For a player looking to stir the transfer market for his services, there’s no greater stage than a World Cup. As it so happens, several U.S. internationals will be looking to enhance their day-job standings in South Africa this summer.
Of course, this quadrennial tourney doesn't do much for the majority of players suiting up for the top seven or eight European teams, plus Argentina and Brazil. But for a team outside the top 10 nations -- such as the U.S. -- performing admirably at a World Cup can help boost pro careers.
Clint Dempsey was snapped up from the New England Revolution six months after then-Fulham boss Chris Coleman grew a 'Nats crush at the 2006 World Cup. To boot, Serbia's Nemanja Vidic moved from Spartak Moscow to Manchester United after a sterling summer showing four years ago.
It should be no surprise that additional Americans have more than international glory at stake this time around, as more of them draw more interest from more leagues than ever before.
While Dempsey could conceivably earn an offer up the Premier League food chain with a fine display in South Africa, he isn't one of the U.S. players banking on a market boost this year. A few cases are quite serious, and then we have several lesser stories. In the interest of building drama, we start with the latter group.
Though defenders Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA) and Clarence Goodson (Norway's IK Start) are not yet sure squad bets, each has a strong shot at making Bob Bradley's 23-man World Cup squad. Both players run out of their respective contracts this year and each has spoken publicly of wanting to step up a league.
Hull City loanee Jozy Altidore looks set to return to Villarreal. Though he's shown well in England, he has just one goal in 25 league appearances and the Tigers are facing relegation. Other interest can always surface, but Jozy seems most interested in doing enough to convince Villarreal he’s ready for La Liga after being loaned out for 18 months.
A couple of other U.S. players just want their current employers to keep them around. AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu has lost most of his first season at San Siro to a knee injury and rumors of a Rossoneri summer clear-out have mentioned his name.
Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder-in-waiting Ricardo Clark only has a guaranteed deal until the end of the Bundesliga season. With the club prowling around a Europa League place, it seems likely he'd hope the club will take up his option.
We now turn to the most urgent cases, three players who will be feeling two kinds of pressure at World Cup. The first involves Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley, who is out of a contract at season's end. The veteran speedster made his wishes clear in the Scottish press two weeks ago.
"Glasgow feels like my home now," Beasley told The Record. "Hopefully that will continue to be the case. You could go to the World Cup thinking if you play well, you might get a move to this club -- but if I don't play well, what am I going to do? I would rather have something sorted out [before]."
Rangers have been slow to act, with Beasley’s numerous injury absences and an unusual amount of impending free agents in the squad clouding the issue. He may well need to perform well in South Africa to sort out his club affairs, be it in Glasgow or elsewhere.
The second urgent matter isn't so hazy. Watford captain Jay DeMerit is also currently set to be a summer free agent, and at age 30, he knows his window to get back to the Premiership is closing.
Last fall, he told The Watford Observer, “Once the World Cup is done, we have time to sort out a deal.” The Hornets may be able to keep him, but the Wisconsin native has stayed mum over the topic since then.
If he performs as well as he did at last year's Confederations Cup, that would seemingly garner him EPL offers. In no hurry to sign an early extension, DeMerit has both literally and figuratively positioned himself for self-promotion before his next contract.
Finally, there is Galaxy star Landon Donovan. While loyal to Los Angeles, the 28-year-old has made no secret that he'd love to return to Goodison Park, site of his recent successful loan spell.
"If I ever went back to England, I would only want to play for Everton," Donovan told reporters upon returning to the Galaxy in March.
Supporters and local scribes alike have clamored for the Toffees to bring the American back after World Cup. The cries will surely only get louder if another Everton attack engine, South Africa's Steven Pienaar, plays his way to a glamour side at the tourney.
For his part, manager David Moyes remarked on this past weekend's edition of the Sky Sports television program Goals On Sunday that he'd love to re-acquire Donovan -- but also that he expected MLS to name an asking price hefty enough for pause.
As the most marketable American star, Donovan would likely receive some serious interest if he excels at World Cup. Like several of his U.S. teammates, he will be busy demonstrating his club worth while chasing national pride.
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