Monday, May 19, 2008

Should McBride stay in England or come home? - Poll

As one of, if not the most successful US field players ever in England, Brian McBride has been a solid source of pride for American fans, however those days might be about to come to an end. The soon to be 36 year old is weighing his options and might decide to leave the top-level English league in order to return to MLS.

McBride's contract with Fulham ends next month, meaning MLS would not have to pay a transfer fee, however the Cottagers have offered him a deal for the 2008-09 season. So what should McBride do?

This past season was a very difficult one due to injury, however it did end on a very positive note as he was a key part of Fulham's escape from relegation. His end of season form suggests that he still has the ability to play in the EPL, but if he did stick around, what would Fulham accomplish? Is it worth the pounding his body will take if they end up just fighting, yet again, to stay up? And even if things did go fantastic and they were able to win a spot in European competition, he probably would not be around for 09-10 to enjoy it, so why stay?

If he came back to the US, he would probably have two or three good years left in him that he could use to push the sport in loves in his home country and have a good chance, no matter where he lands, of winning a MLS Cup.

From my own standpoint, it would be great to see McBride stay in England because he is a constant high note for American players in Europe, but that is pretty selfish on my part.

So what do you think?

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1 Comments:

Blogger thumpjosh said...

I agree with your sentiment about McBride staying at Fulham. It is nice to see an American NOT underachieving and playing a pivotal role in his squad. However, I get the feeling that he would be treated as something of a hero should he come back. He is one, if not the, most respected US players. As a Fire supporter, should he go to Chicago, I would be ecstatic! However, in the grand scheme of what is right and wrong, his place is in Columbus. Who knows, maybe his return to Ohio would put some more bodies in the stands in Crew Stadium.

8:34 PM  

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