Yanks in England... Yawn....

Ian Plenderleith of Matchnight goes to blighty to avoid having to interview nervous boys in suits at the MLs draft:

US Players In England Blandly Blending In

 

What does Plenderleith expect from the US? Honestly. US Soccer is still developing in this county. Since the 94' World Cup, the US has made huge strides. The installation of a small, but expanding league, an increase in player's going to play in European leagues, new players with plenty of potential such as Adu, Szetela, Johnson, Dempsey and "Memo" Gonzalez, along with a good finish in the last World Cup. He needs to think more about his arguments. Lewis, Reyna, Friedel and Keller belong to an older generation of players. They're on their way out in a few years. He says that Spector, Convey and Whitbread are kissing the bench. They're all young players in their late teens and early 20s. How many defenders have started for Manchester United's defence on a consistent basis? The same applies for Zak Whitbread. He's a young player on a team with the likes of Hyypia, Carragher, Rise, Finnan, and Josemi in the back. He's not breaking into the first team any time soon, but obviously Rafa saw potential in him by awarding him with a new contract at the beginning of this season. As for Convey, its his first year in England, and he is also a young player. We'll have to see what happens to him. As for Boca and McBride. Boca has been holding down the Left-Back spot now for quite a while now with Fulham. It's always easy to criticize, but his schedule of games are demanding, and I'm suprised that he's been able to appear as many times as he has for Fulham. McBride isn't starting because of Andy Cole's and Collins John's good form. Yet, look at the stats, he's one of the most highly used subs as a striker in the EPL.
Sure, Americans might not be lighting the league on fire, but what is that supposed to mean. Are all French and Brazillian players lighting up the league? No. Henry has put on a good performance, Pires has waned and Laurent Robert hasn't done much. Florent Signama-Pongelle hasn't been scoring goals at ease with Liverpool either. Kelberson, a Brazilian, hasn't even played an influential role with Man Utd., (sure, he's been injured, but even when fit, he wasn't a regular in the midfield) Plenderleith shouldn't expect Americans to be lighting up the league. Not yet. He's making too much of a generalization. Do all Dutch, Spanish, French and Brazilians light up the league.....the answer is a clear no. It is the efforts of an individual player. They might happen to be French of Dutch, or something else. Just because a player is from a certain country, it doesn't mean that they are automatically good.
The US players in England fall into two categories. The old and the young. The old players aren't going to be getting any better unfortunetely. The young one's are way too young to be making headlines yet. Defenders such as Boca, Spector and Whitbread get better as they get older. Experience is crucial for a defender. Everyone knows this. Give a player like Boca 3 years, and he'll be a consistent rock in the back. And, one more thing, if you ask why they aren't making headlines in the future: For the most part, only goal scorers get the majority of the credit. McBride is the only stiker in England, and he's not going to be a consistent starter. A few years from now, you might be hearing of a player Eddie Johnson playing in the EPL and scoring plenty of goals. We'll have to see. I think Plenderleith's criticism is unwarranted and lacks substance. Looking at age and comparisions, does he really think that US players are going to be making a huge impact in the EPL right now? Honestly...