By GIANFRANCO PANIZO
You can add another name to the growing list of players to leave the New England Revolution for Europe. Former MLS defender of the year Michael Parkhurst has officially signed with FC Nordsjaelland of the Danish Superliga, with the deal being made official on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I just felt like with me being the age I am, and being out of contract, that if I ever wanted to try and make it in Europe, this was the time," Parkhurst told the Boston Globe. "Now that I'm still young and have the opportunity to do it, I felt like it was something I needed to do to further my career."
Nordsjaelland, which has allowed a league tying third-worst 27 goals, is signing the 2007 MLS Defender of the Year in hopes that he'll help shore up their shaky defense. Nordsjaelland currently sits in eighth in the 12-team table.
Here are some other stories to get your day started:
Real Madrid replaces Schuster with Ramos
Injuries and poor results proved to much for Bernd Schuster to overcome and to much for Real Madrid to ignore, so Schuster has been fired as Real Madrid manager and replaced by Juande Ramos.
The move comes after Schuster helped lead Real Madrid to the La Liga title last season, but after the club got off to a woeful start to the new campaign. Real Madrid heads into this weekend's 'Clasico' showdown with Barcelona trailing the league leaders by nine points.
Ramos takes over after having been fired by Tottenham earlier this season after a woeful start to the EPL season. He has a track record of success in Spain, having helped guide Sevilla to a pair of UEFA Cup titles.
Tottenham out of relegation zone
Tottenham climbed out of the relegation zone and into 15th place in the EPL with a 2-0 blanking of West Ham on Monday.
The Spurs opened up the scoring in the 68th minute when defender Ledley King got on the end of an Aaron Lennon cross.
Lennon received the ball on the right flank and crossed it in between a pair of defenders before it found the leaping defender. King headered the ball low into the ground and then watched as it took a high bounce into the back of the net past a diving Robert Green. King had not scored since 2005.
Jamie O'Hara would add an amazing left-footed insurance goal in the 89th minute to secure the Spurs' victory.
Man City targets Villa
Add David Villa to list of high-priced targets Manchester City will go after during this winter's transfer window.
Reports have surfaced claiming that The Blues' delegates have met with Villa's agent and have discussed a potential move worth £60 million. Villa has followed up an impressive showing at Euro 2008 by scoring 12 goals this season for Valencia.
A move for Villa sounds more realistic than the rumored bids for Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kaka that Manchester City is reported to be plotting, especially considering the major financial troubles Valencia is experiencing.
What do you think of Parkhurst landing in Denmark? Think Nordsjaelland is a good fit? Is Juande Ramos a smart hire by Real Madrid? Was Schuster a scapegoat, or really the one to blame for Real Madrid's struggles? How do you feel about Villa possibly joining Manchester City?
Share your thoughts below.
I agree with John above. If Parkhurst wants to ACTUALLY play in one of the top 5 leagues in the world, he has to first prove that he can go to Denmark (or some other such place) and not just play, but pull a Gooch and shore up that defense. It wouldn’t be enough for him to go to another MLS team cause he’s already proved it here. He’s not the most physically gifted in terms of size or speed, so he needs to prove himself again and again.
In regards to Man City, the game I saw when they played Chelsea, they needed a couple defensive players: a center back, but more important a defensive midfielder, Hamman was overwhelmed (Kompany did much better there). I think they need to be able to play 2 top level defensive center midfielders, right now they’ve got one: Vincent Kompany.
Real Madrid makes me laugh. I get the feeling that the management there is a soap opera. i’d almost feel sorry for the players, but they’re making millions and I’d feel sorry for the fans but i support Barca so… HAHAHAHAHA
Denmark has the highest income tax rate, with its top-taxed citizens paying 68% of their hard-earned crowns. The basic tax rate begins at 42%.
I’m not going to get excited about any anouncements by City unless the signing is meeting with the press holding up a powder blue jersey. These reports are getting a little rediculous IMO.
Parkhurst is obviously doing the right thing for a number of reasons. 1) Money 2)More exposure to major leagues (esp if the team improves with him back there) 3) BB obviously like himself players in Euro leagues (Parkhurst ditribution is superior to Gooch and Boca’s which I like) 4) I agree with Docsoccer about the level of the league as well. The competition and coaching will only improve him.
how do you idiots think this is a crap league? i mean mls can’t even beat Joe Public or a panamian side, not to mention get crushed by honduran and costa rican side and you think the mls is better than a first division European League that produced Daniel Agger, per koldrup, martin laursen, Christen Poulsen, Jon Dahl Tomassen, Lovenkranz, Rommedahl, and PEter Schmeichel. all these guys played for better club teams than americans ever have directly trasnferring from teh danish league. Get your facts straight before you bash this league as it is a million times better exposure and a much much better league than mls.
What is the tax rate in Denmark? I bet he’s making about the same as he was. And Michael, what makes the Danish league better than MLS? I don’t think Califf would be the dominant defender in MLS that he is there.
Goff says Parkurst’s deal is worth $250k base + incentives/bonuses.
Ramos will have the same choice of players as Schuster did at Madrid so I don’t know what this will do.
Mijatovic and Calderon should be the ones on the chopping block for not improving obvious flaws in their squad (central defense and depth at striker) during the summer.
Goff reports that Parky’s new salary will be about $250,000. If he got that in MLS, that would have made him the highest-paid US-eligible defender.
Erik I agree.
People who call these guys dorks and such are something else. I suppose they think that MLS is the sh!t and there isn’t anything else out there in the world.
Who would be naive enough not to improve their careers, while at the same time, improving their salary?
Good for you Parky! Enjoy the new lifestyle. You earned it.
” Was Parkhurst on TV ads?”
Yes. The Dream MLS campaign Adidas has been pushing.
I happen to agree with you, but I had to answer that question.
Yes, Danny Califf is our No. 3. No other player has staked a claim there. It certainly isn’t DeMerit.
You know what I hope all the best players leave this year from MLS and then this league will become shiz….(i am a huge mls fan by the way)…. MLS has to understand that the players are leaveing for paychecks in crapy leagues…. wat id it an extra 100K-200k on their pay check? If MLS cant afford that with the owners then that is a shame…. this league will fall apart soon when failfull supporters dont show up to the games becausue every year there best player leave the team for a little raise…. and we get back a old ageing fart or a no body…. MLS you guys are pathetic…. I hope the players union has a hold out these players deserve better MUCH better…. the base salery for each player should be 200-400k…. this is pathetic when the giants kicker is making more then a whole MLS team…. or a baseball player is making more then every team in MLS combined…. players need to get paid…. watch out HOLD OUT 2009-2010
Parkhurst’s salary last year: $147,882.50
Would be somewhat hard for NE to fit a large raise under their cap given that all the following higher-paid players are still under contract:
S. Ralston (150k)
C. Albright (160k)
M. Reis (161k)
S. Joseph (325k)
T. Twellman (350k)
Not too many US-eligible defenders were making more in MLS. A few were just above him, in the 150k range:
C. Marhsall (148k)
W. Barrett (148k)
D. Moor (149k)
C. Klein (150k)
M. Wynne (150k)
The only US Ds making more were:
C. Albright (160k)
F. Hejduk (175k)
J. Conrad (225k)
Some non-US-eligible defenders make more too, but that’s the scale for the US guys.
I don’t know why everyone is so down on players leaving the MLS for overseas. Think of it this way, most Americans don’t travel outside of the US. For some of these players, it’s an adventure to get out of the US and play in Europe. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 2nd or 3rd tier league, it’s a step forward in a very short pro soccer career.
Why play in MLS and have 4-5 month layoffs when you can go to Europe and play most of the year? Good for Parkhurst in the end, not necessarily bad for MLS. Was Parkhurst on TV ads? Doubt it… It’s good for MLS that our players can go overseas and cut it. It might bring people the other way over time as it will be seen as a credible league.
Danny Califf our #3? Say it ain’t so. He was extremely mediocre against T&T.
In other news…
Charlie Davies in talks with a team in France:
http://www.na.se/artikel.asp?intId=1422412
And Lee Nguyen’s meteoric fall continues… he is on trial to play in Vietnam:
http://www.bold.dk/nyt/Randers-amerikaner-proever-lykken-i-Vietnam
From PSV to Vietnam is one year? You have to be exceptionally bad. Is no one in MLS interested?
ive been a real fan for as long as i can remember. sometimes i just cant stand the decisions they make tho. im a loyal guy, and cant switch teams.
Aston Villa will be the 1st to break into the top4, should take Arsenal’s place. I figure Arsenal will be 5th with Everton as 6th and Hull City as 7th. I imagine Man City can’t get any higher than 8th with Portsmouth/Fulham as 9th and 10th.
It isn’t just about money…
You only have to look at Danny Califf’s rise to see why Parkhurst went over there. Califf became our No. 3 central defender after his success in Denmark.
David Villa- best striker in the world right now. He will tear the EPL off its head. Sucks he will play for crappy Man City, but just great to see him in England.
Who are the top10 highest earning footballers in the PL? I know Lampard, Terry, Gerrard, Ronaldo, Robinho.
While I think Real Madrid is crazy to fire Schuster at this point, Ramos will do very well there. The Spurs situation was just a mess that wasn’t his doing. I’m looking forward to what he can do with the Madrid roster, injuries and all.
I’m glad I’m not the only one wondering why Man City isn’t being linked to defenders. Hopefully the rumors become reality and they focus all their cash on attacking players. I don’t want to see them break into the top 4 anytime soon.
The Danish league is outside the top5 leagues and even the 2nd tier like Holland, Turkey, Russia Scotland. Danish is 3rd tier like Belgium, Sweden, Greece. We need more in the top leagues even if in 2nd division. Id rather be in 2 Bundesliga than the top team in Poland.
Real Madrid has made a ton of harsh managerial decisions over the last 10 years. If Ramos doesn’t quickly recreate the success he had at Sevilla, then he’ll be out the door as well.
I could easily see him get the boot this summer.
Honestly, I don’t know how you can be a Real fan with crap that goes on like this. Even winning La Liga is no guarantee.
Can anyone disagree that something needs to be done about the salary cap in MLS now?
When I see quality players like Parkhurst leave for Denmark, or Sweden, Norway, English Championship, Austria, etc., it sort of tells me where the MLS stands internationally.
Adam, I’m not a fan of Madrid but I feel you. I can’t believe I read someone approving of this decision.
Schuster is 500 times the coach Ramos is. How anyone can take what Ramos did at Spurs and even imagine in their wildest dreams he’ll be good at Madrid is beyond me.
They should have never fired Del Bosque. Since then it’s been a revolving door for managers there, and it makes them a laughing stock.
Sorry man, hope things work out for your sake and the rest of the true fans.
Michael – are you saying that the scotish premier league is a top 5 league???
PCFC- until the MLS can become profitable enough to improve the cap size drastically we will continue to be a feeder league even into the even quality leagues like the scadanavian leagues…
as a real fan, im getting sick of this. seems like we go through at least 1 coach every season. i understand the team is devastated by injuries, but is the coach the one to blame. i dunno.
Michael Parkhurst is such a dork.
Dakota, well said. Juande Ramos made Spurs far worse in reality than they were on paper. He is the perfect man to guide Real Madrid to mid-table in La Liga. You’re a genius.
as a spurs and barca supporter, im loving ramos at real madrid. i dont care what language he speaks, anyone dumb enough to play david bentley at right back has no business running any club.
ramos going to real madrid after being fired from spurs for not being able to win a game is like failing out of high school then getting accepted to harvard.
Real Madrid made a good choice. Something had to change and it was time for Schuster’s reign to end. La Liga has been the league no one wants to win in the second half of the year, so this was the time to make a change. Ramos will struggle at first but he is a great manager and will have the money this winter to get one or two players.
I hope they go out and get a defender. That is what Madrid needs. Everyone wants wing players and forwards but defensively the team has been absurdly bad this year. Miguel Velosa?? Do we have a shot at Carvalho?
The players were lost and down. Ramos is a good motivator in Spain and I am excited to see what he is capable of.
Manchester City has more money than brains, as several have pointed out. They need defense. Sure, every team in the world would love to have David Villa, but their problem is that their defense leaks goals.
Ramos is a fantastic coach too, and Tottenham was silly for firing him. They got rid of their top 3 forwards in an 8 month period (and those forwards happened to be their player of the year each of the last 5 seasons). They were replaced by some good players, but overall their has been a drop of quality, and a significant drop in chemistry. The combination didn’t go well for Ramos, who should be applauded for bringing Spurs to their first title of any sort in 9 years.
I think we need to stop thinking that every player in the MLS can play in the Big 5 leagues. With the exception of maybe a dozen players, i really don’t think the rest can handle playing at that level. Would you rather have these players going to a big 5 league, and sitting on the bench, never sniffing the field, (a la Edu, Adu)or would you rather have them on the field in the Danish league, Swiss League, Belgium league, actually playing 90 minutes against players that are better then MLS players. Also, pay has to be a big factor in making these moves. This is their job, and they can only play this game for so long. If it doesn’t work out in europe, they can always make the jump back to MLS.
cbr,
i believe parkhurst was making around 150,000. which would be top 5 earnings on the Revs. i may be wrong, but i believe twellman, joseph, ralston, and reis make more.
I am sad to see great MLS players leave this league for Danish clubs. We need to keep our best players here. I only feel satisfied when my players go to EPL, Serie A, La Liga or the Bundesliga.
JD, there are guys who work at Pizza Hut who make more money than a lot of the Revs players. 😉 As for the statement that Parkhurst would be just as visible here as he would be in Europe, I think Alex is being a bit naive.
you cant blame parkhurst. its not like he was making 2mil a year and jumped ship to make 3 mil.
Im guessing his salary was around the 100k mark, and i am just assuming that club is giving him 400k. Thats a big change in lifestyle. Goodluck to him
Wouldn’t Man City’s cash be better spent on a good volante type player? Or improving the back line to help out Micah Richards?
And Christian, I agree Ramos was great with Sevilla but after such a failure how can one not be hesitant about his decisions?
Im hoping Parkhurst can quickly become sorta like Califf. Califf was a legend for Aaalborg and got them a medal and into the Champions League, hopefully Parkhurst can be the same.
Parkhurst is a very good player, he should quickly adjust into the lineup for his new club and shore up their leaky defense. Here’s hoping he can help the team advance in the table.
At least he didn’t head to Norway/Sweden. Denmark has a much better league and great play and their players get quite a look from the British, Spanish and German leagues. Look at Martin Laursen, Daniel Agger.
Schuster was clearly losing the players, but you have to look at injuries first and foremost as the reason for Madrid’s struggles. I’m curious if they did/will make a run at luring Argones away from Fenerbache.
I’m torn if Valencia should sell high on Villa. He’s a great talent and has been possibly in better form than his dominating Euro ’08 performance… but £60 million is a lot of coin. If it’s just going to go towards paying down debt, I hope they keep him and make it to the cash that CL gives a club. Theoretically, the sale could let them buy a handful of quality players, but it doesn’t sound like it would work out that way.
Parkhurst’s game is an acquired taste, he is just not the prototype of defender. For him to move up the soccer food chain he had to go to a league where he could prove himself. In Denmark he is brought in to be a difference maker. In another league such as the English Championship or France Lique 1, they would still wonder if he could cut it. In Denmark, they will “expect” him to cut it. If he does well in Denmark he will have the opportunity to play in better leagues down the road. It may take more than a year but with his age he is well positioned.
Our players need to be heading to either the Big5 or at least Holland and Portugal. Probably 5 years or so there won’t be any need for a MLS player to head to Scandinavia for just “better wages”. They’ll head to the top leagues like they should be doing already.
How much will Parkhurst make with his new club as in comparison with the Revolution? Anyone think this will be a great move for his place in the roster for the World Cup?
MLS has to raise the salaries like pronto. It sucks that our players leave for Scandinavia which pays maybe double or three times what the average MLS player makes. Quality of the leagues are quite low, even Romania/Serbia has better play.
Alex, I’d have to disagree with you on visibility. While the european teams do actually bother to scout MLS now, they have scouts wandering through Europe all the time. In fact, their primary scouting trails are in leagues like 2. Budesliga and Denmark because their goal is to find good players that are developing, NOT the finished product. Its also a LOT easier to explain the cost of a scouting trip to Denmark than the US. Just look at the number of Danes, Norwegians, etc. that get pulled into the EPL, La Liga, and Serie A. But you have to prove yourself in a competitive league first. MLS is still not seen as the equal of the second tier european leagues (at least in Europe.
Chad:
Did you see what Ramos did with Sevilla?
He’s a good manager that had trouble adapting to the EPL. He won’t be the last succesful manager to fail in England.
ives (or anyone else), do you know the average pay difference between the MLS and some of the scandinavian leagues? i wonder how much MLS would have to raise their wages in order to keep/be more attractive to the “parkhurst’s” of the league.
i would imagine that european scouting is only going to increase so that argument for going to lesser leagues is in it’s demise.
i suppose it comes down to that salary cap… i just wonder how much it will have to increase in order to keep them here in leiu of making the “scandinavian step”.
Good move for Parkhurst! Always more exposure in leagues over there.
Ramos is a questionable pick. His club had only a downward direction at Tottenham. Truly Spain is a different story but if I were an RM fan I would be scared.
Villa is one of the best in the world. But doesn’t Man City have plenty of attackers?
While I can understand the allure of the bigger payday Nordsjaelland can offer Parkie, I still don’t think that it’s a step up for him. Same goes for Americans playing in low-profile 2nd teir European leagues – while the pay may be better than what they can get in MLS, the level of play just isn’t better. And it’s not like they’re more visible to bigger European teams there than they are here either.