In the wake of Sunday’s loss in the Confederation Cup final, the US National Team is receiving nothing but positive reviews from the media with diverse outlet coverage. Want to know why I think the US team has succeeded even after their stinging loss? Stephen Colbert did a piece on the team last night on The Colbert Report and was joined by former US defender and current ESPN analyst Alexi Lalas. If the comedy juggernauts grab hold of the US Soccer story, you can count on the fact Soccer matters. Watch the clips below:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Is it Time to Care About Soccer? | ||||
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| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Is it Time to Care About Soccer? - Alexi Lalas | ||||
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While the loss is still raw in the players’ minds, a few of them will cash in on their performance from the tournament. Among the many rumors to come out of South Africa it seems that Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, and Ricardo Clark are a few players whose stock has peaked enough for some high-profile European teams to possibly invest in their services. I’m all in favor of moves for all three of these young players. An exposure to a higher level of talent and high-pressure games would only enhance their skill and composure, ultimately benefitting the National team heading into next summer’s World Cup.
- - - According to Sky Sports, Rennes is looking into acquiring the midfielder Clark from the Houston Dynamo. If the club name rings a bell, it’s because US defenseman and team captain Carlos Bocanegra is already a member of Rennes. Apparently Clark didn’t scare off all potential suitors with his dangerous tackle against Italy that resulted in his ejection, which left the US a man down for the majority of the match.
- Fox Soccer reports that forward Davies has received attention from a number of teams in Germany, Holland, and France. Davies currently plays for Swedish club Hammarby ,but his injection into the US starting 11 for the final group stage game against Egypt (and his goal) has impressed some bigger fish.
- Finally, Jozy Altidore’s name has been connected to a loan deal from several clubs including Greek powerhouse Olympiacos (currently ranked 34th in Europe), Fulham from the English Premiership (current club of US star Clint Dempsey), and several Spanish La Liga teams. Altidore’s contract is with Villarreal of Spain’s top division, who bought the 19 year-old two seasons ago for $10 million - the highest contract ever given to a US player.
A quick side note for those of you who don’t know how soccer contracts work: If a team like Villarreal doesn’t have room at the moment for a young player, like Altidore, and they think his time on the bench will stunt his development, the team can loan him out to another squad who can use his services for a year for a certain price. After the season is up, the player is offered back to the club that owns his contract. The owner can either take the player back or try to loan him out again until they think he’s ready.
I think the loaning out of Altidore would be a beneficial move for his development, especially to a team like Fulham where he can play alongside Dempsey in the English Premiership. Whatever the case, Alidore needs to land on a club where he will get significant minutes in significant games. He was already loaned out last season to another Spanish team, Xerez and barely saw the pitch. Although Altidore is only 19, he has the most promise of any US player and the earlier he is exposed to good competition the better player he will become. There should be no doubt in any scout’s mind if they watched his play in the Confederations Cup. He is the real deal. He is the future face of American soccer. Its time Europe gave him the shot he deserves.
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