photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Carlos Bocanegra has found a new club to call home for the upcoming season, and it is one that is currently in Spain's second division.
Bocanegra has signed with Racing Santander on a season-long loan from Rangers, the Spanish club announced on its webstie on Friday. Racing Santander will be the sixth club the 33-year-old Bocanegra has played for in his career, but it will be the first one that is based in Spain.
The deal, which came hours before the summer transfer window closed, means all three Americans who were on Rangers last season have secured moves elsewhere after the historic club went through a financial crisis that resulted in it getting demoted to the fourth tier in Scottish soccer. The U.S. men's national team captain's former Rangers teammates, Alejandro Bedoya and Maurice Edu, moved to Helsingborgs IF and Stoke City, respectively.
The move should help keep Bocanegra in the U.S. team picture as they continue in their qualifying efforts for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, something which had come in question due to him plying his trade with Rangers in the lower depths of Scottish soccer.
Racing, which have fallen on their own hard times financially, are currently last in the standings in the Seguna Division after two rounds of matches.
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What do you make of this development? Think Bocanegra will do well with Racing Santander? Wishing he would have moved to a bigger club?
Share your thoughts below.
Here we go comparing leagues again…douches
Edson Buddle was called in under Klinsmann even though he was playing for Ingolstadt in the 2.Bundesliga, and Jonathan Spector was also called up despite playing for Birmingham City in the Championship.
I love that this is a loan. Next year he will get loaned out again, play in the WC and then in two years return to rangers and help them get back to the SPL before retiring in the MLS. I love Carlos’ loyalty to the new rangers owners, because that is what I see from this move. Plus playing in te second division in Spain will more than keep him match fit for US.
Soccer aside, the city of Santander definitely is a worthwhile destination for Bocanegra(and the food is a big upgrade from Scottish fare): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santander,_Cantabria
I think DeMerit made a big contribution to the ’09 Confed run.
“On similar lines, whatever are the Rangers-America fans to do now? Guess we’re back to SPL indifference outside of the native Scots”
probably, and with good reason too
+1
from the rough and tumble SPL to something much different now. Good luck to him, nice challenge seems to me, to continue to grow his game even
Gregg Berhalter our starter in the 2002 World Cup ( Crystal Palace)
Jay Demerit our starter in the 2010 World Cup (Watford)
I would argue the Championship is a higher standard than MLS for the most part.
It seems to me Boca is familiar with that coming from Rangers.
Frankly, unless you are a superstar, any player in Europe has to have that in the back of his head.
You should go ahead and set up a deposit scheme for the next team’s jersey after Spurs. Pay $75 now and we’ll deliver you his next team jersey for that cost, even if the price goes up. Like a “forever stamp.” Render the fanboy loyalty transfer that much more efficient.
Either that or you should look into my theorized jersey recycling scheme, turn old jerseys over to the homeless, make them biodegradable at roughly the rate the fanboys shift from team to team with their favorites, etc.
On similar lines, whatever are the Rangers-America fans to do now? Guess we’re back to SPL indifference outside of the native Scots.
Dortmund II wasn’t in “like” the 4th league – it was in exactly the 4th tier (which is 4 or 5 regional leagues in Germany).
Now it is in the 3rd – a national league.
It can’t go any higher, though – as
German can’t get closer than 2 leagues from the 1st team.
IMO either choice (Greece or Spain) bears significant economic risk, ie, paycheck uncertainty.
This is not Mallorca or Valencia or the like it’s the Bay of Biscay up by the Basque country. Might be warm in the summer but it’s probably mild or cold later on. 52 L 72 H today.
He was probably going to get called in this time from fourth division Rangers just the same. The real worry on that would have been long term speed of play issues or rust.
Name a better option. Second Division in Spain isn’t ideal but the talent is on par with MLS if not better. Boca will be fine.
Bastian Schweinsteiger wonders what you have against pigsties.
Good for the Deuce. But TFC also signed Hugo Lloris, if I understand. he is the French NT goalkeeper. Might be the final nail for Brad.
This isn’t some 20-year old struggling to prove himself in a 2nd-tier league: it’s Captain America. As long as he is match fit, his vast experience, particularly in CONCACAF environments, should at least put him on the roster (if not starting) for the next year.
Also, 2nd division Spain is probably on par with MLS, and Klinnsman has shown no problem calling in from that level of play.
Deuce to hotspurs…
Ream plays in EPL 2nd division and just got called in.
Place your order today. Of course, what number will he be?
http://shop.tottenhamhotspur.com/branch/spurs-home-kit
Right, because Jay DeMerit got kicked off the nats team while he played in the Championship near 30 and contributed no part from 2009-2010…
If he was playing in Denmark, like Goodson, would you be ok with it? Because that’s about the same as the spanish second division. ACtually, playing for a team that just got relegated from arguably the best league in the world is definitively an upgrade over his last destination, rangers.
moreover, it’s not like he’s suddenly become a worse player-he’s still a starter, let alone a bench player, he’ll be with the nats for a long time unless he retires
Didn’t Ream just get a call from JK and he is playing in England’s 2nd division? If it is good enough to call in Ream, then it has to be good enough to call in Boca.
Dempsey to spurs!!!!!!!!! my fav team and player! unbelievable
“The reaction of Liverpool fans on Twitter to Dempsey perhaps going to Tottenham has been very angry. They now see the prospect of not bringing in anybody today. Why have they not got anybody? They’ve let Andy Carroll go, Charlie Adam’s gone, they’ve got money in the bank. Yet no-one seems to be coming.”
Phil McNulty, BBC
Bocanegra should have done better.
Hell yea! This is a massive transfer for Clint! Think about the quality of the players he’ll be surrounded with
YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS DEMPSEY has a home
O the drama.
bbc reporting Dempsey to Tottenham nearly done. Getting his physical now.
I suspect that Gooch will mostly warm the bench, although I will be happy to be shown to be wrong.
Not sure if retarded or really serious: Gooch gets Champions league but Boca gets last place team in the Segunda division
Guys, honestly the competition in Spain’s second tier is better than Scotland’s first tier. Boca will be fine. I don’t know if he’ll last in the USMNT through WC 2014, but he will likely continue for now. I’ll be quite surprised if Klinsi doesn’t bring him in for WC quals, although perhaps not right now as he needs to get settled at this new club. Although there are no quick precedents for 2nd div players that I can think of, the best comparison would be Boyd. He played almost exclusively in the reserve team for BD, so that’s like 4th division isn’t it? Also, La Liga 2 is still better than most of the nordic leagues. Previously, Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahneman were with Reading in the Championship and played for the USMNT. We’ll see how this plays out.
Right? I would agree (was agreeing) with rambo if Boca were still in the Scottish 4th division, but a second division team in Spain isn’t THAT bad at all. Wouldn’t be upset if our captain played in MLS either.
well I will say it is the beginning to the end
Spent a lot of time in Santander a few years ago. Lucky bast*rd.
Better than the Scottish 4th division….hell, better that the SPL
Santander is a beautiful city on the water. He’s going to love Espain.
Gross. He should’ve gone to Greece
Much better than the Scottish 4th Tier.
How? Please explain to me how this ruins his national team career. I seriously doubt the level of competition in the Segunda Division is that different than MLS.
thats what I am thinking as well. Can the captain of the USMNT play in the 2nd div?
Weird signing to a weird team
Nat team career = over.
Tough call… in principle why not (the nordic leagues, the SPL, the Belgian league and some others with National team yanks are at a similar level), but I’m not remembering if there’s a precedent under Klinsmann’s watch.
Better than a 4th tier Scottish league I suppose
Heck of a lot better than Scotland’s 4th… obviously not a stellar career move, but it’s a nice place to enjoy the well-earned sunset of your international career. Best of luck to Carlos, enjoy the tapas and help your new teammates get promoted to La Liga!
websties are like pigsties but online, right? 🙂 thanks for the update!
I would have hoped for a first division side somewhere in Europe, but he is 30 I believe, so perhaps this is fair.
Question is, does he get to play for the Nats now that he is is at a second division side?
good news–sunny spain