Brek Shea: Why Newest US Soccer Phenom Should Hold off on Move to Europe

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 20, 2011

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FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past couple of months.

The MLS star, previously an unknown entity except among the most die-hard circles of American soccer fandom, has turned in a slew of successful performances for the U.S. national team since August.

Shea, who came on as a substitute against Mexico in an Aug. 10 friendly, was one of the few bright lights in what was an altogether dreary affair that marked Jurgen Klinsmann's first competitive match at the helm of the U.S. team.

America wastes little time in crowning the next "it" player, and soccer is certainly not exempt from the hype-dom. Enter Shea, the newest phenomenon.

Over the past decade, we've seen talented young players such as Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore bandied about as the saviors of the USMNT, only to watch them fall far short of the lofty expectations hanging over them like million-pound anchors.

While no one forced Adu to start playing in the MLS at 14, or Altidore at 16, the media furor that engulfed those two players is undeniable. It may have even hurt both players' potential. Either way, neither has become the game-changer we expected them to be at this point in their careers.

Both Adu and Altidore departed the MLS for Europe during their teens, eager to ply their trade at the highest level and enticed by the bigger contracts and massive stadiums filled to the brim with passionate supporters.



Like Landon Donovan before them, however, they've found it to be inherently tough going—nigh impossible from Adu's standpoint—to find consistent playing time in their new environs halfway around the world.

Adu has pinballed about the Old Continent since moving to Benfica (a traditional Portuguese power) in 2007. A peripatetic tenure abroad is an easy marker of a player who is deemed surplus to requirements at his official club—unable to crac...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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