Top 10 Yanks Abroad

Discussion in 'Prem talk, Those Other Leagues, and International' started by WhitesBhoy, Dec 1, 2008.

  1. WhitesBhoy

    WhitesBhoy Active Member

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    With me switching through so many matches yesterday in so many different leagues, trying to gain a glimpse of our national talent, I am interested in finding out who people follow (the Yank and Club) and how and/or why they rate them. I'll give it a whirl:

    1. Dempsey / FULHAM - No explanation needed.
    2. Altidore / VILLAREAL - Words like "potential" are way overused, especially in sports, but I can't help myself. Nice 80 minutes for the "Yellow Submarine" this past Sunday.
    3. Gooch / STANDARD LIEGE - Tempting to give up on the big fellah, but he seems to be playing well and LIEGE are a force domestically and in Euro Cup now.
    4. Bocanegra / RENNES - From Captaining the home squad to getting write-ups as a key player for RENNES in international publications, the guy has to be respected. Arguably USA's currently most established player internationally.
    5. Adu / BENFICA (MONACO) - Sure would be a whole lot better if the kid played more. Wonder if he is a discipline or conduct problem??
    6. Donovan / BAYERN MUNCHEN - Cakes hasn't played yet (to my knowledge), but you can bet many American eyes will be watching.
    7. Guzan (Friedel) / ASTON VILLA - Waiting for the pupil to become the master.
    8. Howard / EVERTON - "The Master", for some time to come.
    9. Guy / ST. PATRICK'S ATHLETIC - A starter, in Ireland, for a UEFA Cup Club. Sounds like fun.
    10. Beasley, Edu / RANGERS - The Dark Side of the Old Firm has two scoops of reasons to pull for a couple of players, but not the Evil Empire.

    As much as I would have liked to included more German Clubs and the Yanks who play for them, I have found it difficult to watch and follow teams like Monchengladbach and Hannover. Just not enough excitement for me.

    So, what's your preference?

    Cheers!
     
    #1
  2. BarryP

    BarryP New Member

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    1. Dempsey / FULHAM - Again no explanation needed.
    2. Altidore / VILLAREAL - It was announced that no Villareal players will be moving in January including Jozy. Hopefully this means more playing time because he is emerging as a we watch and isn't it fun to watch.
    3. Bocanegra / RENNES - Boca has always been a favorite.
    4. Gooch / STANDARD LIEGE - Gooch has performed well in recent Cup matches and will hopefull be moving to a club a bit easier to follow come January.
    5. Howard / EVERTON - Great shot stopper.
    6. Donovan / BAYERN MUNCHEN - What is not intriguing about this move?
    7. Friedel (Guzan) / ASTON VILLA - Friedel is class.
    8. Charlie Davies / HAMMERBY - His season may be over but Charlie may be the most improved Yank for 2008.
    9. Adu / BENFICA (MONACO) - He is sliding down my list with lack of playing time.
    10. Bradley / M'GLADBACH - What is not to like about a young American getting regular playing time in the Bundesliga?
     
    #2
  3. Jensers

    Jensers New Member

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    Royal City, Wa
    Top 10? How about top 1? Of the players abroad - who is the best?

    For me - this is easy.

    Timmy.

    If I had to pick a second - I would take:

    Friedel.

    Both are amazing, but Tim gets the nod due to his youth.
     
    #3
  4. gowhitesgo

    gowhitesgo New Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2008
    Tim Howard should be number 1. He is by far the most established player going for a high-profile international squad since McGod has gone back to collecting a check in MLS.

    Friedel is 2nd. After that it is a mix. Deuce has returned to his starter's role (for now at least) and is performing pretty well, although not hitting the back of the net as much as early last season. Boca has quickly established himself as a fixture at Rennes after being discarded by our Whites for some unexplainable reason. Gooch is good from what we hear at least.

    Bradley looks like he is gaining some favor in the Bundesliga, let's hope Donovan can also wiggle his way into the lineup at least occasionally.

    If Josey keeps getting minutes at VillaReal he may move to the top of this list quickly - they are the real deal - 2nd place in Spain only 4 behind Barca!!
     
    #4
  5. BarryP

    BarryP New Member

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    Christian were you asking us to rate the top 10 US talents abroad or our top 10 favorite Yanks abroad to follow? For the record I listed my favorite players to follow not necessarily in talent order.
     
    #5
  6. Jensers

    Jensers New Member

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    I think the US is solid enough to hold their own in the defending and middle third.

    True - we do not have the players that are in high demand at the biggest clubs, but they generally are tough enough and wise enough to get the job done...

    It is in the attacking third where we fail, and if Josey can get things sorted - the US may have a shot at doing something.

    Every power in international play has a handful of attackers that are in demand. We do not. Hopefully Josey is the start of something for the US in that department.

    Lets just take a look at the USMNT Player Pool for those listed as Forwards:

    Adu, Freddy F 5' 8" 140 6/2/1989 4/0 Potomac, Md. SL Benfica (Portugal)
    Has not been playing - Has looked OK when he has played, but not knocking my socks off. May not develop after all...

    Altidore, Josmer F 6'1" 175 11/06/89 3/1 Boca Raton, Fla. New York Red Bulls (MLS)
    This info is old, but - yes - he is playing - and yes - it is for a good side. We need him to become our Superman. Please play hard and stop falling down!

    Barrett, Chad F 5'11” 180 04/30/85 0/0 Beaverton, Ore. Chicago Fire (MLS)
    Not Good Enough.

    Ching, Brian F 6'1" 195 5/24/1978 26/5 Haleiwa, Hawaii Houston Dynamo (MLS)
    I REALLY like Ching, but he has shown that he is simply not good enough.

    Cooper, Kenny F 6'3” 210 10/21/84 2/1 Dallas, Texas FC Dallas (MLS)
    Big - clumsy - and predictable.

    Dempsey, Clint F 6'1" 170 3/9/1983 38/9 Nacogdoches, Texas Fulham FC (England)
    Not a natural or clinical finisher. Creative? Yes. Has a lot of heart, and I want him in the squad - but goals are a surprise and not an expectation.

    Jaqua, Nate F 6'3” 180 10/28/81 2/0 Eugene, Ore. Out of Contract
    Not Good Enough.

    Johnson, Eddie F 6'0" 180 03/31/84 32/11 Palm Coast, Fla. Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
    A major disappointment. Showing that he doesnt have it, and probably never will. I am hoping this is not what we are going to see happen with Adu when all is said and done.


    Noonan, Pat F 6'0" 170 08/02/80 14/1 Ballwin, Mo. Aalesund (Norway)
    Not Good Enough, and approaching 30.

    Rogers, Robbie F 5'10” 165 05/12/87 0/0 Huntington Beach, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
    Not Good Enough.

    Rolfe, Chris F 5'8" 145 01/17/83 7/0 Kettering, Ohio Chicago Fire (MLS)
    Not Good Enough.

    Shea, Brek F 6'3” 180 02/20/90 0/0 College Station, Texas FC Dallas (MLS)
    I dont know him - not a good sign.

    Twellman, Taylor F 5'11" 170 02/29/80 30/6 St. Louis, Mo. New England Revolution (MLS)
    MLS Should Have Let Him GO!! I want to know if he is good enough and MLS isnt going to cut it.

    Wolff, Josh F 5'9" 160 02/25/1977 50/9 Stone Mountain, Ga. 1860 Munich (Germany)
    Not Good Enough, and He is one year my senior. I wish I could say I am getting better with age, but I am not - and I am sure he is the same.


    See what I am saying! In a country of this size - we cant come up with a single big name striker - like a Torres or a Zlatan or a Eto'o, or even a Defoe? I would take a Defoe even!

    I am sorry, but Landon has let us down up to this point. Ok, Ok, He was not ready for the big time as a teenager, but he should have gone back sooner. At the last world cup he looked like he was going to pee himself. He never looked really dangerous, and rarely took opportunities to run at anyone. For being the leading American Goal Scorer - he has not proven it against the powers.

    Lucky for us he is still young enough that he may be able to do something in Europe and gain the confidence he needs to 'put himself about' when we come up against the best defenses in the world.

    I wonder if I can get a breakdown of all of Landon's goals. (Off to Google)
     
    #6
  7. Jensers

    Jensers New Member

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    Wiki is your friend.

    Wow. 3 Goals against Mexico, and one against Denmark and one against Sweden.

    No goals against any country of significance... I was surprised actually - I thought he might have a couple of big goals he could point to.
     
    #7
  8. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Walnut, CA
    Re: RE: Top 10 Yanks Abroad

    I was wondering the same thing Barry. I believe interest is what our friend Christian is asking for, talent should be a seperate thread (Howard would be a near unanimous #1 on that one).

    Interest; 1.) Demps 2) Howard 3) Boca 4) Bradley (own goal this week, ouch) 5) Subotic (fingers-crossed he chooses us) 6) Gooch (will pay more attention when out of Belgium) 7) The A-team (Adu/Altidore) even though at the rate it's going Jozy will move way up and Adu will go down 8) The CCC combo of DeMerit and Simek 9) Friedal (even with that accent :D ) 10) Davies (very curious to see if he moves) *** Special mention to Jose Francisco Torres and Michael Orozco who play for Pachuca and San Luis in the Mexican League
     
    #8
  9. WhitesBhoy

    WhitesBhoy Active Member

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    Re: RE: Top 10 Yanks Abroad

    I wouldn't dream of imposing any sort of mandate on how they are ranked. However, mine too I proclaim as entirely and unabashedly subjective.
     
    #9
  10. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    First of all, for the 7th or 8th year in a row, the BEST American playing overseas is Brad Friedel. I can't understand how there's any discussion on that.

    Second of all, I realize that it's painful supporting Tottenham this season, but Jensers, dude, lighten up on Donovan. Yes, he's an asshole, but he's the most talented outfield player we have. He has performed brilliantly for the entirety of 2008 and he's just now reaching his stride.
     
    #10
  11. SteveM19

    SteveM19 New Member

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    Sep 30, 2007
    Location:
    Cleveland OH
    Let's see...

    Deuce, again, is a given.

    Gooch because I like big defenders who play like linebackers, even if they have growing pains. I haven't seen any Belgian league games (life is short, you know), but he seems to be almost too big a fish for their pond. Another try in a bigger league? Preferably for a team not named Bad Soap Opera FC?

    Friedel and Timmy -- nos. 1 and 1A. If only we could provide an outfield player as solid as either of these guys... Cakes? It's your call. You can do it, as angry as you make me. All (most) could be forgiven.

    DMB is soooo fragile. He can run in between raindrops and not get wet, that's not a good thing.

    Does anyone know more about Demerit and Watford? He is't getting as many games this year as I thought he would, and their defense is in a shambles. I haven't even glanced at them since AB got canned. Can anyone help me out?

    I haven't seen Moench... play this year, but Bradley with an own goal? Now I can say I have something in common with a US National team player :lol:
     
    #11
  12. Jensers

    Jensers New Member

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    You had to go there? Actually - Its not all that painful following Spurs. I get the pleasure of watching them claw for results in League, FA, Carling, and UEFA... As Fulham supporters, we all know the fun of having a down team and hoping and praying for results.

    As far as Donovan is concerned, I agree with you. He is the best that we have, and when he doesnt play - we have a huge problem.

    I have high hopes that he will develop into the player that we need him to be. Someone that is not just a power and a threat in CONCACAF, but a player that is a power and a threat - even against the powers.

    All I am saying is that - up to this point... He has not done that, and I think his development have been stunted by his choice to not 'get back on the horse' sooner.
     
    #12
  13. jmh

    jmh New Member

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    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Love all those guys but I've gotta agree with those who say Timmy is clearly the top of the list. Everyday starter for a top-half Premier League side, been named in the PFA team of the year.

    (You could say the same thing about Friedel as well, of course, but Timmy gets the nod because he's younger and because Friedel is retired from international play.)
     
    #13
  14. WhitesBhoy

    WhitesBhoy Active Member

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    CORRECTION: "4. Bocanegra / RENNES - From Captaining the home squad to getting write-ups as a key player for RENNES in international publications, the guy has to be respected. Arguably USA's currently most established field player internationally."

    And yes, my list is in order of preference of interest in following. Which means Friedel? snoooorrrrr.
     
    #14
  15. andypalmer

    andypalmer Active Member

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    Baltimore, MD
    DMB. Hasn't been even making the bench for Rangers lately. Left wing is a bigger question mark for the USMNT now than LB.

    Donovan. I think he's finally "gotten it" and is our best 2nd Forward (i.e., the AJ position)

    Brek Shea. The kids only 18, but has some European teams looking at him. Maybe 2014.

    Dempsey. Owns the right mid spot on the USMNT. While not a classic winger, he makes up for it with his creativity, skill, and ability to play with his back to goal. His crossing is much improved this year.

    Adu. Seems to be progressing slower than Jozy. I think Jozy may have more playing time this year than Freddy which, given the relative strengths of their clubs and the extra year Freddy has had in Europe, isn't a good sign.
     
    #15
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