An American in Madrid

Rumors are circulating that USMNT star, Oguchi Onyewu, will be headed to the Barnabeu now that his contract at Standard Liege is over as of June 30.

I'm sure adding a strong player like Onyewu on the back line with players like Sergio Ramos and Gabriel Heinze would be interesting to say the least. And the fact that he's an American and Real Madrid has never played an American is something to be excited about. But is he ready to take on a club like Real?



I think so. Onyewu is the kind of player that can benifit the most from a club like Real and he's the kind of player that they should be going for. When you get a "new" player, though people who know USMNT know that Onyewu is hardly new, who has a strong a player personality but can easily adapt to a new style of play, your squad over time will strengthen. Should he be playing first team right away?

Absolutely not. But while Belgium has been a great place for Onyewu to begin, going to a higher caliber club will be the best thing for him and for the USMNT.