World play helps U.S. soccer team

PARK CITY — Twenty-four players are vying for a spot on the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against El Salvador. The talent assembled comes from a nice mix of European and Major League Soccer clubs.

With 10 players in the pool that have stayed home and are in MLS, most of the American players representing their country now play across the Atlantic. There are 13 members on clubs in Europe — one player, Jose Francisco Torres, plays in Mexico. While MLS is continuing to become a better and more respected league, it is certainly a positive to have so many National Team players on the other side of the pond.

"You want to compete against the best in the world, and the best in the world are in Europe," said goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who spent nearly three years in MLS with Chivas USA before transferring to Aston Villa in the English Premier League in 2008. "It is like the NBA is here. The best basketball players in the world want to come to America to play in the NBA, and that is what it is like for us. We want to play with and against the best players in the world, and Europe is where it's at."

Guzan's move last season has been a trend — for better or for worse. Once a young American player makes a name for himself either in MLS or with the National Team, a move to Europe, usually with a hefty transfer fee for MLS, generally follows. Members of the current 24-man pool who have made the shift include Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

"If you want to be considered one of the top players, you have to play against the best, and I just didn't think that was happening for me over here," said Dempsey, who is now a member of Fulham in the EPL. "I have nothing against MLS, but I have no regrets whatsoever of making the move to where I am now."

While the domestic league may be hurt by the talented stars leaving, the U.S. team has benefitted from having players with that type of experience.

"There is no doubt it can help us," added Dempsey. "We have guys on the team now that are used to high-pressure, big-crowd game situations. You can try to prepare guys all you want, but when playing over there, it is just different, and that experience we bring back is something that can help us individually and as a team."

Besides the players getting better individually from game situations, they also bring back with them some added confidence and knowledge.

"The training every day with some of the best players from all over the world makes us better," said Bradley, who plays in the German Bundesliga. "When you are playing every day next to a national guy from South America or Germany or wherever, it is going to make you better. You know you can play with them. Plus, you can pick up little things from them that make you a better player."

e-mail: mblack@desnews.com