NEWS AND NOTES: ADU, ONYEWU, AND MORE
Here are some interesting tidbits that have happened in the last few days.
Onyewu ready by March
Oguchi Onyewu should be ready to start playing again in March. The American central defender suffered a knee injury against Costa Rica in October. Gooch should be ready to go in March and is expected to start running in early 2010. He will still need to find a way to crack into the AC Milan starting lineup but having him healthy and fit is the first step.
Charlie Davies is still a little further away but is optimistic. The young striker was given a 6-12 month prognosis after surviving a deadly car crash. Earlier this month Davies told ESPN he expected to be running in March and fully fit by June.
Curt Onalfo hired as DC United head coach
The former national team assistant coach and DC United player, spent two and a half years at the helm of the Kansas City Wizards before being let go in August. After Akron Coach Caleb Porter turned down the position at DC United Onalfo became the number one candidate. Onalfo spent 2000-2002 as assistant and interim coach at United so he is familiar with the club.
After failing to get results at Kansas City I think this hiring might be a long shot. DC United and Kansas City are worlds apart in infrastructure and talent so that might make a big difference in Onalfo’s success. The club is looking for someone to get the club back to being one of the top teams in the league. One thing is for sure, there won’t be any shortage of pressure on the new head coach.
Freddy Adu booted from Belenenses
Freddy Adu has failed to impress once again and has been let go by Portugese side Belenenses. The club’s new coach, Toni, needed to cut dead weight from the roster. Adu was on loan with the club from Benfica. Adu has some important decisions to make about his soccer career. There are MLS options available to Adu if he is willing to take a serious pay cut. Denmark or Belgium would be another option for the young attacker.
The future is looking less and less bright for Freddy but I’m keeping faith. He is a talented player but it isn’t his time yet.
Beasley might be ready by Sunday
Had a minor setback this week, suffering slight thigh injury. The injury was supposed to keep him out of the match against Celtic this weekend, but it looks like he might be ready to play. Apparently the injury was not as bad as they had thought and Beasley is keeping his fingers crossed.
Clubs interested in Ricardo Clark
The American midfielder is drawing attention from Premier League side Burnley and Scottish powerhouse Celtic. The word is that Clark leaning towards a move to Celtic but is considering the opportunity to play in England’s top flight. Burnley has also been linked to Clark’s Houston teammate Stuart Holden.
December 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I’m not sure where would be ideal for Clark. I’m less worried about Holden, but I think that Clark needs to find a certain fit to get the improvement needed to get to the next level. We’ll see.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Clark can be a top player but is very inconsistent. Some games he looks world class and other times he looks pretty awful. He needs to play at a level that will force him to consistently play at the top of his game. That is something that MLS really doesn’t provide. The Scottish league might be easier for him to break into, but the real challenge that he needs is probably found in the Premier League.
The only thing i worry about with Holden, is him not getting time wherever he goes. Unlike Clark, Holden will be brought in to spark the offense and provide dangerous flank play (most likely). That is a tall order for a young player new to the European game. Holden is good but he might not get the rhythm right away. Clark, on the other hand, will probably come in as a destroyer type/box to box center midfielder. That is an easier transition, in general, for most players. You can learn defense.
We’ll see though. I hope both blow up in Europe.