Photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com
In just a few short weeks, United States international centerback Gale Agbossoumonde will have to go back to the drawing board.
Agbossoumonde's option will not be picked up by his Swedish club Djurgardens IF when his loan expires, the team announced on its website.
The 19-year-old Agbossoumonde, who joined Djurgardens on a six-month loan on Feb. 17, began the season in the starting XI but has struggled for playing time since the opening weeks of the Allsvenskan campaign. Now he's set to search for another team to join as he seeks career stability.
Agbossoumonde's rights are owned by player management company Traffic Sports through the end of 2012, and his current options appear to be finding another club to play at on loan or finding a suitor willing to meet Traffic's asking price. In the statement from Djurgardens, the club says that it will release Agbossoumonde from his loan before it expires if he finds another team.
What do you think of this development?
Share your thoughts below.
+1000
(I didn’t want to type out “I think your comment is worth a thousand ‘likes'”, so I just typed “+1000” instead)
ya no surprise here either…i’m sure Traffic wasn’t a good decision but it looks like this kid isn’t as good as everyone was hyping him up to be either. And that WOULD be the most typically american thing to do…OMG look how big and fast he is let’s send him to the residency and we’ll teach him everything else! lol
Boss blew it. Hopefully he gets a lot more mature, both on and off the field. Right now he’s immature and based on some of his on-field decisions, he appears to have a ten cent head (I’ve watched lots of video so spare me the indignation). The problem wasn’t Traffic after all, although they’re still pretty evil.
Oh well, he’s still young, he will get other chances. The best thing the rest of us can do is move on in terms of our overhyped flavors of the week. If / when he fights his way back, then we can talk about him again (like Mr. Adu).
Yet you typed the long-form name when explaining why you chose not to write it out initially.
You have no clue how it works with Traffic…
I really don’t know much about this kid, but I’m not surprised by the anecdotes presented here that suggest American residency scouts chose the big strong player only because he’s big and strong; and European coaches are deciding to pass. I’ve lost all faith in the USSF.
Beerholder was awful vs Real Madrid
He’s Still a baby as far as CB’s go. CB’s are not expected to hit the low end of their prime until 24+ right? And then peak around 27-28? John Terry was being loaned out to Nottingham Forrest when he was older than Gale. Boss-man needs to work hard, train hard, be driven to impress. And when he’s not in a game or club training, he needs to be spending at least 1000 hours a year in his free time with a ball at his feet!
I’m not jumping ship on this Gale — Pass me some more Cool-Aid!!!
Trafic owns several small clubs. They used to own Miami FC in the USL/Div-2/NASL (<–whatever it was called in any given year)and they own "Estoril Praia" in Portugal's 2'nd Div. The Idea is the players they sign will continue to play and train at a Traffic owned club until they can be sold as a Hot Prospect.
USA U-20 LB Greg Garza has gone from Sporting Lisbon's back burner to Estoril, so maybe he's signed with Traffic too.
Yes. I know the name is Sporting Club de Portugal and not "Sporting Lisbon" as I said. I don't care. I just don't like writing the long-form name.
Surprise surprise, another hyped American looking for work.
always a good place to start 🙂
i think its more of a sign a contract we’ll help you find a place to play and when the team signs you they pay traffic sports.
Typical american inferiority/delusion about soccer. It can’t be that Gale isn’t that good. No no no no no… he’s amazing. The reason he isn’t getting on a godforsaken middle of nowhere team is because of a massive conspiracy that goes by the name of “traffic sports” which is obviously just a front for people out to screw young americans.
Isn’t traffic paying him a salary? It doesn’t make any economic sense to just hold on to him paying him a salary. If there was a team out there who wanted him for anything, Traffic would just take their losses and sell him right?
But also- didn’t he look terrible in U-20 qualifying. I heard he looked really bad or, in a nice way: rusty. Wondering if this dude is the Brandon Manzonelli of defenders.
How did Traffic hurt him? He is as much to blame he didn’t impress. Also was late to practice and the coach wasn’t happy about that. He got benched and hasn’t played since. The team has only lost 1 game since he has been benched.
Poor decisions Traffic Sports hurting another young player?
I blame Bob Bradley and Sunil Gulatti. 🙂
Hes not going to MLS till his contract with Traffic Sports runs out. That is the same reason why the NASL is not granted 2nd division because this company owns teams. That being said this kid is not that good, played his team while he was at IMG and besides being big he had nothing going for him. They tried to play an offsides trap and he was all over the place. He is really over hyped and i was suprised when i learned he was invited to the residency.
Traffic has an option to extend through 2012. No one is going to pay the type of transfer fee they want, hence, this kid is probably going to experience more of the same until then.
What length of a contract did this kid sign with Traffic? How many years has it been now? This is getting sad and not to mention time is running out from him. If he doesn’t get playing time soon his career is finished.
I saw him play in person during a match for Miami FC against the Aztex back in late 2009. He was horrible and I was not impressed by him them. Although he was very young, he should not have been playing at the USSF 2nd division level. And that’s my lasting impression of him. Has anything changed?
Sure, Traffic PR guy. We’ll believe your nonsense anonymous internet comment over journalism produced under some standards of accountability. And it makes a lot of sense that he has more options with his rights being owned by a company whose only interest is a big payday. Uh huh. Slick logic.
Traffic is a parasite.
Gale deserves at least as much blame for scoffing at MLS’ offer and most recently not impressing on this loan. Plus he was late for a practice, which ticked the coach off.
LA should try to get this guy, Berhalter can’t hang around for much longer and Leonardo is the only other Center back they have with experience, not placing too much hope on Kyle Davies? lol
I think he needs to get out of his contract or play maybe in the 2nd division in Portugal Traffic owns, Estoril Praia or something?
Then try to get to MLS, he will be a player that will be admitted into MLS as a returning player since he does have 1 USMNT Cap. So if that is still around in the summer of 2012 or whenever his contract with Traffic ends, then that’s how his return to MLS will go.
Send the kid to RSL, LA, or Dallas if you want him developed. Those teams appear to be able to develop talent and defend. So, maybe it would help him out.
Oh, as an attorney, would someone do me a favor and tell these young kids that if it isn’t with a team, don’t sign the dotted line. Serious conflict of interests in 3rd party player ownership contracts.
MLS dude
That’s exactly right. Are you Swedish? In any event, not a good sign.
In reality, most of us know nothing about this kid and how he plays the game, other than his Traffic situation, and his measurables. He is a prospect, yes. But let’s not salivate over this kid just because he is big, black an young! Saying that… I chose to drink the Boss Kool Aid. I hope this kid makes it.
How about you explain your side of the story then…
Traffic Sports, they’ve created a soccer player who doesn’t play soccer.
wow, so whats your title at Traffic? Are you in PR, communications or marketing? THe entire Traffic sports deal is a scam, at best. Traffic has nixed numerous deals to buy, or take Gale on loan, and every time the figure for this kid goes up. If he’s just like you say he is, ie) not that good, then he wouldnt have had these chances. The fact is, the kid took a guaranteed contract from scumbags to ensure he’d be making $$. Traffic now has him by the balls until his contract is up. If i were him, I’d suck it up, play for whoever you can (i think they have a div 2 tea in portugal?), deny any sale that comes your way and go into 2013 as a free agent. Hell be an attractive free transfer for a lot of teams in Europe and here n the US as that point.
Unfortunately, Djurgardens was not one of those team very interested in Gale after his 6 month stint.
Hey, In the know, do you there at Traffic offer your services for other professions besides soccer? I’m a communications guy looking for work.
Filip Bergman? Either way he’s pretty much spot on in his description. Gale needs a thorough (re?)schooling on how to play the game. I’m not sure to what extent that can be done successfully though since he’s already 19 years old, but I do wish Gale all the best.
kid is all hype. he is a physical specimen, but that’s it. i remember when people were comparing him to onyewu. i lol’d. kinda reminds me of altidore actually. physical specimen, but his tactical awareness and technical ability hasn’t developed as much as it should have because he has always relied on his physical abilities.
My brother-in-law is Swedish (he played last year for Charlie Davies’ old team, Hammarby) and now coaches in the Superettan (2nd division). He coached against Gale in a Jr. team game and his assessment was not promising. Big, strong kid, however, he was useless tactically and had no concept about how to play a professional team game. It’s apparently what his team saw. This is not a good sign for someone who has been discussed as in the mix for the USMNT.
You all suck. Tell your boss.
This is the reason you don’t sign with Traffic or a third party owndership group. They’ve talked him up that he could make it overseas etc, when he needs to develop still and would benefit from MLS and the MLS reserve league. What promising young USA player has Traffic truly helped?
*Traffic Sports. way to ruin my own joke.
Whatever you say, Marketing Sports PR guy.
Oh no not again.
So Traffic is good for guys careers then? Lets ask Stefan Jerome how they worked out for him…..
There is so much misinformation out there about Traffic it’s sick. Leander Schaerlaeckens wrote that garbage piece and all of you sopped it up. Gale did not want to sign with MLS thinking he was worth more. He has failed to earn a starting spot in Europe. shocking. If he didn’t have Traffic, he would not have had any options. He just needs to work harder and earn some time. Bottom line here is that do not appear to be any teams willing to engage his services.
Gale to MLS after 2012!
Agreed. Traffic is a nightmare. I just don’t see MLS paying for him.
He did. Traffic has pulled the plug or upped the price on several deals involving teams who were very interested in Gale. Its sad, really.
Then maybe he should have cut his teeth a bit in MLS….
I think that no one should ever sign with one of these player management companies. When has it every really worked out for the player? Even Carlos Tevez, who got paid, was in limbo for a bit (and cost West Ham millions of pounds in fines).
I hope Gale’s career path really sets an example. He’s only 19 though – Adu was already finished three times before he was 19, so time is on his side.
He had an offer from MLS, thought the $$ he was being offered was laughable. Then he decided to sign w/ Traffic.
I seem to recall that Gale got kinda screwed by his contract with Traffic, in that they’ve limited his career because of their hefty demands. Can anyone confirm that that’s the case? I’d love to see him in MLS, BTW.