Tuesday, August 26, 2008
What happened to Fulham America?
What happened to Fulhamerica? Last year it was American players on Fulham's roster that played huge roles in rescuing the team's [English] Premier League status. In the four years since Brian McBride signed on for the Southwest London club only to be followed by four more, Fulham became the EPL team I told Britts I supported most. I fell in love with the idea of an American team in the league, and a personal visit to Craven Cottage sealed the deal.
Now however, only one American remains in Clint Dempsey, as his best friend Eddie Johnson was just loaned to Cardiff for the season. In the offseason, Carlos Bocanegra moved to France after becoming a bench player under Fulham's new boss, while Kasey Keller and Brian McBride both decided to return to the US and play out their stellar careers in MLS.
So, how are Fulham doing without their Americans? After losing the season opener on the road to newly promoted Hull City, the "Cottagers" just beat my other favorite EPL team - Arsenal - 1-0 at home on Saturday. Clint Dempsey only had a late cameo to do with it, but hopefully he'll earn regular status shortly.
the Arsenal win was one for the ages, but the fact that it mostly came without any American's in the side just has a Groundhog Day feeling to whole "American players ever so close to getting over the hump" thing all over again. Just when we thought some American players would become a permanent fixture on the global stage, it turns out the same old story of American players abroad being little more than utility players shows up again.
No doubt McBride and Keller would have retained their top spots had they stayed, and they've had two of the three or four most succesful Yanks-Abroad careers ever to date, but we want more. We want sustained success (read: Champions League regulars) where an American is a permanent fixture. We want transfer rumors swirling. We want our American David Beckham abroad.
Fulham wasn't really close to deliving that single star for us, but it represented a very real potential. A Fulham team with five American starters, making a run at the FA Cup or qualifying for Europe would have been more than satisfactory thank you very much.
Still a Fulham fan here for life, just for different reasons. Let's hope this is just a one step back to take two forward for American fans of soccer. We've got more seeds planted than ever before. Will next ten years prove we've planted permanent roots, or will we have only a longer list of the same old story?Labels: Fulham
Now however, only one American remains in Clint Dempsey, as his best friend Eddie Johnson was just loaned to Cardiff for the season. In the offseason, Carlos Bocanegra moved to France after becoming a bench player under Fulham's new boss, while Kasey Keller and Brian McBride both decided to return to the US and play out their stellar careers in MLS.
So, how are Fulham doing without their Americans? After losing the season opener on the road to newly promoted Hull City, the "Cottagers" just beat my other favorite EPL team - Arsenal - 1-0 at home on Saturday. Clint Dempsey only had a late cameo to do with it, but hopefully he'll earn regular status shortly.
the Arsenal win was one for the ages, but the fact that it mostly came without any American's in the side just has a Groundhog Day feeling to whole "American players ever so close to getting over the hump" thing all over again. Just when we thought some American players would become a permanent fixture on the global stage, it turns out the same old story of American players abroad being little more than utility players shows up again.
No doubt McBride and Keller would have retained their top spots had they stayed, and they've had two of the three or four most succesful Yanks-Abroad careers ever to date, but we want more. We want sustained success (read: Champions League regulars) where an American is a permanent fixture. We want transfer rumors swirling. We want our American David Beckham abroad.
Fulham wasn't really close to deliving that single star for us, but it represented a very real potential. A Fulham team with five American starters, making a run at the FA Cup or qualifying for Europe would have been more than satisfactory thank you very much.
Still a Fulham fan here for life, just for different reasons. Let's hope this is just a one step back to take two forward for American fans of soccer. We've got more seeds planted than ever before. Will next ten years prove we've planted permanent roots, or will we have only a longer list of the same old story?
Labels: Fulham
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