Optimism in ‘09

Welcome to the New Year! (Brooks note: apparently Carter has been in a alcohol induced coma for the last week and a half…which is only surprising because they usually last longer for him. Zing!)

For those of you keeping an eye on our Yanks Abroad, your probably thinking it’s about time for a new beginning of sorts, especially with that horrid finish to ‘08. Last I could remember, Jozy wasn’t playing much, Freddy wasn’t playing at all, Clint was getting no respect, injuries were abundant, and overall the Yank Abroad stock was at a very low point. Well so far, things are looking up in the ‘09.

For one, Freddy Adu finally got a game under his belt, all be it a friendly against Juventus. But don’t scoff, the kid dangled the majority of the Old Lady defense to set up the game winning PK for Monaco. ‘Atta boy! I guess I shouldn’t tell you that he didn’t make it in against Nantes the other day because this is an optimism post. Oops. Nonetheless, things should still get better for Freddy, as coach Ricardo continues to praise him for his work on the training ground and says that he will not be moving anywhere this January.

Speaking of moving places, there had been some talk of Timmy Howard’s Everton making a play for Jozy Altidore for either a loan or transfer move. With Villarreal’s abundance of high quality forwards, such a move seemed possible, until Villarreal put the kibosh on all that talk, saying Jozy is definitely staying with the club. How bout that for a boost of confidence? Having one of the better clubs in England make a play for you is one thing, having your own team say “No way Jose” is another. I think Villarreal will be holding onto this one for the long haul.

Even the Trailor Park Hero Clint Dempsey is looking forward to the New Year. After a rough start to the Premiership season, Deuce is finally getting the minutes he deserves. And how could he not after such a breakthrough performance against Chelsea over the holidays with a brace to draw the cross-road rivals.

But the big news has to be LandyCakes move to Germany, where he has finally officially linked up with Jurgen Klinsmann and the Bundesliga superclub for a loan move that could hopefully maybe possibly turn into a permanent deal, depending on the movements of cry baby Lukas Podolski throughout the January market. And it appears he’s off to a flyer, already starting and sliding in an assist to help Bayern to a 3-2 victory over Al Jazeera in a friendly on Saturday. Hello MLS? Yeah, we would like to make a bid please…