and Clint Mathis, Conor Casey, Gregg Berhalter, Steve Cherundolo and Tony Sanneh all play for German clubs. There are also those that the general American public have never heard of (such as Jonathan Spector at Manchester United and Frankie Simek at Arsenal) that could contribute to the projected American uprising.
National team stalwarts Beasley and Convey are the most recent Americans to jump aboard the boat and sail off to Europe. Beasley's destination is Holland, where he will play for PSV Eindhoven, and Convey will stop in England, where he will play immediately for first division Reading City.
Beasley and Convey, much like most of the Americans before them, eventually had their talents affirmed and received the opportunity to make the switch to Europe. They both jumped at the break with open arms, knowing it is their best option for success in the world's most popular game. It provides a chance for them to showcase their skills and assess their brilliance against a stronger, larger pack of players.
The MLS does not fervently object to such moves. The league will even openly attest to the strength of European soccer (or football as they call it anywhere but on U.S. soil). And while the short-term outcome of the exiles might lessen the quality of the MLS' product, it will eventually provide a converse effect.
Despite the current departure of the most talented and marketable of its players, America can cultivate an increased lot of these gems. And eventually there will be enough studs to make the MLS an equivalent to Europe's best -- rendering the American injection in Europe obsolete.
