U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra will be playing for a new team when the French Ligue 1 season begins later this summer.
Stade Rennes announced on its website on Friday that it has sold Bocanegra to Saint Etienne for approximately €500,000.
Bocanegra, 31, had been a transfer target of St. Etienne's during the winter transfer period, but a deal was unable to be reached. He battled injuries last season that cut into his playing time with Rennes.
The U.S. captain during the past World Cup, Bocanegra has not made a decision on his national team future, stating he would continue to make himself available for selection.
What do you think of the move?
Share your thoughts below.
Allez les verts !!!! ASSE the best club and fan’s in france
+1 from me too
Boca can help at start of qualifying.
But he should be out of the picture pre-Brazil, as he’ll be too slow to help by that point since he was never that fast.
Ligue 1 bottom-dweller for half a million = your Euro shelf life is done after this 2 year deal.
Still, Boca should then do a couple years duty in MLS – I could see a player/coach type gig for Boca before he hangs it up.
St. Etienne bought him – in other words, his contract with Rennes wasn’t up. When his contract does expire, I think he may well come back. But you can’t expect an MLS club to fork over three quarters of a million dollars before they even start paying his salary.
This doesn’t matter because Bocanegra will not play for the World Cup 2014 because he will be too old at the age of 35. We need to start developing young players and bring them to play in the top clubs in Europe to develop and better their game to help the USMNT win the World Cup
A little surprising since he played pretty well at the World Cup at both LB and CB. Aside from the Gyan goal, of course. But i think he showed he can still be a very solid player, especially in a second-tier league like France. (No offense meant to Ligue 1 fans.)
hmm, i thought he would at least be worthy of twice that …
He was always thinking games that he was playing
might? that would be an excellent signing, but Chicago supposedly after Blanco and Castillo and i doubt they would go for a third DP unless Blanco isnt a DP…..
lets be real though guys, He is a player with great drive and still good skill….there is a possibility he will be around next world cup. look at Von Bronkhorst, Cannavaro….they are much better, but you catch my drift, its still possible and thats obviously what hes thinking
CB, that is his main position….you dont see teams usually bring a player in to play him in their secondary position. He is most likely their best CB option now anyways, im sure he will play LB sometimes tho
Only Carlos Bocanegra Can Break Your Heart
He’s a class act. +1 for Carlos. Stay available for the USMNT as long as you like.
Why no picture of the Black Mouth?
If he came to MLS for 500k euros he would be a DP. Not sure what team would be willing to pay him for a DP slot. I’m not saying he’s worthless or wouldn’t help a team, but rather that he isn’t a “big name”.
especially if he can work on his speed between now and age 35…
i’m with you on that
I guess now we can say tha Bocanegra is an… ASSE! LOL
TWSS.
Personally would expect Boca (Also DeMerit & Cherundolo) to continue to be a contributor to the USNT at least through the Gold Cup next year. Remember that next years GC is the qualifier for the 2014 Confederations Cup. and the Confederations cup gives players and teams to get a feel for the country/stadiums hosting the WC.
After the 2011 Gold Cup I expect major changes to the Back line for the USNT. Players like Gonzolez, Alston, Ream, and hopefully Williams, and maybe some others will begin to be paired with Gooch or Goodson, Spector & Bornstein/Pearce to develop into the 2014 Team.
This is the most excited I’ve been about a post in a loooong time! A friend interested me in Saint-Etienne in 1999 after they won Ligue 2 and I’ve been following them ever since. Les Verts have barely survived the last couple of campaigns after a solid showing in ’07/08… Hopefully Captain America’s arrival will firm up the backline for Galtier.
The cycle is fairly long and there are injuries and hostile environments where you need a couple of vets to settle everyone down. Keep in mind that Eddie Lewis played some in this cycle as did Frankie Hedjuk and a few other players who ultimately weren’t in contention for a spot on the final WC roster (Danny Califf, for instance). Especially in the defensive end, it doesn’t hurt to have a WC vet still available to plug a hole if needed.
back to chicago, they might need his help
St. Etienne is a great club and traditionally one of the stronger teams in Ligue 1. Congrats to Bocanegra. Can anyone blame the guy for wanting to continue to play for a team with prospects of playing in UEFA Cup rather than duking it out in the Superliga?
Great move for Bocanegra. He should continue playing at the highest level as long as he can. And, he is only 31…if he continues starting in France entering the next World Cup cycle, he could still be a contributor to the USMNT.
lol!
He will start at St. Etienne. They tried to buy him last season and the deal fell through. He’s at a good place. Remember he was one of Rennes’s better players and played in alot of matches for them while scoring a few goals along the way.
St. Etienne –“les Verts” is actually the Classic French Club much more than Marseille, PSG and Bordeaux, looks like I now have a reason to buy a
St. Etienne jersey.
Bocanegra’s ability to be a fixture in Ligue 1 can’t be discounted with regard to keeping the door open for other American players. He’s still got some tread on the tires and his flexibility of position makes him a good pick up for a mid-table hopeful. Lets hope the manager plans to start him rather than just use him as cover along the back line.
should’ve come back to MLS
Just wait til the Reverend Jesse Jackson gets ahold of this headline! =P
not much of a transfer fee, which I suppose is owing to the fact that he’s starting to get a little long in the tooth. but half a million euros? jeez, freddy adu could have bought him at that price.
Awesome! I love St. Etienne’s music.
He don’t need to play for the National team again. Period.
I’m sure he’s hoping to collect another few years wages in Europe while he can, then pack it up for another year or two in MLS.
Wish him the best, but it is probably time to start throwing in some younger guys while we can to develop for the future.
agreed
Honestly, considering this was probably his last world cup, I was hoping Boca might consider returning to MLS. He could do a lot mentoring some of the young defenders in the league and could really help a team.
Didn’t see this one coming. Does anybody know if St. Etienne is looking to deploy him as a LB or CB?
Not too big a deal because frankly he should be replaced by qualifying if not the Gold Cup.