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Which American winter transfer/loan will wind up being the best?

Ricardo Clark 1 (ISIphotos.com)

With the European transfer windows closing up, another crop of Americans have made moves to Europe with the hope of finding some success and improving their standing in the race for World Cup roster spots.

While Landon Donovan has made a great impact since joining Everton on loan, his time with the Toffees is set to end in March (unless you believe the stories that Everton is ready to make MLS a strong offer for his services). For players such as Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson and Kenny Cooper, their winter moves will go a long way in determining just which direction their careers are headed.

Here is our question for you: Which American player's transfer/loan move will wind up being the most successful? We left Donovan off the ballot since his loan is a short-term deal (and since he'd win running away based on his great start at Everton). Cast your vote here:

Which move do we see being the most successful?

Holden has the talent to make an impact at Bolton if he can win the battle for minutes in a crowded midfield, but our pick is Ricardo Clark, who is joining a strong Eintracht Frankfurt side that can use a defensive midfielder like him. Clark's style should suit him well in the Bundesliga.

Which move did you vote for? Which transfer/loan are you the most enthusiastic about? Which move do you wish didn't happen?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think you’re thinking of France, everytime I’ve been to Germany its been difficult to get people to speak German rather than English to me.

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  2. Agreed. Good post. My vote went to Cooper because of all the favorable factors in his new situation. He’s hungry to prove himself worthy of a WC spot, has a coach that will give him a shot, little outside pressure, and plenty of room to improve. Wish all our boys the best.

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  3. Practicing for the 10th best team in EPL is the best US players can do ?

    I think he will play, but if he doesn’t he risks not playing at a team that could get relegated, not exactly a great move. Only for the money.

    If Landon’s situation stays a loan it works for all parties involved. I am a US fan and of course don’t want Donovan to leave. I would much rather watch him in person, while he improves soccer in this country, rather than in England, while we watch on illegal internet streams.

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  4. How sick would it be for Adu and Johnson to become a striker partnership for Salonika? I mean, I know Adu isn’t exactly a ‘striker’, but if it’s anything like how Jozy and Charlie operated that is some serious competition.

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  5. That’s the whole point of Clark going to Germany though, to learn to depend on his athleticism less and his defensive technical abilities and tactical awareness more. Once you combine the two you have a complete defenisve/central midfielder.

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  6. I’d say because Donovan is a shoe in for the national team and didn’t really go to Everton to advance his career. These other moves were all made b/c they had to be made for playing time or because the player was given their first chance to try out Europe. Donovan has tasted European soccer several times and his move to Everton is more of a “well lets see how the best player from the US can do in England.”

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  7. I think Rico will struggle to adept to the difficulty of play, and may well end up being successful, but he just doesn’t have the technical ability; he will have to rely on his athleticism and learn how and when to tackle without getting red cards.

    Holden will struggle to see the field, but once he does, I think he will be solid and eventually successful.

    I voted Adu, because he has made an immediate impact and has the most to gain and nothing to lose. Once he shakes off the rust, he could start to wow us again. The level of the players around him isn’t as high, he’ll use it to try to get back on the national team, and possibly back to a bigger club.

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  8. I voted Adu because I think the move will be the most successful for him as a player. I think (and hope) that Clark’s move is the most successful in terms of improving our National Team play.

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  9. who on Bolton Wanderers do you see starting over Holden and why?

    besides matt taylor who either plays at left back or left mid and that will take one side

    is it Weiss who can dribble and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE?

    Holden can nearly do the job of David Beckham, if Coyle likes that type of winger Stu will do very well there

    what makes you so sure about all of this?

    did you see Adu’s assist yesterday?

    Ricardo Clark has all of the physical tools needed for Germany and he is a good standard above anybodyelse that can play defensive mid on that squad, the guy that is injured isnt even that much of a difference

    and to the rolfe comment…..i see his size being a factor, not him being American

    he is wearing the #17 shirt and shouldnt find his spot under jeopardy unless he underperforms

    Marcus Tracy and Rolfe will do quite well together

    and Cooper….

    I think England is good for him, but i think he can do better than 1st divisions

    he should have signed for a premier league in Europe(Scotland,Denmark,Romania,Russia,Greece) or came back to MLS

    he can do better and i find his Father as an annoying problem for Kenny

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  10. I voted for EJ. Not cause I think he’s the best player of the group or cause I want him in the WC 23 for 2010 but because I think he will make the biggest impact for his club immediately.

    Aris Salonika are having problems scoring goals, and I think the Greek Super League will have problems marking EJ (whom we all know even though mentally is weak is physically very good) playing in Cuper’s system.

    The two most voted for players: Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark I believe will not do much for the remainder of the season.

    I think Holden will struggle to find time for Bolton with players such as Chung-Young Lee and Vladimir Weiss in front of him, at least for this season. I can see him doing well though in the 2010-11 season.

    As for Rico Clark, I think he will need time to adapt to the German Bundesliga and is more of a singing for the upcoming season once he adapts better, outside and on the pitch.

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  11. Im not sure the native thing should make a difference, a large population of germans speak English. My buddy plays professional hockey over there and all his teammates speak English (he is 1 of 3 none Germans).

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  12. The honest truth is that Coyle wouldn’t have bought Holden unless he saw some sort of use for him. Stuart will get his chance, and if how quickly he transitioned into the national team is any indication of the future, he should do well.

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  13. The Clark transfer probably is the best; Clark not only suits the German style of play, but if he gets better on the ball and the distribution and ball movement out of the defensive third gets better, it’s just that little bit more possession we get against the bigger teams and that could make all the difference.

    Holden on the other hand could probably end up coming out the best as well. I think that at this stage in his career he’s going to learn to depend on his technical ability and tactical aptitude more than his speed, size or energy; he’s like a young Frank Lampard. Good skill, vision, bite, a nasty shot, and very mature. I’ve always loved his ability to pick spots to follow the play and make excellent runs out of the midfield. His growth should be pretty similar to Dempsey’s like others have said

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  14. The answer hands down should be Donovan. Especially if Everton signs him permanently. If so, it boosts the credibility of MLS for developing players, as well as boosts the respect that US soccer gets as a whole.

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  15. I would have put Adu or Johnson, but i think they should have came back to MLS so i picked Rico

    1 Rico

    2 Adu

    3 Holden

    4 EJ

    5 Rolfe

    6 Cooper

    all very close though……

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  16. I went with Clark. Holden has a lot of competition and will likely need time to settle well, like Dempsey needed time. It seems like Clark could make a quicker impact.

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  17. Lorenzo,

    If you are referring to Kenny Cooper Sr. think about this:

    At 1860 Cooper was falling lower down the depth chart and there was a chance his PT was going to be reduced.

    Cooper Jr. is now in a better situation

    He has , in Mariner, a former England center forward who is also a great coach, who knows him. Since this is a loan he is still 1860’s property and Lienen is on record as saying he has nothing bad to say about Kenny Junior, so a return to Munich is not out of the question, particulalry if Cooper Jr. does well.

    As far as I can tell what happened was reported by the German papers and they aren’t entirely reliable on topics like this. Some of them have relationships with the clubs and are more like PR organs. So we really don’t know what was said, or even if there ws a “bad” guy.

    Finally Cooper Sr. was, besides being a long time player and coach, also a long time general manager. He’s not exactly naive in this business. It’s not like having you for an agent.

    He got his kid a better situation and he takes the heat, with sr. looking like a bad guy not the son. Isn’t that what a dad is supposed to do?

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  18. Support from the team not from the fans…. Cooper needs the midfield to do play making so he can concentrate on finishing.

    Plymouth are dire in midfield and his service (support) will be limited.

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  19. Gotta say Cooper on this one. Mariner is just like Nicol. He knows how to get the best out of the players he has. I feel Cooper has enough upside but the question is will it be enough to get him on the WC side.

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  20. I understand your point, but I think we should be past the point where just practicing with a team is considered a ‘victory’.

    We need players to be getting game experience at the highest level, in high intensity situations. Hopefully Stu can trump Weiss and Wilshere, but that may be asking too much.

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  21. Holden moving to the premier league in undoubtedly the best (second to Donovan’s of course!). He earned his way onto Bolton after a two week trial despite holding a groin injury. Premier league pace in games or practice are top quality.

    As for Donovan, his loan has worked for all parties involved. May all USA and Everton fans hope that Everton come up with the money to buy Donovan outright!

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  22. Kenny Cooper is my pick…he will get plenty of PT, and has less pressure on him than Holden and Clark. This next few months will be a “break-out” time for Cooper (IMO)

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  23. My vote would go to Steve Ralston going to ACSTL (NASL)…

    But seriously I’d go with Rico. He has the best chance to play and has proven the most so far in his career. To be fair, he is the oldest of the bunch. I just don’t see Stu getting much time. Otherwise I’d have picked him.

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  24. I went with Adu. While he may never live up to the hype he started out with, he’s a talented player who has not been given/not earned a chance to shine.

    I think his move to Aris is as good a setup to succeed as he could get. He’s going to a team that needs someone in his position with a good coach in a good but not great league. Furthermore, I think this will be a good time for him to make a jump up in maturity. He’s reaching an age where maturity starts to come naturally and he’s in Greece with Eddie, a grown ass man, who’s there with his wife and daughter. It may sound silly, but I think having Eddie and his family there may help give Freddy the stable “family” life that he’ll need.

    Hope I’m right. We shall see.

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  25. Or maybe he can hoin the Colombian League with the teenager from NYRB. Yikes!

    I voted for Holden but thinking about it more, it probably will be Cooper. Its all about getting time on the itch and neither Holden nor Clark will get it. despite needing a DM, you just HAVE to be head and shoulders better than your competition in Germany, and I do not see that happening in Clark’s case.

    Also, Holden has too many better players in front of him and probably does NOT have the support from the managers like Cooper does.

    But my heart says that we need EJ, and for him I think its all about confidence. He has the physical tools, he just needs to know in his heart that he can get it done.

    Adu is toast and Rolfe will run into the saem problems that all Yanks do in Denmark. You are a foreigner and you will not start in front of a local boy. Case closed.

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  26. I assume you mean individual success, most the teams they are on, as great as those players are, are going nowhere even with their additions.

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  27. Yeah. He is not the best player per se, but probably in the best “situation”. Holden and Clark are the better players but both in tougher leagues, tougher teams, and no one who- if their performance dips- will give them a second chance.

    Rolfe may do well. He is a great player, just physically not made(gifted) for a top tier league.

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  28. Given the consistent downward trajectory of his career since the move to Benfica, if Freddy Adu isn’t loaned out to a mid-table Uzbeki club this time next year, he will be the clear winner….

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  29. I voted for Holden. I think he has the best chance to follow in Dempsey’s footsteps. He’s at the right age, team, coach and league.

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  30. I see cooper lighting up the championship and saving plymouth from relegation and has the best situation in coaches with Mariner and Carver there. He is in the best situation out of everyone.

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  31. Not that its the US senatorial election (really matters) or anything, but having Ricardo Clark as the picture before the vote will give him a disproportionate number of votes..

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  32. Yeah, I have to go with Clark- an end to end defensive first player in a league that cherishes defensive play on a team that has a real need at the position . . .

    Hard to pick against it.

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  33. My vote was for EJ. He was good in Fulham’s preseason and in the reserves. I expect he will make an impact in Greece. Who knows if that will translate to US Nats success or success in the EPL when the loan is over but I think it will be his most successful European stop so far.

    I would have voted for Holden but with Weiss, Wilshire, Taylor, and Lee as compitition, I don’t see him seeing the pitch anytime soon as a winger. Perhaps Coyle sees him as a creative central midfielder?

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  34. I picked Eddie Johnson finding his form in Greece, but I would have jumped on an Eddie/Freddy combo vote. I would love to see them both do well.

    Clark will find minutes but success will be debatable, where as Holden might have to wait until the fall to find significant minutes in a full Bolton midfield.

    I dont know enough about the Rolfe or Cooper move to evaluate, so I didnt even really consider those options.

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  35. I agree that Clark is probably the frontrunner. But I vote for EJ. I think there’s a good chance he is finally finding his form (or at least that he is finally found a league that is weak enough for him to succeed in. No offense to Greece, but it’s no EPL or Championship.)

    With a strong performance and a few more goals over the next several months, he will be the clear # 3 pure forward behind Jozy and CD9.

    Oh, actually, I just talked myself out of that whole argument. Forget what I said. It’s Clark. Definitely Clark.

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  36. Put Adu – make or break for his Europe career. He’s in a free flowing team, a lower league, and with Eddie for company. I think he’ll end up impressing.

    Clark and Holden I think will get exposed their first 6 months with Clark taking the biggest hit.

    Cooper should do better in a native speaking country but I do not think Plymouth has the support he will need.

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