North Americans on the Move: Julian de Guzman, Charlie Davies, Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore

By: Laurie | July 11th, 2009

This was the week where North Americans got a little love in the transfer market. First we saw Gooch (Oguchi Onyewu) get picked up by AC Milan — arguably the biggest move ever for an American outfield player. And now we’ve got a few other interesting moves or potential moves for players with North American roots.

First, let’s talk about the (potential) transfer that interests me most as an MLS fan: Twenty-eight-year-old Canadian midfielder Julian de Guzman from Spanish la Liga side Deportivo de la Coruna to Toronto FC.

Yes, Toronto is attempting to lure back their prodigal son, Julian de Guzman, as a Designated Player for a reported amazing (for MLS) sum of $7 million per year for two years. (De Guzman hasn’t decided whether or not to accept.)

MLS fans, you read that right. $7 million. Per year. Which is approaching European-style sums. (Okay, granted, this is what the Europeans pay their ball boys, but still. We’re in the ballpark.) For the record, Beckham makes $6.5m, which means that de Guzman would become the highest-paid player in MLS. And the total salary cap for an MLS team is rumored to be approximately $2.3million.

Please take just one second to reflect on that disparity.

I am of mixed feeling about this. On the one hand, MLS wants and needs to attract talented players still in their prime, and they currently don’t have the revenues or the structure to sign them. This — a high-pay, high-profile signing — may be what it’s going to take to help the league break through. But on the other hand…

I had my argument all worked out my mind and was getting ready to write it up, and then I found this post that pretty much summed up everything I was thinking.

But, and even though it may seem counter-intuitive, the DP rule runs counter to my hopes for the league; the larger the disparity between the top paid guys and the squad players, the more inconsistent quality will be and the more frustrating it will be for those high-talent stars who do make the leap. If you’re a giant fish in a tiny pond, you tend to get bored and disillusioned rather quickly; the recent hubbub over David Beckham’s time with the LA Galaxy and his “lack of commitment” is exactly the type of problem that the league faces whenever the DP rule is utilized to lure players like de Guzman here.

I’m all for more money being spent. I just want it to be spent across the board, even-handed, and on a number of players that can actually make a marked difference.

Seven million. One player. What do you think?

Next we have USA striker Charlie Davies, who got himself noticed in the Confederations Cup in South Africa last month. Today his rumored move from Swedish club Hammarby to the French Ligue 1 side Sochaux was officially announced. I say, good on him.

Granted, Sochaux isn’t quite Manchester United. They finished 14th of 20 clubs in Ligue 1 last season. But I think most people will agree that Ligue 1 is more competitive than the Swedish league.

(Not to mention a much easier place to get yourself seen by even bigger clubs.)

Well done, Charlie!

The news is not so good for former child prodigy Freddy Adu. In his loan from Benfica to AS Monaco (also a Ligue 1 side), he failed to crack the starting eleven, or even to see much playing time. At the end of the season Monaco announced that they would not be purchasing him from Benfica, so back to Portugal he goes.

And in more bad news for Freddy, after being called up for the Gold Cup squad he was this week shipped back to Portugal in the middle of the tournament after a lackluster performance against Honduras on Wednesday. (The offense didn’t even start to spark until he was subbed out for — you guessed it — Charlie Davies. )

Or, in the words of our USA blogger Brooks Peck:

-After just two games in the Gold Cup, Freddy Adu has left the US MNT to join Benfica’s preseason training. Hopefully Benfica realize he’s there.

Just fyi? Freddy Adu is breaking my heart.

And in not-great-but-certainly-less-bad new, let’s talk about Jozy Altidore. News this weekend is that his Spanish club, Villarreal, is loaning him out to the Greek side Olympiakos. This could be a good thing(?)

Here’s the thing about Jozy. He’s 19 years old. He was a starter for the New York Red Bulls at a tender age. He went to Villarreal in last summer’s transfer window, when he was 18. Villarreal didn’t know quite what to do with him, so they loaned him out to Xerez in the Segunda division. They didn’t know quite what to do with him, so he saw no playing time. (Minor foot surgery in the season didn’t help.)

And then he shows up at the Confederations Cup and does something like this against the best team in the world: