Americans in Europe: Onyewu at A.C. Milan
Posted by Creaven on July 9, 2009 under Europe, USMNT, United States | 
5 Comments to Read
In January, I was in Dublin, Ireland staying in a hostel. I had just completed an exhausting week, with lots of sight-seeing and a lot more drinking. But, in my final day in the city (I would return two months later but that’s another story) I was ready to take a night off and go to bed early. Luckily, thanks to the world economy being on the brink of collapse, the hostel I was staying at was nearly empty and I was the only one in my six-bed room. But then the Belgians showed up…..
At 9:30 p.m. suddenly my room was infested with 20-year-old Belgians on a mission to get completely fucked up. It goes without saying my night off turned into another binger. But what does a 24-year-old Californian talk about with Belgian college kids?
“So are you guys Standard Liege or Anderlecht fans?”
After about 30 seconds of laughter, shocked a U.S. kid knew what the Belgium equivalent of Red Sox-Yankees rivalry was, they finally settled down.
“How do you know Standard Liege and Anderlecht?” (their English was far from perfect.)
“I know,” one of Belgians exclaimed. “Onyewu!”
They were right. Belgium soccer wouldn’t have been on my radar if it wasn’t Onyewu. He is my favorite player and I thought he was arguably the best American soccer player alive. So I was curious to know what actual Belgian soccer league fans thought of him.
“He’s way too good for Belgium.”
“I know he’s one of the best players in the league but he went to Newcastle on loan and that didn’t work out too well…”
“No, no, no, he’s WAY too good for Belgium. That was a couple years ago when he went to Newcastle. He dominates now; there’s no one like him in the league. I’m an Anderlecht supporter, but I have the up-most respect for Onyewu.”
The Onyewu talk eventually came to end and attention turned to Belgian ladies. But it was nice to hear what I already thought: Onyewu was the real deal.
Fast-forward to couple weeks ago in the opening U.S. match of the Confederations Cup. I wrote about it at the time, but after watching Onyewu in the opening 45 minutes against Italy I realized what that Belgian guy was talking about. Onyewu was the best player on the field and looked like one of the best defenders in the world. At the time, it looked like Birmingham was the leading candidate to sign Onyewu but after his performance against Italy it was clear Onyewu was WAY too good for Birmingham.
But not even I, with a serious Onyewu man-crush, thought A.C. Milan, or a club like it, would sign Onyewu. In the history of U.S. soccer, no field player has ever played for a top 10 European club (Howard for Manchester United is the only other player to play for a top 10 club). So this truly is a historic move.
A couple things played into Onyewu’s favor. First, he now holds a Belgian passport, so he doesn’t take up a “foreign player” spot in Italy (that’s why almost no Americans have played in Italy). Second, in the midst of an economic slow down, Onyewu was a cheap, talented option for a club looking to save money. Third, and most importantly, the Confederations Cup proved Onyewu could not just play against the best strikers in the world, but he could shut them down. If the U.S. lost to Mexico in the 2007 Gold Cup final, Onyewu would probably have been the best signing in Birmingham’s history.
But will he succeed at A.C. Milan? He’s easily good enough, but that doesn’t always mean success. Milan is going into next season without is best player from last year (and maybe the best player in the world) Kaka. Plus, they no longer have their coach, Carlo Ancelotti. There is a real possibility Milan completely falls apart next season
Onyewu will also have to fight for playing time as Milan signed another central defender, Brazilian Thiago Silva, last week.But I think Onyewu will be fine, getting at least 25 Serie A starts and some Champions League action. There are only a handful of clubs in the world where Onyewu would sit on the bench and Milan isn’t one of them.
Even if Onyewu is an absolute stud in Italy, this doesn’t mean top European clubs are going to start consistently signing Americans in the near future. These clubs aren’t stupid. They won’t make the fallacy of thinking, “Onyewu is really good so let’s sign Carlos Bocanegra!” Onyewu is head and shoulder above any American defender and Landon Donovan is the only other American player that I could foresee playing for a top 25 European club (maybe Jozy Altidore).
But this is a good sign for U.S. soccer. Never before has the U.S. produced a defender of Onyewu’s quality and there is every reason to believe there will be more Onyewu’s in the future. It’s possible Onyewu is just a freak athlete who happened to play soccer and there won’t be another American defender like him, but I doubt it.
Shawn Gillogly said,
It is great to see Gooch get the chance to perform at the highest level. I’ve always been impressed with his level of play in every area but his passing out of the back. In Italy, that’s one area that he will get lots of opportunity to improve. And that could make him a complete player.
Gooch should play at least the number of matches you project. There’s no reason he’s not a squad player at Milan at least. None of their defenders have his size and strength. And those are two attributes that a centerback has to have that no one can teach. Milan’s centerbacks last season were both undersized but mobile. It’s likely they plan to slot him in a pairing with one of the quicker backs, and they would have an ideal combination.
I’ve heard lots of people talk about the Newcastle experience. Part of the issue there was Titus Bramble and he never really could work out what they were doing on the pitch together. Seeing as Bramble is exactly the same type of player Gooch is, that isn’t surprising. What would be more surprising, if this wasn’t Newcastle we were talking about, is that they couldn’t figure out how to form a good pairing at the back. And of course, they were in love with a muppet like Bramble.
We see where Newcastle’s talent evaluation has landed them. And it’s a position they belong in, quite frankly. I think we can all agree that Milan has a much better pedigree at scouting and developing players than Newcastle. So if they seriously think they can use him, (and apparently Inter Milan was interested in him as well) then there’s no reason to doubt the prospects.
As for Milan changing coaches. That’s a biannual thing in Milan. But they never get anyone but the best to coach there. So that’s hardly a real issue. And I really can’t think of a better league for Gooch to go to than Italy, given his skill set.
On the Donovan front, I’m surprised I haven’t heard anything pop up yet. He certainly had to have helped himself. But if there’s been a peep, I haven’t seen it yet. Maybe they’re waiting until after this season when he’s out of contract. I think he’s good enough to go to a top 25 club. Especially if they’re smart enough to use him as the USMNT does and not try to force him to play striker as Bayern did.
frank said,
I’m not convinced Gooch will do well at AC Milan, except in Champions league play, he has decent speed and is very strong in the air but he lacks the agility and insight for the Italian game. Its a great chance for him and I wish him well. He is a very good player but he’s no Maldini. I suspect he was brought in to face those English and other Northern European teams more so than for serie a.
Shawn Gillogly said,
frank,
Maldini was a fullback. Which sort of proves my point. Lalas was useful for Padova in a squad role. I can hardly think that Gooch is less of a centerback than the rock star was. Certainly he would need a more mobile defender alongside him. But his ability to handle his assignments in the Confed Cup, where he faced some of the top strikers in the world, would indicate he has the insight to do his job.
Now, he can always grow in the mental side of the game as well. Insight comes with experience and discipline. IOW, they can be aided by good coaching. And if he can’t get good coaching at Milan on defending, where in the world *can* he get it?
Bill said,
There is no doubt that Gooch’s arrival in Milan is a major event for US Soccer. Whether or not it will be a success depends on two people: Gooch himself and then assuming success Bob Bradley. The game in Italy is very different from the game in the USA, and this difference represents an opportunity for Gooch to take. The key is will he.
Working in Gooch’s favor is the age and fragility of the current crop of AC Milan defenders plus a crowded fixture schedule. AC Milan took Gooch because he was free hence not much of a risk. He also demonstrated a lot of potential in South Africa. Whether Gooch can capitalize on this awesome opportunity is up to both Gooch and the coaching staff in Milan. He will need to refine and raise his technical game, incorporating the demands of a top Serie A side playing Champions League. This standard of play is on par or above the standard of play that teams in knockout stage of World Cup perform at. The Italian game is tactically complex and refined far beyond that found in the United States. AC Milan in particular has one of the most renowned tactical legacies in the World. How will Gooch be able to absorb these demands? Moreover, the Italian strikers while being technically excellent are crafty and cunning with the ability to subtly cheat their way to advantage. How will Gooch deal with this? This includes the need to keep from offering up fouls (or fouls resulting from a dive). Gooch’s ability to defend without fouling has improved phenomenally since 2006, he will have to step this up to play regularly in Milan. Finally, Gooch will have to pick up conversational Italian. Let’s see when he gives his first interview in Italian that will be a key moment in his Italian odyssey.
A similar defender played for AC Milan last season, Phillipe Sendros (Swiss, 6’3” 190, loaned from Arsenal). Sendros is less physically gifted than Gooch, but better technically. He featured in 12 games last year (7 Serie A, 5 UEFA cup). Milan will be without the retired Maldini, but Nesta should be back is healthy. Of course, Milan now has a different coach, with different ideas, and will be featuring Champions League rather than UEFA cup European competition. Overall, we should place our expectations for Gooch using Sendros as a benchmark. As an Arsenal fan, I want to see whether Sendros learned and grew as a player during his stay in Milan. How much did he learn from guys like Maldini and Nesta. Rumors have him being loaned out again to a French side. I have some hope that he’ll stay in London having grown as a player.
Let’s assume for argument’s sake that Gooch succeeds beyond all expectations. He plays and plays well in a relatively successful AC Milan campaign. How will Bob Bradley deal with Gooch? Will Gooch suddenly have to start playing in the tactically inept American style, or will the US MNT start to incorporate some of the sophistication from Italy? Will Gooch be able to impart his new-found wisdom to his team-mates?
The same issues will erupt for all the players on the US team moving to new teams this summer. If I had my pick, I would like to see both Donovan and Bradley move to Spain where Donovan could succeed, and Bradley would have to up his game in ways that would round him out. I don’t think Bradley moving to England would be good at all. I’d also like to see them move to mid- to low-table sides rather than one of the high level teams. Being on a Champions League side at Villareal worked against Altidore, he would have been better off at a lower level side. At present, no player will be presented a greater opportunity than Gooch. Its an opportunity for him and US Soccer to succeed as never before.
Shawn Gillogly said,
Bill,
Well-said about Gooch. And I don’t know that Bradley would be able to adapt to what Gooch might learn. We need to get some *coaches* to wander the continent too.
Reports I’ve heard indicate Altidore is being loaned out to Olympiakos. That’s a good move for him, as far as I’m concerned. They have 2 good strikers. But not anything like Villareal had. It still gives him Champion’s League play. Domestically, it’s not a much higher quality than MLS (if at all). But any time in the Champion’s League against a top side is time in the best possible competition on the planet. And starting is always better than sitting with a 1st division club.
I personally think Bradley is good where he is. He played 26 matches in the Bundesliga 1, a league that on its best is on par with the big 3, and at worst is the shortest of steps behind. And with Jones also a regular in that league, they will know what to expect from each other, assuming they are the central MF pairing going forward. I don’t know that Bradley could move to a better situation (at least for now) than he is in.
As for Landon, I’ve said my piece. I can only guess since he’s going to be out of contract after the season, teams are lining up to sign him on free instead of trying to pay 10mil quid. I can’t believe players like Gooch, Dempsey, Davies, and Altidore helped their stock and Donovan didn’t. At 27 and fully fit he’s in the prime of a midfielder’s career. I can’t see many mid-tier clubs in the big 3 leagues where he doesn’t slot right in.
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