Yes, I know the big story for USMNT fans right now is that Bob Bradley has signed on to continue as coach of the USMNT. I also know that there are several thousand articles out there right now on that topic, and I thought people might want to read about something else. So, instead of writing about Bob Bradley, I am going to write about Christmas.
When I was a kid, I made Christmas lists as long as my arm. These lists were very detailed and specific, even including the page number in the Sears Wishbook where the present could be located. I wanted it to be impossible for me not to get what I wanted. However, despite my attention to detail, I usually ran downstairs on Christmas morning to find something under the tree that was different than what I had written down in my list. It mystified me how Santa was able to do all kinds of magical stuff, but he could not get my order right! I mean, it was all right there! I could not have set it up any better! I was so disappointed.
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I’m feeling a little like this right now when it comes to our Americans abroad. Following the World Cup, there was a lot of hope about where our guys might be playing to start this season. Charlie Davies was going to be back with a vengeance to show it was a mistake to leave him off the World Cup roster. Clint Dempsey was going to Spain or Italy. Jozy Altidore was going to get back to Villarreal, put his head down and make some noise. Onyewu was going to step up to fill a role in a suspect AC Milan defense and be lauded as a legend because he was doing it all for free. Jay DeMerit was going to return to the Premier League. Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson were going to be off to teams where they would play every game. Michael Bradley was going to Everton or Liverpool. Someone was going to give Brad Guzan a shot at being a number one. Bob Bradley might coach overseas. The list goes on about as long as my arm again.
But much like Christmas past, the fantasy differs from the reality even though it seemed set up so perfectly. Outside of Stuart Holden putting in some pretty solid performances for Bolton, the hopes I had for the Americans have not come true. The transfer window has come and gone and there were no major moves involving Americans. What’s more, several American players are arguably worse off than they were before the World Cup. Onyewu was recently left off of AC Milan’s Champions League roster. Dempsey is fighting for playing time at Fulham and EJ is unlikely to see the field anytime soon. Adu is back to Aris who don’t want him. Altidore was not on the roster for Villarreal’s first league match. Charlie Davies is in the Souchax reserves trying to work his way back. Benny Feilhaber is stuck with a second division club in Denmark and DeMerit is not with any team at all.
Yes, Jonathan Bornstein moving to Mexico is intriguing. You can throw Eric Lichaj getting some time at Aston Villa, Herculez Gomez to Pachuca, Sacha Kljestan to Anderlecht, Beasley and the a few others in there as positives, too. However, none of these are our big guns. None of these examples have the same pizzazz as, say, Onyewu starting in central defense for AC Milan or Altidore consistently getting twenty minutes with Villarreal. It’s disappointing. However, it helps me to remember that the U.S. has more players in foreign leagues than ever and that goes a long way for someone who recalls the US needing a miracle shot in 1989 by Paul Caligiuri against Trinidad & Tobago in order to break a forty year drought in qualifying for the World Cup. Plus, the January transfer window will be here before you know it. Dear Santa, I have been very good. This year I want Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley to be a part of a sick midfield at Everton . .
