Top Stories

What were the best and worst transfer moves for Americans in 2013?

AlejandroBedoyaNantes2-Marseille (AP)

By IVES GALARCEP

There were plenty of transfer moves involving American players in 2013, and while not all of them worked out, there were clearly some moves that turned out to be successful ones.

Alejandro Bedoya’s move to Nantes is just one of the top moves made by Americans this year, while Brek Shea’s move to Stoke City is looking like one of the absolute worst of the year.

In my most recent Goal.com column, I break down my picks for the best and worst transfers involving Americans in 2013. Bedoya topped my list of best transfers, while Shea’s move finished second on the list of worst transfers.

Which transfers stood out the most to you as being the best in 2013? What move did you think was the worst of the year?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The only reason Ives didnt include Jozy as one of the worst transfers is because back in the summer Ives himself said that it was a good move for Jozy.Ives also predicted Jozy would score 15 goals this season.Like a monkey throwing poo at a dartboard.

    Reply
  2. Clint Dempsey’s move to Seattle was the BEST move of all. Consider: He got a ton of money and, barring injury, will receive playing time which guarantees him a ticket to Brazil. Had he stayed in Europe he could have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes that often befall Americans and maybe miss the World Cup. That won’t happen now. Good move Clint!

    Reply
  3. IMHO Jozy is the man. He is a beast, all class and is one hell of a player.

    The issue lies with Sunderland and their piss-poor players. I care not for EPL salaries or past performances. The reality is that the whole team is terrible but when Jozy plays, he is usually their best player. Yes, he needs to score more. Yes, he needs to learn to take every half-bit opportunity to score and doesn’t. Yet, he is an amazing player.

    Either show some love or get out of town.

    Their is enough antui-US BS on other pages. Here, it’s all USA ALL THE WAY!!!!!

    Reply
    • “Here, it’s all USA ALL THE WAY!!!!!”

      No it’s not.

      It is “the USMNT as long as they play “my guys””

      If your statement were true then people would root for all the US players to do well, instead of hoping the fake Americans get hurt , or Evans. Orozco, Torres, or Castillo, etc., to fail miserably.

      Don’t kid yourself.

      Reply
    • cheers man! but lots of schadenfreude here, mostly derived from folks wanting to say ‘I told you so” vs. simply rooting for the USA all the way

      Reply
  4. I think the Parkhurst move is number 1 blunder in my book. He has faded from the NAT spotlight due to his no time with his club. I think the Shey move is number 2. If not for JK’s favored status, he also would fade from the Nat team pool

    Reply
    • “If not for JK’s favored status, he also would fade from the Nat team pool”
      Lucy,
      Shea’s status with the USMNT derives from the fact that the USMNT has few if any proven alternatives on the wing. What Shea can do when he is on, no one else in the pool right now can do.

      You want Shea to fade from the USMNT pool?

      Find another big, strong fearless, fast, winger who can disrupt opposing defenses causing them to concede goals. Then you won’t have to worry about Brek anymore.

      Reply
      • What I’m saying is JK uses lack of team playing time as an excuse to exclude people from calls EXCEPT for those he favors…. then the rules don’t apply. Shea is one example of the way he bends his own rules when he feels like it.

        JK should just say “I’m calling in who I want… period” and stop pretending there are some requirements associated with his calls

      • “What I’m saying is JK uses lack of team playing time as an excuse to exclude people from calls EXCEPT for those he favors…. then the rules don’t apply. Shea is one example of the way he bends his own rules when he feels like it. ..JK should just say “I’m calling in who I want… period” and stop pretending there are some requirements associated with his calls”

        Lucy,

        There is another way to look at it.

        Please show me exactly where, in writing, JK (or BB or Arena before him) ever said “playing time at your club is the only factor in whether you play for me. If you don’t have x amount of playing time you won’t play!”

        You can’t because none of those guys ever said that. I doubt you will ever find a pro manager who would willingly say something like that. Because, if that were valid, then you don’t need a manager.

        They have all said playing time matters, that it is important, but that it is not the only factor.
        And it is different for every player.

        Newer guys , who the manager does not know as well or trust as much have to prove more at their club than a veteran like, for example, MB90.

        After he recovered from his ankle injury, proved himself healthy and knocked off some of the rust, JK was perfectly willing to throw him on the field regardless of how much he was playing for Roma.

        And you’ll find this true in just about every team sport out there, so get used to the rampant exceptionalism. Compromise is a way of life for international team managers, especially for a team like the US that lacks the kind of depth the big boy pants teams have.

        The guys you refer to as favored are players who JK feels give him the best chance to do what he needs done. The way it works is the players try to win the manager’s favor not the fans since the managers pick the team.

        If it was just a matter of club playing time and who SBI fans think is hot, then you don’t need a manager. You could pick the line up like American Idol by having a poll over social media and the internet.

  5. Best Moves

    Magee to Chicago,
    Agaudelo to NE
    Valeri to Portland

    Worst Moves
    Trading rights to Magee by LA
    Any signed DP’s who didn’t last a season
    Shea to Stoke, Edu to Stoke.

    On the fence
    Altidore to Sunderland

    I’m on the fence for Jozy. I think the new coach has Jozy playing in the right formation, but Jozy’s confidence needs a boost for him to shine. I predicted correctly that DiCanio pursuit of him as a center forward and playing up top alone was a huge mistake. DiCanio’s gone and Poyet has Altidore up front but frequently paired with another striker. The team still does not connect up with the strikers, lacking a good offensive midfield, but I think it’s changing. Sunderland have agood defense and are just a win out of safety with a full half season to go.

    Glaxy should have never traded for the rights that included Magee. Never mind the retirement of Beckham or the vacation of Donovan, he was the difference the last three years between the Galaxy exiting the playoffs or playing in the MLS CUP.

    Premier League teams have the capacity to stockpile good players and forever banish them to the reserves or to the loan-out merry-go-round, where at least some players can resurrect a sidetracked career. Maybe Edu and Shea realize that now.

    A caveat to transferees. Tou ALWAYS take a chance with your USMNT position in a WC year should you transfer.

    Reply
  6. Some people are saying Shea is likely to be going on loan to Barnsley in the Championship. They are currently in last place but it should mean some playing time.

    Reply
  7. In my most recent comment on my **Insert Blog Link** I wrote something insightful about Jozy Altidore’s current situation. One of the points I made was about it being too soon to tell whether this will be a bad transfer or not.

    Reply
  8. JOZY’S MOVE IS CLEARLY THE BEST ONE. IT IS ONLY THOUGH ADVERSITY THAT ONE’S TRUE CHARACTER CAN BE REVEALED AND JOZY MUST UNDER GO THIS TEST TO PROVE THAT HE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

    Reply
    • This one came in on the 31st but maybe the comment of the year. I’m amazed more SBI commenters didn’t acknowledge it.

      +1000

      Reply
  9. I think Edu to Stoke was just as bad if not worse than Shea to Stoke. Before moving, Edu was winning converts in the Turkish league, and a regular competitor for USMNT CM slots. Don’t forget that if it weren’t for one of the worst ref calls since Thierry Henry slapped the Irish, Edu would have a WC goal to his name.

    Reply
  10. Kind of odd that Jozy’s move to Sunderland isn’t on the list at all although I think some of the above comments are way over the top. I think his lack of goals is down more to his team being pathetic – they only have 15 goals in 19 games so far. To me, he’s still no doubt first-choice for the USMNT and I’m not that concerned.

    Reply
    • Why can’t people admit Jozy might be one type of striker but not another? He’s a decent striker in a flowing playing style that lets him get many chances to poach. US when in groove, Holland. He is not the proverbial hoofball target guy who can both hold someone off with strength and yet have soft feet. This was already tested with Hull and is being reproven with Sunderland. Those who don’t learn history, etc. People wanted to act like he’d matured, and while last summer off AZ he seemed to show some top end improved touch, he’s now back to old. Why can’t people admit it might help to be in the Eredivisie?

      I’ll agree Sunderland is goal shy but Fletcher has more goals and such a complete collapse at some point has to reflect on the player’s limitations if not his quality. It seems to suggest at minimum that he remains, as I said here, someone perhaps suited to certain roles and systems but not all.

      Reply
      • The Imperative Voice says:
        “Why can’t people admit Jozy might be one type of striker but not another?…..He is not the proverbial hoofball target guy who can both hold someone off with strength and yet have soft feet. …I’ll agree Sunderland is goal shy but Fletcher has more goals and such a complete collapse at some point has to reflect on the player’s limitations if not his quality. It seems to suggest at minimum that he remains, as I said here, someone perhaps suited to certain roles and systems but not all.”
        Probably because it’s not really true.
        Fletcher has 15 league appearances and 3 goals . Jozy has 15 league appearances and 1 goal. With a little luck Jozy would have had 3 by now.
        That hardly suggests a great difference between the two or a “complete collapse” on Jozy’s part.
        What you and others can’t seem to admit is that this bunch of players are still figuring out how to play together. When all else fails you can always hit a long ball into the box and Fletcher is a better at that than Jozy. So the Sunderland players are probably inherently more used to what Fletcher needs than what Jozy needs but neither one is exactly thriving off the service they are getting.

      • Sunderland won’t support a 1 goal scoring forward for much longer. I am not convinced that Jozy is all that on any team but we’ll see where this ends up. I think it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond than to be invisible in a big pond

      • Heading into the WC, being the lone forward and starved of service may be really good experience for a USMNT forward.

    • I don’t see how it’s a bad move for him unless that’s through a eurosnob prism. Once Dempsey is properly integrated into the Seattle team, I think it’s going to work out really well.

      Reply
    • Was Dempsey’s move, expected to take the Sounders to the title last season?

      If so then it was a miserable failure. If not then like Jozy’s move, it has to have an “Incomplete” next to it.

      Jozy’s move is either a success or is Incomplete because:

      o While he has been crap lately, overall, he proved himself to be a better player than what I saw in Holland.
      o He’s still the starter for the USMNT
      o He probably has half a season to get in more of the toughest practice he is likely to get anywhere for the World Cup. Along the way he is likely to face some of the guys he will see in Brazil.
      o He’s making more money.

      If he sits for the rest of the year then yes, it will be a disaster but realistically, how many of you think Fletcher is suddenly going to turn into RVP? Jozy may not start but he should get playing time unless Sunderland buy another striker in the window.

      What they really need is a David Silva or even a Landon Donovan. In the interest of ruining this thread, they should bring in Jozy’s buddy Adu. I’ll be he would come cheap and they have nothing to lose.

      Reply
      • didn’t see Jozy play today, but he hasn’t been crap lately. 2 good games vs. Chelsea and in the middle of Poyet’s halftime adjustments in an amazing comeback over the weekend. Yes, he’s had some crap showings mixed in there too in December

  11. We did get to see a Brek Shea TV interview from the driver’s seat with the move to Stoke, so that is something that cannot be discounted. Is it too early to call Aron Johannsson to Celtic as the worst move of 2014?

    Reply
  12. However, he continues to get regular playing time despite the team’s struggles, his own struggles, and a coaching change, which makes it a bit early to write off the move as a failure.

    =====

    That is illogical in every sense. Jozy’s transfer in both publicity and necessity to the USMNT is far and away the worst move of them all. It’s certainly not too early. We just hit the EPL half-way mark and he has ONE GOAL.

    His confidence is shot. He can’t hit the broad side of a barn. The move has been a trainwreck and nothing indicates that anything will change with the quality of the team or his play. In fact as of this last game he probably just played himself out of the lineup for good.

    Reply
    • Agreed. Come on Ives. Love you man, but Jozy’s move has been a complete FAILURE, that is not likely to get any better. I hope he proves me wrong though! Unfortunate…

      Reply
    • I have to agree. Gooch wasn’t doing anything at his last club either, so comparitively it was just going from bad to worse. Jozy went from
      Awesome Soccer God that white people name their babies after
      to
      Maligned Goat of the bottom feeders.

      I still think he’ll turn it around, and he has been getting praise for his play despite the record (well except for the last game), but it’s definitely been a worse move than Gooch’s.

      Reply
      • that’s a good point about gooch; i think he’s basically just seeing how much retirement money he can get on reputation alone at this point, and he’s not overly concerned with playing in another world cup.

        i still would have to include dempsey before altidore, or at least tied. at least jozy’s improving his hold-up skills and (hopefully) getting a learning experience in a challenging environment. our usmnt captain just decided to cash in at the peak of his game and move to a lesser league, where he’s been pretty mediocre (so far).

    • i agree that it’s been bad, but ives was just listing the 5 worst transfers. all the others were worse–most of them are not even making the bench for their teams.

      Reply
  13. I know it was only short term and domestic, but I’d have to say Agudelo’s move to New England probably had the biggest impact. Really helped the team and seemed to energize him.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to A.S. Cancel reply