One option out there is America’s Major League Soccer, or MLS, which runs throughout the summer months. Although the MLS receives little attention here, and is often criticised for a perceived lack of talent, there is no doubt that the United States top league has produced some excellent youngsters down the years.
From Football Manager sensation Freddy Adu, right up to Premier League and La Liga stars such as Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, the MLS (formerly NASL) has churned out some impressive talents.

But who are wonderkids to keep an eye out for this summer? Here are 10 to watch:

Juan Agudelo – New York Red Bulls – Striker – Colombia -18

New York Red Bulls may not be the ideal place for a young striker to make an impact, but this isn’t stopping Juan Agudelo from having a go. First team opportunities may be limited for the Colombian front-man as he finds himself weel down the pecking order behind Thierry Henry, Dwayne De Rosario and Luke Rodgers, but his potential cant be ignored forever by coach Hans Backe. Similar in many ways to former Red Bull, now Villarreal, hit-man Jozy Altidore, Agudelo is equally adept as the focal point of the frontline or part of a front two, thanks to his technical ability and general physical presence. Despite a lack of action for New York last term, (just 10 games, with two goals) Agudelo really come to the fore on the international scene.

His successes for the USA’s youth sides led to his his full international debut, where he was part of the 18-man squad for the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup in 2010. He came on as a substitute against South Africa, scoring the only goal of the game, and in the process gaining the record of the youngest ever senior goalscorer for the USA. Since then he has made a further three appearances scoring one more goal, against Argentina in a friendly.

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Here are the full match highlights. Also on show was Teemu Tainio, who of course got a customary yellow card.

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Here are the five best goals of the week from the Major League Soccer in the USA.

Let us know which you think is the best.

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A deal that would have allowed David Beckham to play for Tottenham foundered because the Los Angeles Galaxy’s owners insisted they want the England midfielder to appear for a full season in Major League Soccer.

Tim Leiweke, the president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) which owns the Galaxy, revealed the decision on Beckham had been his.

Leiweke said in a telephone interview: “I am the one who made the decision about asking David to come back and play a full season of Major League Soccer because we haven’t been able to do that, whether due to loans or injury.

“Our commitment has been, ‘David, you need to be back here for the MLS season that begins in March.’

“It is because we asked for that commitment that the timeline with Tottenham, as such, meant it was very difficult for them to figure out a way to integrate David into the team.

Source: The Independent

Tottenham fans will disagree but you cannot blame LA Galaxy.

The American franchise has forked out a lot of money on the England player and, in terms of consistent performances from Beckham, have not seen much of a return.

Beckham joined Galaxy in 2007, mid-way through the American season. He was suffering from an ankle injury and was not able to play a prominent role for his new club that year.

Injuries, including ruptured knee ligaments and a torn achilles tendon, have restricted the amount of games Beckham has played and the loans to AC Milan always cut into the MLS season.

So why should LA Galaxy allow him to play for Tottenham?

Imagine if Wayne Rooney said to Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United supporters he was off to play for Fluminese for two months. There would be uproar and deservedly so.

If Tottenham wanted David Beckham to play for them so much they should have put in a bid for him and not use the England legend as a tool to gain more publicity.

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NEWCASTLE UNITED have made a stunning bid to sign three-time Footballer of the Year Thierry Henry.
After losing £35million centre-forward Andy Carroll to Liverpool, Newcastle swung into action to try to find a quality replacement.
Liverpool’s late swoop for Carroll left Newcastle with nowhere to go to find a regular replacement before Monday’s deadline. And that left them looking at temporary signings – or players out of contract.
Newcastle’s hierarchy immediately targeted Henry in much the way Tottenham tried to sign David Beckham – who has trained with them ahead of the start of the United States’ Major League Soccer season in March.
Henry, ironically, has also been in England recently, training with Arsenal ahead of the New York Red Bulls’ campaign. Newcastle approached Henry’s good friend and agent Darren Dein – son of former Gunners vice-chairman David Dein – to see if a temporary deal could be arranged.
Last night that seemed doomed to failure, with Henry committed to the Red Bulls’ pre-season schedule in Mexico ahead of their kick-off against Seattle on March 19.
Newcastle’s hierarchy immediately targeted Thierry Henry after Andy Carroll’s move to Liverpool
Last night a well-placed Newcastle source told the Daily Express: “We had a real attempt to get Henry but the start of the MLS season worked against us.
“Carroll’s eleventh-hour departure prevented us getting a regular signing to replace him. But we would like to find a quality replacement, given that we have to look at players outside regular club contracts.”

SOURCE: Daily Express

On the face of it this would’ve been a very sensible short term solution to the loss of Andy Carroll to Liverpool but it appears that a move to bring Thierry Henry to St James’ Park has failed. The French veteran still has a lot to offer and would surely have been a big cult hero with the Toon Army and it may well have been a move the former Arsenal man would have considered had there been more time to seal the deal.

As it was any move made at the very end of January would’ve seen the 33 year old only at the Magpies for a very short spell before he was back on his way to MLS side New York Red Bulls, such was the impact of losing their top scorer so near to the end of the transfer window.

Alan Pardew must now try to get the most out of the strikers he has at Newcastle United but given that Shola Ameobi is sidelined and that flop Xisco has been loaned out to Deportivo, a lot of pressure will now be heaped on Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger.

A lot of pressure is also now directed at the club’s midfield who will have to continue to weigh in with crucial contributions. Thus far of the 36 goals scored in the Premier League, 11 came from Carroll and 10 have come from captain Kevin Nolan with the other recognised strikers at the club managing just six between them.

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Derby captain Robbie Savage could be set to join Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps after confirming that he was considering their proposal.

Savage’s contract with the Rams is due to expire at the end of the current campaign and the 36-year-old has said that he will definitely be leaving Pride Park.

“I’ve got an opportunity to go to the MLS in March, with Vancouver,” said Savage. “It’s something I am giving serious consideration to. One thing is for sure, I will be leaving Derby County at the end of the season, if not before, even if they offer me a new contract. My time is up here.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Derby and I want to walk away with my head held high. There have been highs and lows but I feel that it’s made me into a man. It’s also helped me to really understand football. It’s been a great experience.

“But now I think it’s my duty to let the younger players come through. I wouldn’t want to hinder their development.” (ESPN)

So there you have it. After 612 appearances in various levels of the English leagues, predominantly the Premier League of course, and a League Cup Winners medal, Mr Savage is set to bid farewell as he embarks on an MLS adventure. Personally I want the Savages to become the new Osbournes , only with less swearing and more trainers.

Seriously though Robbie, good luck.

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David Moyes is taking Seattle Sounders ace Steve Zakuani on trial at the club as he looks to add to his squad.

The MLS season is over and Everton are trying to follow up their success in landing Landon Donavan last season but getting another bargain on board this time around.

The 22-year-old former Arsenal player is set for a training stint with the club after finishing his season with Seattle and David Moyes will take it from there.

“As for my off season plans, I plan to spend a few days in London visiting old friends and family before going up to Liverpool to train with Everton for a few days.” (Seattle Sounders Official Website)

Though the move is yet to be confirmed by Everton, Zakuani himself has let the cat out of the bag on his own club’s website.

The Congolese international is a right footed winger who mostly plays on the left for his club, and his signing could well be dependent on the future of South Africa star Steven Pienaar.

Pienaar has stalled on the signing a new contract all season, and Everton boss David Moyes could elect to cash in should any club come calling in January.

Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and even arch rivals Liverpool have all been linked with him, but Moyes has moved quickly to bring a former Arsenal trainee to the club.

If he is successful on his trial, he will bring immense speed and a catalogue of tricks to the Everton flanks, and the slow-starting Toffees could well benefit in the second half of the season.

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Manchester City’s transfer spree shows no sign of ending as Roberto Mancini revealed the club are looking at front men Landon Donovan and Mario Balotelli.
“Landon Donovan is a good player. It’s possible,” said boss Mancini of the 28-year-old Los Angeles forward, who played on loan at Everton last season.

Last week Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said he does not intend to sell LA Galaxy’s Donovan, who agreed in December a four-year contract with MLS.
As well as chasing Donovan and Balotelli, Mancini confirmed that City would still like to sign Aston Villa’s England international James Milner, despite having had a £20m bid for the midfielder turned down in May.

Mancini was speaking in New Jersey in the United States where Manchester City are preparing for the New York Challenge. (BBC Sport)

Manchester City may well be onto something here. Landon Donovan had a good spell on loan at Everton last term and showed during the World Cup that he is more than capable of making an impact with the best in the world.

As an adaptable attacking force the LA Galaxy man has a lot to offer and would surely be allowed to leave his MLS employers if a good enough deal came in, after all the 28 year old has given the Californian side five and a half years of service and has had a marvellous record, netting 82 goals in 154 starts.

Roberto Mancini will have to start seriously thinking about trimming his squad before the season starts as he may well find it hard to keep everyone happy in his ever expanding squad.

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France striker Thierry Henry has signed for Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls from Barcelona on a “multi-year contract”.
The former Arsenal captain, 32, is expected to make his debut for Red Bulls in a friendly against Tottenham in the United States on 22 July.
Henry signed for Barcelona in 2007 and had one year remaining on his contract but the club agreed to let him leave.
Henry said: “This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life.”
After falling out of favour at Barcelona last season and enduring a torrid World Cup, where France failed to progress past the group stages, Henry is excited about the prospect of a new challenge in the United States.

“It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls,” he stated.
“I am fully aware of the team’s history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship.
“Knowing Red Bull’s significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my team-mates and I will succeed.” (BBC Sport)

Forget David Beckham. Or at the very least try to expunge his existence from your memories, a new footballer is about to his Stateside and this time he is good! Damn good!

Becks was at one point one of the best purveyors of a good cross into the box and taking a nice set piece, but that point was about 6-8 years before LA Galaxy decided to offer the Manchester United and Real Madrid man a kings ransom to promote the MLS, it was a dream move that was always doomed to failure, and make no mistake, a failure is what it was.

Thierry Henry is however the real deal. Clearly he is not the striker he once was. He isn’t the same legendary player that became a icon of legendary proportions at Arsenal and he isn’t the same player who burst onto the scene at Barcelona and helped the Catalan giants to a treble in his second season.

He may be 32 years of age but he is ultra fit so should hopefully be able to steer clear of significant injury and will probably not elect to belittle the American ‘Soccer’ League by seeking to play on the continent for half the year and therefore make it less likely he is ready for the MLS battle, take note David Beckham. He is still in possession of the turn of pace, the trickery and the divine footballing ability to be a super hero in MLS terms.

So much so that however much he is being paid, he is more than worth it. To top it all off he is also damn good for marketing purposes, perhaps even more so than Mr. Beckham. TH14, as his Gunners faithful still refer to him, is an intelligent, attractive and perhaps most importantly, has a seemingly pretty spotless past, aside from that handball controversy against Ireland. He is one of the faces of Gillette and will surely rake in the sponsor dollars by the bucketload. By all accounts he is also a very nice man as well.

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THIERRY HENRY will walk away from Barcelona to join David Beckham in America.
The ex-Arsenal hero, 32, has signed a pre-contract agreement to join New York Red Bulls for the summer’s Major League season.

He has been unable to hold down a regular slot at Barca this term behind the likes of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Henry was a hero at the Gunners with 174 goals in 254 appearances before switching to the Nou Camp three years ago, where he has netted 35 in only 78 games. (The Sun)

If the MLS do manage to lure Thierry Henry to the States it will be one hell of a coup. Whilst the Barcelona man is no doubt in the autumn of his footballing career he is still very much one of the best in the business and for the New York Red Bulls to be so close to snapping up the former Arsenal man is very interesting indeed.

In many ways the French international has very little to lose. He has done it all as far as European football is concerned and as Pepe Guardiola looks to trust more to his steady stream of youth graduates it seems that Henry will find himself being less and less part of the Nou Camp sides long term plans.

In last seasons treble winning campaign Henry was a vital part of a three pronged attack playing out wide left but has found his position more often than not taken by 22 year old Spaniard Pedro was has been in sparkling form this season as Leo Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic held firm in the other two attacking spots.

Clearly Thierry is a great face to reignite interest in the MLS and with David Beckham being sidelined the American football (not soccer) market could do with another status symbol.

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