By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sept 12, 2011) US Soccer Players – The opening weekend of Italy’s Serie A brought with it the familiar sights and sounds. The sight of loud fans tossing flares onto the field and the sound of coaches whining about referees. In the middle of it all was one American among the nearly 500 players spread out across 20 clubs.
Michael Bradley is that sole American in Serie A after signing with Chievo Verona last month from German club Borussia Monchengladbach. Compare that to the eight who currently play in Germany’s Bundesliga, seven in England’s Premiership, and four in Scotland’s Premier League, and while Italy is a popular destination for American tourists, it’s not so much so for American soccer players.
This past Sunday, Bradley sat on the bench as Chievo played newly promoted Novara 2-2 draw before the home fans at the Bentegodi Stadium. Bradley has said this season will be a challenge for him and that cracking the starting lineup will be his primary goal.
“I watched Serie A on TV while growing up,” Bradley said during his first news conference on September 1st in Verona. “Playing in Italy is a great challenge for me. Chievo has given me a great opportunity. It will be a tough season. I will give it my all to succeed in Serie A.”
For the 24-year-old National Team central midfielder, giving it his all may not be enough. While Italian clubs have traditionally favored South American players compared to ones hailing from CONCACAF nations, there was a major exception. Milan signed US National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu for the 2009-10 season, but an injury-plagued two-year stint resulted in Onyewu never playing in a Serie A match.
Paolo Bandini, who covers Serie A for the English newspaper The Guardian, said that aside from a few big clubs in Italy, the rest are “only looking at foreign players” with low transfer fees and salary demands. Bandini said that means teams are looking for non-European Union players from South America where they “might just find a bargain. On top of that is the non-EU rules which restricts [Serie A clubs] to signing no more than two – and last year just one – players from outside Europe. A lot of South Americans who do get signed are actually eligible for European passports through parents or grandparents.”
Those who thought Serie A would get an influx of American players after businessman Thomas Di Benedetto finalized a deal this year to become owner of AS Roma were mistaken. Di Benedetto, a partner of New England Sports Ventures that also owns the Boston Red Sox and Premier League club Liverpool, has said he wants to attract more local players to AS Roma – a cheaper way to build a squad rather than paying for foreigners on the transfer market.
But Bradley may succeed where other Americans in Italy have not since Chievo is a mid-table team without a squad of stars. If Onyewu had trouble breaking into AC Milan’s star-studded lineup, Bradley may become a starter on a team eager to finish in the top half of the standings and contend for a Europa League spot.
The most famous US National Team player in Italy was defender Alexi Lalas, who used the exposure he received at the 1994 World Cup to sign a two-year deal with Padova. Lalas, the first American to play in Italy since before World War II, would make 44 appearances and score three goals in two seasons before returning home to play in MLS. The highlight of his sojourn came in October 1994 when he scored in Padova’s shock 2-0 win over AC Milan, who was coached at the time by current England manager Fabio Capello and featured striker Ruud Gullit in the lineup.
AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who played with Onyewu, believes Italian clubs aren’t the ones necessarily shunning US players, saying, "Americans prefer to go and play in a country without a language barrier. Americans prefer to play in England in that sense. It works both ways.”
With such a limited history playing in what some would still argue is one of the world's best leagues, Bradley becomes the latest opportunity to establish a US National Team presence in Serie A.
“As for Bradley, I think he can do well,” said Bandini. “Hard worker like that should fit in well at Chievo and I think he can carve out a spot for himself in that midfield.”
Clemente Lisi is a New York-based writer. Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ClementeLisi
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