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Cameron agrees to terms with Stoke, will join club in Orlando for preseason tour

Cameron (Getty Images)

Only one step remains before Geoff Cameron's transfer to Stoke City is done and dusted.

Cameron told the Houston Chronicle that he has agreed to personal terms with the Premier League side and is joining the club in Orlando, where it is continuing its preseason tour of North America with a friendly against Orlando City SC on Saturday. MLS and Stoke City already agreed on a transfer fee for the U.S. national team centerback, believed to be in the $2.5 million range, last week, leaving negotations between player and club and approval for a UK work permit as the final obstacles to sealing the deal.

"I’m officially a Potter," Cameron told The Chronicle. "I'm ready and excited to join Stoke. It’s been a long process. I’m anxious to meet with the guys and I’m anxious to start a new part of my career."

The move comes after a last-gasp effort by Everton this past weekend to get involved in a deal for Cameron, according to The Chronicle. Everton, Stoke City and German club Schalke reportedly had scouts watching Cameron in Houston's win over FC Dallas on June 16.

Because Cameron does not meet the prerequisites for automatically being granted a UK work permit, he needs to go through the appeals process before the transfer is completed. It is the same process that Americans Robbie Rogers, Tim Ream and Alejandro Bedoya have navigated through successfully in the last year. Sources told SBI that the hearing for Cameron's work permit appeal is slated for approximately Aug. 8.

Cameron, 27, finished his time with the Dynamo in style, turning in a dominant performance in central midfield in a 4-0 win over D.C. United before being held out of Houston's matches against Sporting Kansas City and the Montreal Impact. He was named as an inactive MLS All-Star on Wednesday.

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Comments

  1. Um… with Shawcross and Huth in central D, Stoke managed an impressive 14th place finish.

    I realize they actually do have a good defense and a lot of their problems last season were on offense, but starters on a 14th place team are NEVER locks for the next season.

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  2. You seem to be forgetting MB at Roma, Sascha in Belgium, the German contingent, etc. However, England is the “easiest” place to go in terms of cultural change, that is, they speak English (even if can be VERY different). Most of the guys that go to Scandinavia do so because those teams are more open to Americans and are less demanding in terms of talent. The BPL, even the Championship, are well above the skill levels of most of the other leagues in Europe (not considering La Liga and the Bundesliga).

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  3. You’ve got to be kidding! No, Stoke are not one of the top teams in the BPL, but they are IN the BPL and get to play against some of the best players in the world. Getting paid well is just a bonus to the level of competition. This is definitely a major step up from MLS.

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  4. Stoke gave up 53 goals last year. That CANT help your NT chances.
    Maybe he single handedly changes that. I doubt it.

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  5. This is good…”news”?

    Agreeing to personal terms was more of a given then the work permit correct?

    Anyways its still good to hear that his deal is progressing.

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  6. not sure he would start as central defender for Houston (among more than a few other teams in MLS)

    He is a D/Holding midfielder…and a pretty good one.

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  7. That is not how it works.

    It will mostly depend, as far as I can tell, on whether JK can convince them that he really has plans for Cmeron and if Bradley can convince them that he would have picked Cameron more if not for his injuries.

    While he will most likely get his permit, you can never take it for granted

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  8. If Cameron isn’t good enough to play for Stoke, why do you want him playing center half for the US?

    Shawcross (sp?) and Huth are good solid, brutal center halves but nothing to write home about. If he can beat them out then he will be a better player for it.

    If he can’t then I’d rather see someone better than Cameron playing for the US. I mean isn’t the whole idea of moving abroad to challenge yourself and make yourself the best player possible? And if you really do that then isn’t there always the chance that you might fail?

    If Cameron does that and fails then let someone else play for the US not some loser.

    US fans are so entitled, you all want to go to heaven but you don’t want to die to do so.

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  9. This signing proves that the USMNT players are good enough to play on a cold rainy November night in Stoke! :-). Just having some fun with EPL fans here, but on a serious note is a very good move for Cameron.

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  10. I’d imagine he has to help. He’s now our no4/5 CB. Playing in the PL will improve him even if he’s riding the bench a while. He could always get loaned for more PT

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  11. France has a limit on the amount of non EU players(but in France African players count as EU players)Holland doesn’t have any foreign limits but it seems like many players use the Dutch league as a stepping stone.

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  12. Congratulations to Geoff but also to the Dynamo. In the last three years they have sent two to the English Premier League and one to the Bundesliga.

    On another note, just throwing this out there as a thought…could the move to Stoke actually harm Cameron’s role with the national team? With the current Stoke roster, I don’t see him breaking into the starting 11 as a center defender (where his future with the national team is) but it could happen in center mid (where he will not play for the nats). I think that is at least something to watch.

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  13. Unlike Ream, Cameron wasn’t on a rookie contract, so I don’t know if he’ll quite get a 10 fold pay increase.

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  14. As far as I know, Everton still haven’t settled the Pienaar transfer yet and they just sorted out Cahill so it may be that sorting those situations out took precendence over Cameron.

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  15. I wonder how seriously Everton tried this past week to lure Cameron away from Stoke, and wonder why in the world Everton waited to make a move until after Stoke and MLS agreed on the transfer fee. I can understand why Cameron would want to sign the deal with Stoke and get it all over with after weeks of tense negotiations. But if Everton was finally ready to bring him on board (as two UK newspaper linked below reported yesterday), I would have to say better late then never and at least explore that option because I think Everton would be a nicer club to spend the next few years than Stock City.

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4448623/Johny-Heitinga-thinks-over-Fenerbahces-mega-bucks-offer.html

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2178463/Johnny-Heitinga-set-Everton-exit-Fenerbahce-make-5m-bid.html

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  16. Huth and Shawcross are his competition but if he’s good enough and lucky, he will be a starter eventually. Besides his bank account just got enlarged at least 10times

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  17. WE need to have every member of our NT playing abroad by the time of the next WC.

    by the way do all of our players head specifically to England? It’s either England or Scandinavia or some minor league like Georgia or something. Why is it that we don’t have a ton of players heading to Holland or France

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  18. Awesome. This definitely will help him solidify a role as our starting centerback for the next WC. His competition is basically Boca, Gooch and Ream. A year ago he was stuck behind Boca, Gooch, Ream, Gonzalez and John

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  19. I post way too often on here and I tend to run off at the mouth. Please disregard anything I say from now on.

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  20. I think Bolton’s relegation could wind up
    being a blessing in disguise for Ream and Holden with their recovery/development. They could really find their footing and progress in the Championship.

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  21. Wait I’m cofused: if he’s feeling anxiety, then why did he sign? Oh wait he meant to say eager! EAGER no anxious you dope! Hey good luck across the pond!

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  22. Don’t know if he’ll start, unless Shawcross or Huth move on. They were the central pairing for most of last year. Though Cameron’s ball skills are better than either of theirs.

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  23. Great move for Cameron! He has the potential to be a tremendous asset for the USMNT. If both he and Stuart Holden are on top of their game by 2014…it could make for a very exciting tournament in Brazil.

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