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MLS Notes: Nguyen signs with league, Kennedy gets new Chivas deal and more

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Lee Nguyen's long journey is leading back home.

Nguyen, a Texas native, signed a multi-year deal with MLS on Tuesday, bringing a one-time U.S. attacking prospect to the league after six years overseas. Nguyen appeared three times in 2007 for the U.S. national team (pictured above), including twice at the Copa America, before falling off the international radar.

The attacking midfielder will be distributed to an MLS team through a weighted lottery system as opposed to the usual allocation order reserved for former U.S. internationals who come to the league. The teams included in that lottery and the date were not disclosed yet.

Nguyen was a standout in the Dallas area for the famed Dallas Texans youth club and went on to star at Indiana University for one year before trying his luck abroad. He landed at PSV in the Netherlands but struggled for playing time before moving to Randers FC in Denmark. He found the most success in his parents' native country Vietnam, where he achieved celebrity status while playing for Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and most recently Becamex Binh Duong FC.

Here are a couple of more items from around MLS:

KENNEDY RE-SIGNS WITH CHIVAS

Dan Kennedy emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in MLS last season, and Chivas USA ensured that he'll remain between the posts for the club for the foreseeable future by locking him up to a multi-year deal.

"Dan was our MVP this year, there was never a doubt that we wanted him back," general manager Jose Domene said in a team statement.

DYNAMO PURCHASE CAMARGO'S RIGHTS

Coach Dom Kinnear credited the introduction of Luiz Camargo to the starting lineup as one of the turning points of the Houston Dynamo's 2011 season. As it turns out, the Brazilian will be staying for the long haul.

The Dynamo exercised their option to purchase Camargo's rights from Brazilian side Clube Parana. His presence in the center of the field allowed Geoff Cameron to shift back to centerback on a permanent basis, and with him in the fold again the Dynamo will have the central midfield partnership of Camargo and Adam Moffat together for a full season. 

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Hoping to see your team land Nguyen? Where do you rank Kennedy among MLS goalkeepers? Think the Dynamo are better off with Camargo in the lineup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. That’s because he was playing with a bunch of youngsters.Put him in the mix with a full strength squad and you’ll see how he could contribute.Nguyen put in more effort than alot of those guys during that cup.Watch it back and you’ll know what I’m talkin about.

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  2. i don’t know which games you were watching…but Nguyen was clearly overmatched in the Copa America games…that’s probably why he never got another opportunity

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  3. what Tommy means if you incorporate the LA and OC areas…because every couple miles is a different town…so Viet ppl just consider it OC…nobody says i rep Garden Grove or Santa Ana…it’s just OC… but yea…San Jo has the most gooks fa sho

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  4. ur trippin…there are more Viet ppl in San Jose and OC…Houston doesn’t even compare to the Cali populations…Houston is where the broke Viets go…

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  5. he’s coming into the league for the minimum bro…i guarantee it…about 50k a year until he proves himself…money was probably why he didn’t come back sooner, but now he has no choice because he is not going to develop his game playing the collegiate level in VN

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  6. Nguyen showed real talent when playing for the USMNT.Unfortunately Bradley dropped him after the Copa America results(Bradley’s fault not Nguyen’s).Still Nguyen would be great to have back on the national team as a great attacking option.Remember, he’s very good with the ball and he learned his stuff at PSV.

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  7. Watch him set the league on fire!

    I’ve only seen glimpses of this guy, but I know he’s a dribbler, and they usually do pretty well in MLS.

    He’ll probably have to hit the weight room, though.

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  8. The only reason I said Houston was that I do think it fits Houston–it’s the kind of move that Kinnear would make (choosing someone he knows is a fit than looking for the best available player). I think Dallas could be just as reasonable of an option. I don’t know if Hyndman is interested or not.

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  9. They’ll be fine, the money they got for Ricketts is going to be what helps. They might cut some of the reserves that make the 32-42K.

    I still don’t know why Kirovski is with this team. Arena needs to let go of his old 2002 era players. Hedjuk is okay as a back up but he’s making more than he’s worth for a back up that hardly plays in regualr season and in some CCL games.

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  10. Nguyen has been trying to find his way back to the US for years since being benched and then going to Vietnam. He recently tried to see about playing for the Vietnamese NT despite having played for the USMNT (when it seemed that he was never going to catch Bob Bradley’s notice).

    Good for him, I hope this works out.

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  11. I think he earned considerable more than that….the stories when he signed was that he went for the money….i remember a crazy number like $10k a week….I’m sure he was already making close to $150k at PSV or Randers….

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  12. I made no bones about the cost of living, I was just stating his salary.

    I visited Ho Chi Minh 15 years ago. I’m well aware.

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  13. You are way over-reacting. Or as they say where I’m from,you’re using a shotgun to kill a flea.

    The interest in Nguyen is primarily generated because he’s a mystery, an interesting story. And interesting stories are the lifeblood of good marketers. And please don’t tell me MLS doesn’t need all the media attention it can get.

    Very few people here have any idea how good or how bad a player he really is at this point. Plus he is fairly young so there is potential to get better. He could wind up in Dallas and ( who could lose both Shea and Feirrera in the near future) and develop into great replacement for one of them. Or he could be a complete bust.

    The best player in Vietnam/Vietnamese ethicity thing is just another hook to generate interest and from where I sit fairly harmless.

    I trust Kinnear or Hyndmann to know a good player when they see one. Should one of them get Nguyen, I trust they will know what they have and what to do with him. Or do you think they are idiots?

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  14. This guy shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as US NATS. This would be akin to talking about some star veteran USL player.

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  15. I tell you what, if Drogba played in New York or Houston or even DC, you’d see a crapload more African immigrants at the home matches involving whichever of those teams he’d sign with. Even if he goes to play with Sporting KC or Columbus, Drogba would draw more Africans to the stadiums his team would visit. Not Beckhamesque but still enough to make one take notice. Just my opinion.

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  16. i remember when he was on wolfsburg and in whatever year of FIFA was out at the time, he and Dzeko were main forwards. they were a great combo!

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  17. YES..absolutly yes. The Vietnamese community here (I live just outside of Little Saigon in Orange County and have many friends with in the Viet community), it is a very tight knit community and not to sterotype because obviously not everyone feels the same, but they feverishly support their own, whether it be in Sport, Politics, film etc. Very proud Americans, but also proud of where their heritage.

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