Why I Don't Like Rico to Frankfurt

Yes, after my post on Clint Dempsey's injury that was full of optimism and faith, I've gone in the opposite direction. This move could very well end up being a great one, but as of right now, I'm not that big of a fan.

It's being reported by some German sources (as well as Ives and Goal.com on this side of the pond) that Ricardo Clark is set to join Eintracht Frankfurt for the remainder of the season, with the club having the option to keep the Atlanta native around for up to three additional seasons. Though a team battling for a spot in Europe in one of the top 5 leagues in UEFA seems like a fantastic landing point for Clark, it is one that involves a good deal of risk. It's that risk involved that makes me leery of this move, from both the perspective of a USMNT fan and of someone who wants to see Rico have a successful, stable career in Europe.

The contract he has signed leaves open the possibility that a lackluster finish to the season and an unremarkable World Cup could leave Clark out in the cold and searching for a new club once more this summer. Though I'm sure there was more thought put into it than I am aware of, it just seems odd to me that a 26 year old coming off the most high profile season of his career would not opt to lock up a stable stream of significantly higher income over the next couple of years. Rico's not getting any younger, and he very well could be out-kicking his coverage with this move thanks in large part to his stellar performance against Spain. Why take the risk of becoming the next Eddie Johnson, but without Eddie Johnson security? After all, despite his struggles for minutes, EJ at least had a nice contract to provide security and stability for himself and his family for years to come.

We've seen it too often over the past couple of years, where a change in manager, a new signing, or an untimely injury leads to a Yank riding the pine for an extended stretch. I would think that Rico wouldn't sign with a team unless he had some kind of strong indication that he would get his share of minutes over the coming months to bolster his World Cup hopes, so I won't go as so far to suggest his 2010 World Cup dreams are in jeopardy, but who knows what's in store after South Africa? At 26 years old, he is almost certainly going to be in the picture for the 2011 Gold Cup, and he could still be on the World Cup radar come 2014.

If Clark falls out of favor with Eintracht, it's not like the club has a long term investment wrapped up in him on which they are looking to maximize their return, making him a disposable asset. One poor run of form or bad situation could see Frankfurt release him, throwing a big wrench into his European sojourn and adding some question marks around him as he searches for the next stop in his career. At least Benfica have made an effort to salvage the Freddy Adu "bust" by shopping him around for loans. Clark wouldn't exactly have that luxury, since Frankfurt could just drop him altogether without any real reservation. A muddled club career could also deal a huge blow to his international career, potentially limiting his usefulness or pushing him out of the picture completely. While that may happen regardless due to young up-and-comers, it never hurts to have another capable player in the pool to compete for minutes and add depth and experience.

It could be argued that maybe this was the best situation he could find, but from all the reports over the past month suggesting that around 7 teams were competing for his services, I've got to believe that there was a better contract on the table elsewhere. What does Rico stand to gain from this contract structure? Someone please shine some light on this for me, because I'm really struggling to find the logic in this deal from the player's perspective.

Now, I'm just going to stop there, I don't want to talk people back onto the ledge that I convinced to come down yesterday. Although I don't like this move as a whole, I do like the fact that Rico is making this leap to a quality European side. I like when USMNT players challenge themselves and work to earn playing time in some of the most challenging club settings, one of the reasons why I was eager to see Oguchi Onyewu make the move to AC Milan. I just would have preferred if the contract provided some more long term stability for himself and his family, as it very well could be Clark's best opportunity to wrap up a big time contract in Europe.

Hopefully, this stint at Frankfurt is a very fruitful one, or at least opens up some more good opportunities for Clark down the road. There are a lot of things out of a player's control that can make a move range anywhere from Freddy Adu at Benfica to Brian McBride at Fulham, so we really can't do much more but hope for the best. With that being said, I think Rico could have removed a lot of doubt and uncertainty from his future with a longer, more secure contract.

Yesterday, I was the one dishing out the "get a hold of yourself" slaps, as one commenter so appropriately put it. Today, I think I need someone out there to return the favor.