Soccer notes: U.S. defender Onyewu joins with AC Milan

MILAN — United States defender Oguchi Onyewu joined AC Milan on Tuesday, becoming one of the few Americans to play in Italy's top league.

Milan said Tuesday that it acquired Onyewu from Standard Liège in Belgium on a three-year deal.

Onyewu, long a star in the Belgian league, gained notice with superb performances in the U.S. run to the Confederations Cup final. Playing in central defense, he helped the Americans end the 15-game winning streak of European champion Spain with a 2-0 win.

That upset put the U.S. in the final against Brazil, where they led 2-0 before falling 3-2.

Nevertheless, the performances of several American players gained notice. Onyewu became one of the few Americans to play in Serie A.

"It's very exciting. It's one of the great clubs in the world," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "I think it's a terrific opportunity for him, and certainly the experience that he'll get there, I think, will be really important as we move forward with our national team."

Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed. Onyewu holds a Belgian passport and will likely be registered by Milan as an EU player. Italian teams are limited in the amount of players they can sign from outside the European Union.

The 27-year-old was born in Washington, D.C., after his parents emigrated to the United States from Nigeria. He helped Standard Liège to two consecutive Belgian league titles.

U.S. MIDFIELDER SUSPENDED FOR CONFRONTING REFEREE: A confrontation with a referee following the United States' upset victory over Spain has earned midfielder Michael Bradley a three-game suspension, although the penalty is unlikely to affect qualifying for next year's World Cup.

Bradley, son of U.S. coach Bob Bradley, was sent off in the 87th minute for a lunging tackle in the 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals in South Africa last month. Michael Bradley then confronted Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda in the tunnel after the game, drawing the suspension announced Tuesday by soccer governing body FIFA.

FIFA said Bradley breached its disciplinary code "by committing acts of misconduct against opponents and match officials."

Bradley will be eligible to return for the Aug. 12 World Cup qualifier at Mexico. However, a fourth game could be added to the suspension if Bradley misbehaves again. FIFA will review any red card Bradley receives over a probationary period of six months and decide whether the additional game is warranted.