Phun With Photoshop - A "European Vacation" Is Good for the League and the National Team

Starrting: Juan Aguedelo, Brek Shea, Jeff Larentowicz, and Kyle Beckerman

The off-season ritual of heading to Europe for some extra training is no longer just the extra-curriculars of David Beckham and Thierry Henry. Now young Major League Soccer players and U.S. National Team players are getting time with clubs all across the continent.


And this list keeps on growing. Over a dozen young Americans are aboard during the MLS downtime. Some to stay sharp, others for a quick look my European clubs and their scouts. No matter the motives, given the shorter domestic season, a little TnT (training and touches) is better for the quality of the league and the Nats than R&R.


No matter how you feel about the pace and results of the Klinsmann revolution at U.S. Soccer, the Germany-American coach has used his continental contacts to get young players some great European experience, including FC Dallas' Brek Shea with Jurgen's former coaching colleague Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. 


The list of Americans aboard (from Goal.com):


Columbus Crew winger Robbie Rogers - FC Kaiserslautern  
Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman - FC Kaiserslautern 
New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo - VfB Stuttgart
D.C. United defender Perry Kitchen - SC Freiburg
Philadelphia Union midfielder Zach Pfeffer - Hoffenheim 

D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid - West Bromwich Albion
FC Dallas winger Brek Shea - Arsenal
Vancouver Whitecaps forward Omar Salgado - Fulham
Colorado Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz - Bolton
Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury - Bolton 
Chicago Fire goalkeper Sean Johnson - Everton
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath - Everton
Philadelphia Union Amobi Okugo - Freiburg
DC United defender Andy Najar - Tottenham


And just last week New York Red Bulls starlet Juan Agudelo announced he was off to Mersyside for some time with Liverpool FC.


The explosive growth of young players recruitment aboard during MLS' off-season, even if a few players are lost to European contracts, is going to increase exposure for American soccer and further the leagues' international reputation as a laboratory for young talent. 


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Phun With Photoshop - Happy Independence Day!

"So where do you guys want to get lunch after this? I know a great Philly cheese steak place...."

Happy Fourth of July! Take a moment to honor this great nation and all the people who have helped make this place the great country that it is.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Sunil Gulati....

Without America we don't have American soccer to call our own and help build it one beer at a time. That's the real takeaway from this all, for sure.

These old gems come from our "Soccer War of Independence 2010" gallery before the England-USMNT World Cup clash, but they seemed still very relevant on today, our Independence Day.

Our old crest even makes a rare appearance on these paintings! How far we've come.

Hey we could've run Bill Pullman's speech from ID4 again if you prefer....

"Tim Howard Denies Wayne Rooney"

"Yankee Doodle Landy and Co. Take Out David Beckham"

"Bradley Crosses the Deleware"

"Bradley and Donovan Accept Fabio Capello's Surrender (with John Terry) at Saratoga"

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Phun With Photoshop - Where in the World is Freddy Adu?

Ever get the impression that Freddy Adu just doesn't like Major League Soccer? The former "next-big-thing" in American soccer is now on trial with 2.Bundesliga basement dwellers Ingolstadt.

Adu has been thrown overboard by his Greek club Aris and has already been to Denmark and Switzerland in search of employment during the January transfer window. It looks like the child "star" of MLS doesn't want anything to do with the American Dream anymore.

Isn't time that Freddy just come home? Is playing in no where Germany that much better than whatever club would GLADLY have him in MLS? Does he really think that playing (or more likely, not playing) in European backwaters is going to get him another look from Coach Bob Bradley?

Only Adu knows these answers, we guess....

Where will Freddy go next?

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