Well, we’re moving up the pitch. First it was goalkeeper Brad Friedel to Liverpool, then the MetroStars very own Tim Howard to Manchester United. Now American centerback Oguchi Onyewu is headed to play for another European giant, Serie A’s AC Milan. Assuming Gooch sees significant minutes for Milan, he will be the first American outfield player to make an impact at a top European club (and don’t even think of using Jovan Kirovski and “impact” in the same sentence). Just what type of impression Gooch makes in the Italian fashion capital, however, remains to be seen.
With his hulking physique, Gooch is always a likely candidate to look unskilled and awkward on the ball, and in his earliest days on the National Team he had moments when I thought to myself: here comes another Lalas. But after his monumental displays at the Confederations Cup where, apart from his awkward attempted clearance that shielded Tim Howard from Italy’s third goal, he looked not only like a man-among-boys, but a composed and confident defender, Onyewu has proven once and for all that he’s no oaf. At age 27, the 6’4” defender has finally convinced American fans, and apparently the AC Milan brass to boot, that he’s closer to a Maldini than an Alexi.
Yet while the prospect of seeing Gooch compete in Serie A and in the Champions League group stages is thrilling, U.S. fans would do well to temper their enthusiasm. In the best-case scenario, Oguchi’s year at Milan will see him develop into one of the world’s elite centerbacks and he’ll head back to South Africa a more poised and polished defender.
A worst-case scenario sees Onyewu enter the 2010 World Cup with splinters in his behind and a headache from seeing A. Nesta, D. Bonera, K. Kaladze, and T. Silva on the team sheet every week. Should Gooch commit a few early season gaffes or simply struggle to adjust to the tactics and flow of Serie A, and should Milan stumble out of the blocks as they search for a new identity without Kaka and Beckham, Leonardo could elbow Gooch off the pitch quicker than he did Tab Ramos. As a first-year coach, Leonardo will be under tremendous pressure to get results in the league, and he knows better than anyone that not even his special relationship with the San Siro faithful will save him if Milan begins to drop off the pack in the chase for the Holy Cash Cow that is Champions League football.
And Milan may do just that. Skeptical Rossoneri fans remain unconvinced that the team will be able to improve on last season’s third-place finish after being stripped of the creativity and powerful running of Kaka. While Pato will likely continue to blossom, and Pirlo’s bedazzling of Jay DeMerit and scoop-pass to Rossi proved he still has the ability to turn a match, neither he, Seedorf, Ambrosini, or Gattuso is getting any younger. Managing to pry Luis Fabiano away from Sevilla would be a move in the right direction, but Fabiano, for all his predatory instincts, is no Kaka.
A final concern is that Gooch excelled in the Confederations Cup in part because the U.S. tactics – clogging the middle while allowing acres of room on the flanks – created a plethora of crosses into the box. This strategy played exactly to Gooch’s strengths: out-muscling forwards and winning aerial challenges. At Milan, he’ll need to rely less exclusively on his physical gifts and more on the finesse, tactical nous, and ability to stand-up attackers that he developed over three seasons in Belgium and showcased in South Africa 2009.
There are reasons for optimism. With matches in Serie A, the Italian Cup, and Champions League Group Play, and with the injury history and advancing age of both Nesta and Kaladze, Onyewu should get opportunities on the field. When he does, he’ll be playing alongside some of the world’s finest players, and chances are that his partner in central defense – whether Nesta, Bonera, Kaladze, or Thiago Silva –will prove a more calming influence than Titus Bramble.
Still, the list of players who have dazzled in short summer tournaments, made big money moves to top clubs, and then failed to re-create that stellar form is long and distinguished. Will Oguchi Onyewu join this list, or will he push on to become a Milan legend? Only time will tell.
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