By Graig Carbino - With European leagues coming to a close across the majority of the continent, it’s time to ponder how the next 12 weeks without club soccer will shape up. Sure, there will be plenty of international matches to quench our never satisfied soccer thrust. The United States Men’s National team has lined up some smashing friendlies with teams like England, Spain and Argentina and soccer in the Summer Olympics should be a site to see. U.S. soccer fans across the country will be on the edge of their seats all summer, but it may not have anything to do with the action being played out on the pitch.

There are players across the United States soccer landscape that earn their living with clubs as close to us as New York and Los Angeles and as far away as the Greek Island of Crete. Some play in Frisco and others in Friesland. We do the best we can to follow their careers using on-line match trackers or the “Yanks Abroad” section of BigSoccer.com. Some of us have even figured out creative, if not always legal, ways to watch obscure games for “free” over the Internet. We watch because we want the best for these guys from the states who are trying to make it big a half a world away.

As in any European season, some teams have performed above expectations while others have been relegated to lower divisions for their poor results. It was a mixed bag for Americans playing overseas as well with some being at the center or their team’s success (or failure) and others hardly being able to crack the first team bench. Here is a look at 8 U.S. players currently in Europe who might want to look for a new city to call home:

1. Carlos Bocanegra - The Men’s National team captain had a bit of an up and down time with Fulham in the English Premier League this season. He was starting regularly under old manager Lawrie Sanchez and even captained the team for a while during Brian McBride’s absence. Roy Hodgson was brought to the club in December to replace Sanchez and Bocanegra’s appearances began to dwindle. Bob Bradley certainly will not allow Bocanegra to feature regularly for the National Team if he is not logging significant minutes for his club. With reported interest from the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Osasuna, Bocanegra should have plenty of options to weigh during the next few weeks.
2. Bobby Convey - Convey struggled mightily with injuries during Reading’s second season in the Prem’. He was replaced in the starting line-up by Stephen Hunt and only made a total of 20 appearances (12 starts) throughout the campaign. In case you hadn’t heard, Reading was relegated on Sunday. It is hard to see Convey wanting to play another season in the English Championship as he has been there and done that already. It’s also difficult to see him wanting to return to MLS any time soon. There may be a Premiership club or two who would be interested in his services, but he may also consider a move to a different European league like the Eredivisie for first team minutes.
3. Freddy Adu - This selection may have caught you off guard as Freddy Adu only transferred to Benfica in Portugal last July. His career in Europe started fairly well as he saw action in a few games and even popped up with a couple goals for his new club. Three coaches later and the outlook does not look so good. He has not even made the bench for Benfica since his return from Olympic qualifying. Adu has said all the right things since his move to Europe. He has talked about the need for intensity in training and wanting to fight for and earn his spot in the team. Don’t be fooled though, he is like every other player. Freddy wants to play; he needs to play if he wants a place on the full Men’s National team. If a big team from Europe comes in with a significant offer for his services this summer, it wouldn’t shock me if Adu was on the move once again.
4. Jay Demerit - Demerit was named Watford’s captain earlier this season. He was starting in central defense each week and the hornets flew to the top of the Championship standings. Fast-forward to May and Demerit is no longer starting and was stripped of the club captaincy. Watford now sit one game away from being eliminated from the promotion playoffs, seemingly destined for another season in England’s second tier. Demerit initially stated that he would support his teammates and cheer them on no matter what. He still seems to mostly be saying the right things, but there have been rumblings recently that his relationship with manager Aidy Boothroyd has soured. If Watford does not make it back to the Premiership Demerit should seek greener pastures. It has been rumored recently that Middlesbrough and Fulham have been monitoring his situation.
5. Eddie Lewis - At 33, Eddie Lewis is not getting any younger. He may have just been through the most frustrating year of his career with Derby County who finished the EPL season with the lowest points total of any team since the introduction of 3 points for a win. Lewis did play a fair amount, first under manager Billy Davies and then under his replacement Paul Jewell. He is still featuring regularly for the National team and has one year remaining on his contract with Derby. That being said, it may be time for Eddie to finally make his long awaited return to the U.S. He began his career with the San Jose Clash and the return of the Earthquakes this season seems like the perfect opportunity to come back home and have one last ride before it is time to hang up his boots for good.
6. Benny Feilhaber - To say that Benny Feilhaber struggled this season alongside Eddie Lewis at Derby County would be the understatement of the year. He managed only one league start after his off-season transfer from Hamburg in the German Bundesliga and never really looked comfortable in any of his appearances. When he was initially brought to the team Feilhaber was seen as more of a long-term project by then manager Billy Davies. This seemed like a bit of a surprise to Benny as he expected to come to England and play right away. Things didn’t get a whole lot better when Paul Jewell took over and he initially left Feilhaber out of his team all together. A move down to the Championship might actually help Feilhaber’s development as current players will certainly leave the club and his opportunities for playing time will go up. Still, it may be tough to ever play for Jewell again who said after the teams last game “ the large majority of these players, if I have my way, will never play for Derby County again.”
7. Kamani Hill - A bit of a lesser-known talent, Kamani Hill plies his trade with Vfl Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Hill saw game action in 9 matches his first season with the club but has been relegated to reserve team duty this ever since. He actually plays as a forward for the German outfit but was transitioned to right fullback by Peter Nowak when he was called into Olympic qualifying for the U.S. team. Hill would probably be better served moving to a different team and sorting out his preferred position. A move to MLS has been clamored about recently and may not be a bad idea for a player of Hill’s potential and relative young age.
8. Heath Pearce - Heath Pearce appears to be one of only two possible candidates in the current U.S. player pool capable of adequately playing left fullback. He started his European career with FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga and moved to Hansa Rostock in Germany last summer. His time in Rostock started out well enough as he started most games during the early part of the season. Things took a turn for the worse when Pearce reportedly returned late from his winter break and was effectively banned from the team as his coach, Frank Pagelsdorf, proclaimed that he would never play for the club again. That stance was softened as the season came to a close and Pearce managed to play as both a substitute and starter as Hansa fought to stave off relegation. No matter what league they play in next season, Pearce should be looking for a team where he will feature regularly as a starter and back up his claim as the “best left back this country has.”

Taking a chance and heading to Europe to pursue a career in soccer is never easy for American players. They have to overcome numerous obstacles just to get a shot at making a starting XI. The U.S. National team has certainly benefited from players who are willing to take this chance but their impact will diminish if they cannot find substantial minutes playing for established top-flight clubs. We can only hope that these players, and others, take another risk and find a better playing situation for themselves.

HAVE YOUR SAY...
Who do you think should make a move this summer?  Who will come to MLS and who will find greener pastures elsewhere in Europe?  Send your emails to Graig by CLICKING HERE.