Let’s get this straight, Major League Soccer likes young Americans with big potential. And it hurts to lose them to obscurity the Norwegian first division when MLS sees them as crucial to their brand.
Now, I’m not saying that D.C. United forward Chris Pontius was going to jump ship. Just that locking him into something more than the initial rookie deal he signed last year ($36k base, #66k guaranteed) was crucial after he exploded onto the scene to become a MLS rookie of the year finalist with 4 goals and 3 assists in 28 league appearances (23 starts). (There is another example I heard of lately from an industry source that said the league bent over backward for a guy that had offers on the table from Northern Europe. Can’t reveal that one, though.)
If nothing else, Pontius is also patient. He did spend four years in college. But he’s also shown that he was polished enough last year to deserve a look at the national team level. I asked U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley about him last summer, and he pushed it off, preferring to wait until the end of the year. It’s hard not to wonder whether that basically ruled Pontius out of having a chance at this World Cup go-around before he even had a chance. Meanwhile the U.S. setup went with Robbie Findley and Jeff Cunningham, neither of whom were anything special in the Honduras debacle last month. Pontius was injured at that time, of course, but if ever there was a U.S. fast track, Pontius deserves a chance to see if he can keep up.
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