ASN 100 Update
More Michaels, and Maybe Maurice, Make MLS Moves
Parkhurst Joins Bradley in the American domestic league, and Maurice Edu may be right behind them. Also, Birmingham City defender Will Packwood looks set to make his return.
Michael Bradley—ASN rank #1
If you had suggested “Bradley to Toronto FC” last month, or even early last week, or any time really, you may have been laughed off the Internet. And yet here we are. Only days after Taylor Twellman first dropped a knowledge bomb on Twitter, Toronto officially introduced Bradley, along with fellow DP signing Jermain Defoe, in a press conference on Monday morning. The change in scenery is a stark contrast from Roma, and seemingly everyone has an opinion on what it means for the player, the national team, and MLS. But Bradley sees his (North) American homecoming as the next challenge in his career: “I got to a certain point where as much as I played at Roma, I did not feel I was taking on a big enough roll,” Bradley told ESPN. “As a player and a person, the next step is to become someone who is asked to take a really, really big role on the field and off it. I am grateful and excited to do this in Toronto.” One thing is for certain, it’s going to be fun to watch. Jozy Altidore—ASN rank #4
On the bench yet again for Sunderland, Altidore came on late and played 24 minutes in the club’s 4-1 victory over hapless Fulham on Saturday. With the win the Black Cats have now taken results in eight of its last nine matches, displaying a measurable uptick in quality under new manager Gus Poyet. Despite previous performances that have remained light on consistency and heavy on frustrated hip-holding, Altidore’s involvement in the Black Cats’ third goal was encouraging. As was his success in drawing a late penalty kick… even if the fall had a certain WWF-quality to it. Clint Dempsey—ASN rank #5
In the second match of his two-month loan spell, the Fulham faithful gave Clint Dempsey a warm homecoming Saturday night at Craven Cottage. In a key fixture against fellow relegation candidate Sunderland, Dempsey got the start for the Whites and put in an effective 75-minute shift. It wasn’t enough, however, as Fulham fell 4-1 and slid further into the relegation mire. Despite the loss, Dempsey looked lively. His performance elicited some positive reviews from the English press as well as a vociferous round of boos when his replacement, Darren Bent, was ushered onto the pitch. Dempsey will surely be back in the lineup for Fulham this coming weekend, when the club takes on league-leading Arsenal. Edgar Castillo—ASN rank #29
At the raucous Estadio Caliente on Friday night, Castillo got the start for the Xolos in its Clasura home opener, playing 90 minutes and delivering the game-winning assist (of sorts) in a 1-0 win over Club America. Playing higher up the field late in the match, Castillo dribbled past his defender to the byline before delivering a deflected cross that eventually fell to the feet of Cristina Pellarano, who put away the match in the 87th minute. Compatriots Herculez Gomez and Joe Corona—who hit the post on a long-range effort in the first half (see :25 of the video below)—also received starts for the club, while U.S. under-20 forward Paul Arriola entered as a late match substitute for Corona. Michael Parkhurst—ASN rank #35
Another American returns to the roost. As mentioned in this space last week, Parkhurst badly needed a change of scenery. And now he has one. Earlier German reports had the 29-year old “going home”—leaving an indication that he could be returning to New England Revolution, the club he left in 2008. On Monday it was announced that Parkhurst would be returning to MLS but, in a slight surprise, would instead join the Columbus Crew, which picked up the utility defender from the Revs in exchange for allocation funds and the fourth pick in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft. It will be a tough climb, but steady minutes in MLS could see Parkhurst play himself back into consideration for Brazil. Eric Lichaj—ASN rank #40
Playing well as of late for Nottingham Forrest—which is still clinging to a promotion playoff spot—Lichaj was forced to miss the club’s 1-1 draw with Bolton over the weekend. The Illinois native is still recovering from a splendidly vague “lower body” injury, picked up in a 5-0 FA Cup rout of West Ham the week before. As the right back was not initially expected to miss any time, U.S. observers will be anxious to see if Lichaj can see the field and maintain his solid form this weekend against Blackburn. Michael Orozco—ASN rank #49
After beginning the Liga MX Clasura campaign on the bench for Puebla, Orozco got back into the starting XI on Sunday afternoon, playing 90 minutes and delivering a game-tying assist in a 1-1 draw with Monterrey. In the game’s crucial sequence, Orozco dribbled forward out of the back before dropping a 60-yard pass to the head of striker Matias Alustiza, who caught the Monterrey keeper off his line for the score. Fellow American DaMarcus Beasley also started for Puebla, playing 75 minutes in the draw. Maurice Edu—ASN rank #57
The European exodus continues! Reported on Monday night by Taylor “Scoop” Twellman, MLS and Edu are in negotiations to bring the 27-year-old back to MLS, where he last featured for Toronto FC in 2008. It’s probably a wise move considering Edu featured for all of 10 minutes in his time with Stoke City and has not played a competitive club match in nearly nine months. It’s probably not a coincidence that this was also around the last time Edu appeared for the U.S. national team. Oguchi Onyewu—ASN rank #75
After failing to catch on (see: get on the field, at all) with Queens Park Rangers, the 31-year-old center back will be exchanging Championship sides and heading north to join Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the season. With the move, Onyewu tumbles down the Championship table, where the Owls currently sit only four points from safety in the English second division. Despite just being added to the roster, Onyewu could see the field as early as this weekend for a clash with second-place Burnley. Bobby Wood—ASN rank #78
A few interesting bits of news were released this week, all of which could affect the remainder of the season for the young Hawaiian-born striker. First, fellow Munich 1860 forward Rob Friend, who Wood had often relieved as a late-match substitute, is heading to the Los Angeles Galaxy on loan for the upcoming MLS season. Second, the German press revealed that 1860 reportedly rejected a loan offer that would have sent Wood to 3.Liga side Wacker Burghausen. While these moves seem to signal increased playing time for the 21-year-old, the signing of Japanese striker Yuya Oskao means Wood remains in a tight competition when the German season resumes in February. Will Packwood—ASN rank #100
It’s great to see 20-year-old Will Packwood back in the lineup for Birmingham City. It’s been a long road to recovery from a broken leg last season, but Packwood has steadily moved back into consideration for the Blues. After a successful loan to League Two’s Bristol Rovers—where he earned several man of the match honors in his brief spell—Packwood has seemingly regained his match fitness and could be called into action soon due to some key losses on the Birmingham backline. An underrated national team prospect, it will be interesting to see if he can regain his spot and join handful of the Americans already succeeding in the English second division. Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter.
If you had suggested “Bradley to Toronto FC” last month, or even early last week, or any time really, you may have been laughed off the Internet. And yet here we are. Only days after Taylor Twellman first dropped a knowledge bomb on Twitter, Toronto officially introduced Bradley, along with fellow DP signing Jermain Defoe, in a press conference on Monday morning. The change in scenery is a stark contrast from Roma, and seemingly everyone has an opinion on what it means for the player, the national team, and MLS. But Bradley sees his (North) American homecoming as the next challenge in his career: “I got to a certain point where as much as I played at Roma, I did not feel I was taking on a big enough roll,” Bradley told ESPN. “As a player and a person, the next step is to become someone who is asked to take a really, really big role on the field and off it. I am grateful and excited to do this in Toronto.” One thing is for certain, it’s going to be fun to watch. Jozy Altidore—ASN rank #4
On the bench yet again for Sunderland, Altidore came on late and played 24 minutes in the club’s 4-1 victory over hapless Fulham on Saturday. With the win the Black Cats have now taken results in eight of its last nine matches, displaying a measurable uptick in quality under new manager Gus Poyet. Despite previous performances that have remained light on consistency and heavy on frustrated hip-holding, Altidore’s involvement in the Black Cats’ third goal was encouraging. As was his success in drawing a late penalty kick… even if the fall had a certain WWF-quality to it. Clint Dempsey—ASN rank #5
In the second match of his two-month loan spell, the Fulham faithful gave Clint Dempsey a warm homecoming Saturday night at Craven Cottage. In a key fixture against fellow relegation candidate Sunderland, Dempsey got the start for the Whites and put in an effective 75-minute shift. It wasn’t enough, however, as Fulham fell 4-1 and slid further into the relegation mire. Despite the loss, Dempsey looked lively. His performance elicited some positive reviews from the English press as well as a vociferous round of boos when his replacement, Darren Bent, was ushered onto the pitch. Dempsey will surely be back in the lineup for Fulham this coming weekend, when the club takes on league-leading Arsenal. Edgar Castillo—ASN rank #29
At the raucous Estadio Caliente on Friday night, Castillo got the start for the Xolos in its Clasura home opener, playing 90 minutes and delivering the game-winning assist (of sorts) in a 1-0 win over Club America. Playing higher up the field late in the match, Castillo dribbled past his defender to the byline before delivering a deflected cross that eventually fell to the feet of Cristina Pellarano, who put away the match in the 87th minute. Compatriots Herculez Gomez and Joe Corona—who hit the post on a long-range effort in the first half (see :25 of the video below)—also received starts for the club, while U.S. under-20 forward Paul Arriola entered as a late match substitute for Corona. Michael Parkhurst—ASN rank #35
Another American returns to the roost. As mentioned in this space last week, Parkhurst badly needed a change of scenery. And now he has one. Earlier German reports had the 29-year old “going home”—leaving an indication that he could be returning to New England Revolution, the club he left in 2008. On Monday it was announced that Parkhurst would be returning to MLS but, in a slight surprise, would instead join the Columbus Crew, which picked up the utility defender from the Revs in exchange for allocation funds and the fourth pick in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft. It will be a tough climb, but steady minutes in MLS could see Parkhurst play himself back into consideration for Brazil. Eric Lichaj—ASN rank #40
Playing well as of late for Nottingham Forrest—which is still clinging to a promotion playoff spot—Lichaj was forced to miss the club’s 1-1 draw with Bolton over the weekend. The Illinois native is still recovering from a splendidly vague “lower body” injury, picked up in a 5-0 FA Cup rout of West Ham the week before. As the right back was not initially expected to miss any time, U.S. observers will be anxious to see if Lichaj can see the field and maintain his solid form this weekend against Blackburn. Michael Orozco—ASN rank #49
After beginning the Liga MX Clasura campaign on the bench for Puebla, Orozco got back into the starting XI on Sunday afternoon, playing 90 minutes and delivering a game-tying assist in a 1-1 draw with Monterrey. In the game’s crucial sequence, Orozco dribbled forward out of the back before dropping a 60-yard pass to the head of striker Matias Alustiza, who caught the Monterrey keeper off his line for the score. Fellow American DaMarcus Beasley also started for Puebla, playing 75 minutes in the draw. Maurice Edu—ASN rank #57
The European exodus continues! Reported on Monday night by Taylor “Scoop” Twellman, MLS and Edu are in negotiations to bring the 27-year-old back to MLS, where he last featured for Toronto FC in 2008. It’s probably a wise move considering Edu featured for all of 10 minutes in his time with Stoke City and has not played a competitive club match in nearly nine months. It’s probably not a coincidence that this was also around the last time Edu appeared for the U.S. national team. Oguchi Onyewu—ASN rank #75
After failing to catch on (see: get on the field, at all) with Queens Park Rangers, the 31-year-old center back will be exchanging Championship sides and heading north to join Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the season. With the move, Onyewu tumbles down the Championship table, where the Owls currently sit only four points from safety in the English second division. Despite just being added to the roster, Onyewu could see the field as early as this weekend for a clash with second-place Burnley. Bobby Wood—ASN rank #78
A few interesting bits of news were released this week, all of which could affect the remainder of the season for the young Hawaiian-born striker. First, fellow Munich 1860 forward Rob Friend, who Wood had often relieved as a late-match substitute, is heading to the Los Angeles Galaxy on loan for the upcoming MLS season. Second, the German press revealed that 1860 reportedly rejected a loan offer that would have sent Wood to 3.Liga side Wacker Burghausen. While these moves seem to signal increased playing time for the 21-year-old, the signing of Japanese striker Yuya Oskao means Wood remains in a tight competition when the German season resumes in February. Will Packwood—ASN rank #100
It’s great to see 20-year-old Will Packwood back in the lineup for Birmingham City. It’s been a long road to recovery from a broken leg last season, but Packwood has steadily moved back into consideration for the Blues. After a successful loan to League Two’s Bristol Rovers—where he earned several man of the match honors in his brief spell—Packwood has seemingly regained his match fitness and could be called into action soon due to some key losses on the Birmingham backline. An underrated national team prospect, it will be interesting to see if he can regain his spot and join handful of the Americans already succeeding in the English second division. Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter.
