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Commentary

Despite Outcry, MLS Would Likely Help Johannsson

Should Aron Johannsson stay in the Netherlands or move to MLS? ASN contributor John D. Halloran argues that the Icelandic-American would benefit from a move to the rugged North American top flight.
BY John D. Halloran Posted
August 03, 2015
10:15 AM

YEARS AGO, when the United States was a fledgling soccer nation, those interested in growing the game here in America looked abroad for influence, expertise, and coaching.

In those early years, with a miniscule player pool and even fewer qualified American coaches, anyone with a foreign accent was given automatic credibility when it came to their thoughts and opinions on the game.

Sadly, despite major advancements for the U.S. on the domestic and international fronts over the past three decades, that belief—that foreign is fundamentally better—is still prevalent. And this mindset has become detrimental to the continued improvement of both Major League Soccer and the United States men's national team.

Over the past two years, a slew of Americans have returned from Europe to play in Major League Soccer—to the chagrin of many supporters. 

The list of American players moving to MLS includes some of the biggest names on the national team in Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, as well as some of the team's most promising youngsters in Mix Diskerud, Juan Agudelo, and Brek Shea. You can add highly touted prospects Sebastian Lletget and Marc Pelosi to the list too.

On Friday, a report by Yahoo Sports' Kristian Dyer claimed that Aron Johannsson is seeking to become the next American in line for a move to MLS and, predictably, many fans immediately saw such a proposed move as a misstep in the young striker's career—one that will presumably harm his future development.

Those sentiments are not surprising, nor new, in the American fan base. For years, most fans knew instinctively—and definitively—that a move to Europe was the best possible way for U.S. players to develop and for the national team to improve.

It is also a belief shared by current U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who over his four years in charge of the U.S. has repeatedly challenged his players to move, or stay, abroad.

In one now infamous declaration in 2013, Klinsmann went as far as publicly calling out Dempsey, shortly before naming him captain of the squad.

"[Dempsey] hasn't made shit. You play for Fulham? Yeah, so? Show me you can play for a Champions League team, and then you start on a Champions League team," Klinsmann said. "There is always another level. If you one day reach the highest level then you've got to confirm it, every year."

But if there's one enduring lesson from the U.S.'s failure in the 2015 Gold Cup, it's that club pedigree counts for little on the international level.

Three of the players most widely blamed for the team’s failure to win the Gold Cup this summer were John Brooks, Timothy Chandler, and Ventura Alvarado—all of whom were groomed abroad from a very young age and have played their entire professional careers in foreign nations.

Brooks and Chandler are regular starters in the Bundesliga (which some argue is the best league in the world) and Alvarado earns regular minutes for Mexican side Club America, one of the top clubs in Liga MX. 

On the other hand, the U.S.'s best performances this summer came largely from players who learned to play the game in the United States. Dempsey, who won the Golden Boot in the tournament with seven goals, didn't go abroad until he was 23 and has played nearly half his career in MLS.

Tim Ream, who was the only decent American defender in the tournament other than Fabian Johnson, didn't go overseas until he was 24.

Alejandro Bedoya, the most consistent American midfielder in the Gold Cup, went to Europe straight from college (the collegiate system being another favorite target of many U.S. fans) and Brad Guzan, winner of the Golden Glove Award as the tournament's best goalkeeper, went to England at age 23.

In fact, looking at a list of Americans who stood out in the Gold Cup, only one—Fabian Johnson—was developed exclusively abroad.

When it comes to Johannsson—who like Johnson has played his entire youth and professional career overseas—success in Europe has hardly transferred into regular productivity at the international level.

While Johannsson scored 26 goals in all competitions in the 2013-14 season for AZ Alkmaar, the vast majority of those goals were scored against Eredivisie opponents, a league notorious for its weak defenses. His production in the 2014-15 campaign—cut short by injury—was only nine goals.

For the U.S. national team, Johannsson has yet to make a major impact, scoring only four goals in 17 appearances with nine starts.

Additionally, all four of his international tallies seem to have caveats. His beauty against Cuba this July came against, well, Cuba. His solid header in last summer's World Cup send-off series came against Azerbaijan—hardly an international power—and he was completely unmarked on the play.

His tally against Denmark this spring was a tap-in (put on a platter by Altidore) and his terrific finish from the top of the box against Panama in 2013 came only seconds after Graham Zusi destroyed Panama's World Cup dreams.

This summer, with a chance to shine in the Gold Cup, Johannsson faltered. His chip against Cuba aside—which came in a 6-0 win—Johannsson couldn't help the Americans find results when it counted.

In his biggest moment, he missed a second-half sitter in the semifinal loss to Jamaica. A goal at that point would have drawn the Americans level, and likely given them the momentum to go on and win the match. But Johannsson put the open header over the net and the U.S. went on to lose the game.

None of this is to say Johannsson, 24, won't eventually become a major contributor for the U.S. Nor is it to say that MLS would be, or is, a perfect solution. But Johannsson's productivity for the U.S., or lack thereof—along with the shortcomings of Brooks, Chandler, and Alvarado—is also proof that playing abroad is not necessarily the answer.

Johannsson is smooth on the ball in a way that few other Americans are—admittedly, a trait often lacking in domestically developed players—and intelligent in his movement off the ball. At the same time, he still wastes too many chances in front of goal, and it was obvious last summer in the World Cup that he lacks the ability to play up top as a target forward—a role still best suited for the much-maligned Altidore.

Even though Altidore developed as a youth player in the United States, has played four years in MLS, and is a favorite punching bag for many U.S. fans—he has still been more productive at the club and international level than Johannsson. And that's not due to age, as Altidore is only one year older than Johannsson.

In a side-by-side comparison, Altidore's top club season of 31 goals for AZ Alkmaar is better than Johannsson's 26. On the international level, Altidore's 27 goals, 83 appearances, and 0.33 goals per game average easily top Johannsson's accomplishments—four goals, 17 appearances, and a 0.24 goals per game average.

Getting out of the Eredivisie, which for all its skill is still a soft league, and playing in the more physical and defensive-oriented MLS could prove a boon to Johannsson's development.

Just as Altidore benefitted from playing in the more technical Eredivisie (and Dempsey, Bedoya, Ream, and Guzan all improved from the strengths of their respective leagues abroad), Johannsson needs a move to a league that will challenge his weaknesses and play week-in and week-out against bigger, stronger center backs.

MLS could be that league.

It's time for Americans to get past their own soccer inferiority complex. It's time to get past the idea that anyone with a foreign accent knows more about soccer than a native-born American, that playing abroad necessarily makes one a better choice for the U.S. national team, or that Europe is automatically better.

John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Follow him on Twitter.

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