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Feilhaber in talks with MLS, could wind up with Revs

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                                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

U.S. Olympic team midfielder (and part-time karaoke singer) Benny Feilhaber is in talks with Major League Soccer about a move that could land him in the league with the New England Revolution.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Feilhaber and MLS are in talks over a three-year deal that could result in Feilhaber joining the Revs, which are currently holders of the top allocation in the MLS allocation order after Los Angeles recently put in an allocation claim on U.S. midfielder/defender Eddie Lewis and Colorado claimed former U.S. national team defender Cory Gibbs.

Feilhaber is set to leave Derby County after one failed season with the recently relegated English club, and while reports had linked him to a move to Danish club AGF Aarhus, sources tell SBI that Feilhaber wants a move back to the United States after spending the past three years in Europe (two with German club Hamburg and the past year with Derby County).

If he signs with MLS and joins New England, Feilhaber could slide in perfectly into a central midfield role with the Revs, who have the cap room to acquire Feilhaber at the financial figures currently being discussed. The Revolution recently acquired allocation money and also moved up in the MLS Allocation Order through its trade of Pat Noonan’s rights to the Columbus Crew.

The 23-year-old central midfielder is working his way back from a knee injury suffered earlier in the summer and was limited to appearances off the bench for the U.S. Olympic team, which was just eliminated from the Olympic Tournament.

What do you think of Feilhaber potentially signing with MLS? How about the possibility of him partnering in a central midfield with Shalrie Joseph? Is he better off in MLS or should he give Europe another run?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. So it is official now… Feilhaber goes to Aarhus AGF, as stated yesterday. According to the danish press the deal was already in place before the american exit from the olympics. In AGF we are looking forward to watch this player in action. We don’t know him too well, but after reading this forum (and others) I am optimistic. Playing with the american national team should be a sign of talent and ability. This will be a good opportunity for him to move on to a better team/league in time – if he can stay clear of injuries and back to his former self.

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  2. If Feilhaber has any ambition he should stay in Europe. The Danish league is better than MLS, and a far better window for European clubs to see him. If he has succes in Denmark he will be better equipt to the european way of playing soccer and better equipt to succed playing in a bigger league(like the Bundesliga or the Dutch). Playing in MLS is the sure way to be forgotten!

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  3. Revs got played by someone other than Chicago according to Goff.

    Aarhus not Foxborough. I guess he just wasn’t prepared for the funny accents.

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  4. Goff is saying he spoke to Feilhaber’s agent. BF passed his physical and should be signing the contract with Aarhus within 24 hours. So..no MLS, no Revs.

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  5. this move from Benny is the one he should have made when he decided HSV was too tough for him.

    He’s a skilled players, but he is an even bigger baby than Donovan is. When he quit HSV for Derby since it was too tough to break into the line up, it really showed me how mentally weak he is.

    The boy’s gotta toughen up and get some confidence. He could be a very good player if he REALLY wants it which I’m not convinced he does at the moment.

    @Posted by: Trex | August 14, 2008 at 12:34 PM

    If RBNY’s current form holds, they just might have the top spot in the allocation order at the start of next season since Seattle already used their spot for Keller. 😉

    @Posted by: tj | August 14, 2008 at 01:03 PM

    This isn’t last year, chief. NE was almost close last time but c’mon. You’ve been steamrolled.

    I’ll give you credit for having the guts to trash talk with the evidence so overwhelmingly against you and your AYSO team up there in Foxboro.

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  6. This is good news. Whether it is professional football, baseball, or basketball,…New England prevails…If the Revs get Benny, the cup is coming to NE. Steve Nicol owns…

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  7. Hey folks. The word I got is Feilhaber was negotiating with MLS. It looks like a better deal came in based on the reports. If I hear anything new I will pass it on.

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  8. Hey Garrett,

    The Revs are already the Buffalo Bills of MLS. When they come up short again they will have surpassed the Bills in futility.

    Just sayin’.

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  9. The Revs have long needed an amid – Ralston is good there, but not really an amid.

    The best thing about it is that the Revs have enough players with flexibility that they could have a great rotation/substitution pattern where all their mids could be plenty of time – and rest. Larentowicz can play dmid or def; Joseph needs more time off; Ralston can move to the right; Phelan can step into dmid; Parkhurst can be rested w/o too much dropoff.

    The Revs keep getting better and YOUNGER. Feilhaber could be the perfect replacement for Ralston when he decides he’s had enough.

    So, if this happens, the Noonan deal will basically a player who was playing overseas and had been replaced, for a #1 and Feilhaber! Rank that among the best trade thefts ever.

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  10. Ummm …

    Another Web site quotes Feilhaber’s agent saying he is on a plane to Denmark and should be signing a deal there within 48 hours.

    Ives?????

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  11. All i have to say to benny is talk to taylor twellmann. cause it seems like once you sign with the revs…you arent going ANYWHERE.

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  12. If I were Feilhaber, I’d be hesitant about returning to MLS. Partly, I’d had to swap my guaranteed $800k salary (I think that’s what he gets for not playing for Derby) for whatever $8 and a burrito that New England would offer, but I’d also be reluctant to go to a league that makes player transfers so complicated. I have to think that Feilhaber, knowing about Twellman’s PNE drama, would insist on an escape clause before he’d even think about coming to MLS.

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  13. If there’s one coach or one team that won’t let Benny get away with any juvenile b.s. it’s Nicol and the Revs.

    The thought of signing both Benny and Gabriel Badilla is, well… pretty damn good.

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  14. YES! This would be fantastic.

    To those worried about how to play Benny, Red Jeff, Shalrie and Ralston at the same time: Um, it’s seldom a problem to have too many good players. Nicol will figure it out.

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  15. I think he should stay in Europe. The guy’s clearly talented and one would think he’d be able to latch onto a Championship or Bundesliga 2 team. Once he gets settled in and starts playing closer to his potential, then perhaps he’ll get another shot at the Premier League or Bundesliga. Having failed to establish himself at Derby or Hamburg, if he comes back to MLS and even if he’s a standout star, I doubt the teams in Europe will come calling.

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  16. After watching Feilhaber in his short stints in the first 2 matches and his full game performance vs. Nigeria I drew the following conclusion as to his troubles at Derby and lack of interest from around Europe:

    He is a whinny punk. A talented one to be sure but not so talented that his potential exceeds his mouth or his effect on a locker room or coaching staff. Now I understand what all the bad press coming out of Derby was about last year.

    He needs to grow up in hurry because he isn’t get any younger in body or skill while his behavior reminds one of the talented kid on the high school team who never went anywhere because he just wasn’t worth putting up with in order to develop.

    You can all blame Dax, Holden,Edu, Guzan, Wynne and Kljestan for whatever conclusion you have drawn on their abilities or lack thereof but they carry themselves quite well on the field and act like solid citizens. And through the week of the Olympics many on this board have been all over these guys. Hell- even I took a shot at Kljestan after the Japan game. But for whatever they may or may not be as players does not detract from the fact that I am proud of them as Americans in the way they represent their country.

    Compare that to your beloved Adu, who may have the talent to get away with it, Feilhaber, Rogers, Orozco and even Bradley who most likely do not that kind of talent in the haul to get away with it.

    ( Bradley’s father should have a talk with the boy and explain the difference between passion and aggravating arrogance on the pitch.)

    These kids need discipline and the number one reason they did not advance, even though I think that we are far from being a top tier soccer nation, it was bad behavior and poor self discipline that gave the U.S. the boot out the door. It a shame because they had great role models in Jones, McBride etc. while growing up and examples like Clint Mathis of what effects your mouth and behavior can have on a career.

    Feilhaber would be example number one if I had to name one. ( You may say Orozco but I just haven’t seen enough of him to whether this was a one off event) Go back and watch the tape of the Nigeria game- if I am the referee I would have been hard pressed not to have given him a second yellow for being a whinny, self important, pain in the ass. Human nature is what it is. Ask Ronaldo the next time he gets legitimately mauled and gets a no call. But (sadly)he at least has the overwhelming talent to get away with being an a#&hole.

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  17. Ralston is getting old but could also play left wing Badilla can play any position on the back line. If Nicol can cure what ever issue Benny has with his ego, this will be a decent fit. This looks strong

    ………………Reis

    ……..Albright…parkhurst…badilla

    ………….Joseph….Larentowicz

    Nyassi…………Feilhaber……Ralston

    ………Twellman……….Dube

    Now worried about the fire, they only won 2-1 with the Revs playing with 10 guys and Reis asleep.

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  18. lol @ REVFAN anti-Chi posturing b/c of maybe getting a guy who scored that one big goal one time… keep it up chumps

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  19. Trex, to answer your question the Red Bulls are right below the Revs in the second spot in the allocation order. Also, Why does everything falls so well for the Revs and so bad for the Red Bulls. I think Steve Nicols for a National team coach position is in order.

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  20. Where the hell in NY on the allocation list? We should be ahead of the Revs!

    Or did MLS make us use it to sign Rojas? Which should have come under discovery right?

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  21. Screw that!!! Where is Alexi with his majestic red mane to woo the MLS big wigs into getting Benny to sign with the Galaxy?? What have we done?!!? Anyone think that the Galaxy could give up Lewis for Feilhaber?

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  22. Just throwing this out there, but maybe the Revs already knew Benny was going to be coming back to the MLS, and made all of the recent moves they made, like letting Noonan move to Columbus so they could be first in line to get Benny.

    Reads like they have been better, as usual, of doing their due diligence and knowing what will be available to them.

    Posted by: Michael B | August 14, 2008 at 12:54 PM

    Due diligence, you say? How about insider trading? I’ll let you connect the dots …

    Oh, and watch those yellow cards, Mike!

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  23. It’s not etched in stone that Benny will be in NE. They are at the top of the allocation order, so they have first dibs, thats all. They could pass on him, or more likely, claim him and deal him. They could practically name their price and get it.

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  24. This is part skill, part luck on Steve Nicol’s part.

    Did Colorado/LA know that Feilhaber was coming back before they claimed Gibbs/Lewis?

    If so, I’d be surprised.

    Lewis is still servicable for a couple more good years. I thought it was a good move for LA but not if Feilhaber was the alternative.

    Gibbs was a great player, if healthy, maybe better than Feilhaber. But injury concerns should have made Colorado pass as well if Feilhaber was the other option.

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  25. Awesome that he is returning, but bummer that it is for the Revs. I would’ve loved to see him in SO Cal. Maybe playing for the Galaxy or Chivas.

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  26. 3-5-2 with benny, joseph and lorentawicz(sp) in the middle of the field would be scary. Ralston would have to be pushed out to the RM

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  27. I wish I understood the allocation process better. Because stuff like this never makes sense to me. Good for the Revs, bad for the rest of us, just like Garrett said.

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  28. Great rebound the league with Benny, Gibbs, Lewis, Noons and Keller returning, along with acquisitions such as Rojas. Does help offset the loss of Jozy and the like. The level is rising and provided we get nearly all soccer specific parks in the next five years, I think this is going to work out and the level will be consistently low EPL to top CCC…

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