Earlier last month, D.C. United signed University of Maryland prospect Ethan White on a youth development contract, allowing White to bypass this month's SuperDraft, and to sign with the Black-and-Red's first team squad, with Major League Soccer paying for his contract.

It is not only White, either. The United's rivals from up the I-95 corridor are in the same process, also with a fellow Maryland Terrapin. Maryland junior midfielder Matt Kassel has signed with Red Bull New York on a youth development contract as well, thus making him ineligible for the draft.


Earlier this week, there was an article from MLSSoccer.com questioning whether this rise of youth academies will make college soccer for subpar players. With the rise of stars such as Tim Ream, Steve Zakuani and Danny Mwanga thrown into the argument, it reassures that college soccer (for the time being) will be a critical piece of developing American stars, whether they start their careers domestically or internationally. When you think about it, it seems that most youth academy prospects will be able to train in clubs' youth academies, go to college for some time and then enter the pros.

While it may actually be a benefactor for college soccer, do not expect it to be helpful for the MLS SuperDraft. If anything, it might actually cause the death of the draft.

We are already seeing evident clues from recent MLS decisions that there is less and less emphasis on the draft than ever before in its history. For instance, it is the first time ever that the league has contracted the number of draft rounds, from seven down to three. About a year ago, the league even set up a policy stating that they would pay the salary for any clubs that sign their youth academy players to the first-team roster. If you ask me, that's a very bold move to press for strong, elite youth academies across MLS.

The rising emphasis on youth academies is a win-win situation for the league altogether. As most MLS supporters are well aware, the league is always trying to target hardcore soccer fans stateside and the casual fans.

For hardcore, soccer purists, pressing for youth academies and placing emphasis on them is something that's done for numerous international soccer clubs. Many stars on clubs such as Barcelona were raised in their own youth academies. The likelihood that these academies will consequently lead to an extinction of the SuperDraft will be an additional bonus for these hardcore fans. Anything that sheds an Americanization to the sport always is something they're keen of.

For casual fans, it's a bit different, but it may also be to the benefit of hardcore fans, too. These academies will elevate the product and the quality of play of MLS clubs, especially for clubs that have a strong foundation of youth development. It will be more appealing to casual fans, and more rewarding for hardcore fans to watch the talent of MLS increase at the fastest pace it has ever grown.

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Meet Gregg Berhalter, the Player-Coach

Los Angeles Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter will be going through a period of transition as his playing career draws closer to its conclusion. This week, the team named Berhalter as an assistant coach to go with his return as a defender.

“The offer that Bruce [Arena] presented was that I would transition myself into a further career and take on this player/coach type of role and it really made sense,” Berhalter told MLSsoccer.com earlier this week. “This is something that I could continue doing. That kind of swayed me right there.

"The idea that I'm kind of doing double duty this way and kind of transition myself into possibly my next career.”

The defeat to FC Dallas in the 2010 Western Conference Championship made Berhalter think about leaving the game. In the end, the opportunity to come back to the field one last time proved too good to pass up.

“Obviously I thought about it,” Berhalter said. “I thought about how towards the end of the season last year I got injured, and that took a lot of the momentum out of the season, and that was disappointing. I wondered if I could come back to that level.”

Here's hoping Berhalter's coaching savvy will be put to use for the long haul...

All Right, We Will Loan You Mr. Beckham

The Galaxy have decided to consider releasing midfielder David Beckham on loan to the Premier league, according to numerous reports.

If a deal is reached, Beckham would be able to play up to 11 games before the Major League Soccer season begins.

Tottenham Hotspur are the favorites to secure Beckham's services.

"Spurs are one of many clubs interested—but we have not yet had detailed talks," said a spokesman for Beckham on Monday. "At the moment we are waiting on the decision of LA Galaxy with regards to a loan move. The loan would be a short one until the start of the MLS season.

"David would then return and play a full season with the Galaxy. The loan is part of David's desire to keep fit and make himself available for England again."

"Beckham spoke to [my son] Jamie, that's how it all came about," said Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. "He said 'I'd like to come back and I fancy playing for Spurs because I like the way they play.'

"I've left it to the people at the club and they're talking to whoever they have to talk to at his club. He's a fantastic lad and role model in the way he conducts himself and plays."

"I want to continue to play. I have no interest in stopping," Beckham said in a recent interview with BBC Sport. "It might surprise people [now I'm 35] but I'm still loving the game and still enjoying it as much as when I was 25.

"I played in the Premiership for so many years with the club I always adored, and will always adore. I always said that I would never play for another English club in the future—but you never know."

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David Beckham was finally given the green light to return to England’s Premier League last night and he could make his debut against former club Manchester United at Spurs on January 19.

LA Galaxy took their time over granting permission for their best-paid player to spend two months on loan with Harry Redknapp’s side, worried lest he repeat the Achilles injury he sustain when playing for Milan last season.

But they have risked the ire of their considerable support by allowing him to play for the North London club Beckham, now 35, supported as a boy growing up in Leytonstone. His grandfather was also a mad Lilywhites fan.

Galaxy are believed to have agreed the move because both clubs are linked to AEG, the entertainment company which is helping Spurs in their bid to take over the Olympic Stadium in Stratford after London 2012.

England’s most capped outfield player is expected agree the loan deal tomorrow and will be presented to the White Hart Lane faithful on Sunday before the FA Cup third round clash against Charlton Athletic.

Redknapp’s master plan of buying Beckham and grooming a successor is likely to fail, given news that Beckham will be entitled to buy an MLS franchise “at 2007 prices” if he fulfils his contract with Galaxy, which ends in November. He is believed to be planning to buy New York Cosmos for £16m.

The first clue to his future came yesterday morning with the news that his three sons, Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and Cruz, 5, had been enrolled at an expensive private school near his London home north of London.

Spurs will pay a loan fee of around £500,000 to LA Galaxy and offer a weekly wage of around £120,000 to Beckham, though there may be hard bargaining during today’s meeting with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. Depending on his fitness, and that of rival right-sided midfielder Aaron Lennon, he could play a maximum of ten games for Spurs, including the two Champions League clashes against AC Milan, where he spent his last two winters.

Beckham, linked to Spurs since a lunch at Harrods with Harry’s son Jamie two weeks ago, hopes playing  for Spurs will enhance his chances of adding to his 115 England caps.

Boss Redknapp feels the positives of signing Beckham – which will include significant shirt sales – amount to more than the negatives of having the megastar on board for two months before the MLS kicks off on March 15.

Redknapp, also linked with a £30m bid for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll yesterday, said: "It will be great to have David around. He'll be a great role model for the young players.”

One of those youngsters is Bongani Khumalo, the 23-year-old South African who arrived in London this morning to begin his Tottenham career after a £1.5m move from SuperSports United.

Khumalo could also find himself training with Bafana Bafana team-mate Steven Pienaar before the January transfer window closes. Boss Redknapp repeated his interest in the unsettled Everton ace yesterday, telling Sky News: "If Pienaar doesn't sign a contract he'll be a great free transfer for someone at the end of the year, if he doesn't stay at Everton.

"He still belongs to Everton, so it's a difficult one. They are still trying to keep him. We'll wait and see what happens."

Khumalo, the 23-year-old Supersports United captain finally sorted out the delays caused by England’s bitter winter to catch his Heathrow flight last night - and he remains a possibility to play against Charlton.

But with William Gallas fit again to slot in next to Michael Dawson, Khumalo may find himself dropping down the central defensive pecking order. Younes Kaboul is serving a Premier League ban after his red card against Newcastle and Sebastien Bassong is returning to fitness while Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate remain on the long-term casualty list.

After a farewell party with his Matsatsantsa team-mates at Zwartkop near Pretoria, Khumalo’s manager Glyn Binkin confirmed: "Bongani has flown out to Heathrow. Everything is sorted out, he’s got his visa.”

Khumalo’s deputy at Supersports, Thabo September said: " We really enjoyed our football with Bongani as our captain We spent three fruitful seasons together. The team-work was amazing, he showed great leadership and he will continue working hard in Europe.”

 Who on earth is this Neal Collins bloke (nealcol on twitter)? Google me or see www.nealcollins.co.uk and buy the book!

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It’s that dreary, old American rhythm: build somebody up; tear them down.  And then once they’re down, demand a comeback. No comeback, no legend. No ticky, no laundry. 

And who better to tear down these days than “Landy Cakes” Donovan, in 1999 the doe- eyed wunderkind at Bayer Leverkusen, now a decade later, a 29-year-old divorced white male who said recently after his latest return from Europe, and his decision not to return to Everton:  “I need to rest and recover…. I’m tired.”

Tired?  Why the hell is he tired? After all the accolades, after all the bowing and scraping to his princeness, after that hail-mary-mother-of-god goal in South Africa, why you’d think he’d still be running on Nitro.

Or has he had enough of European foul play?  Was it just too tough in the end….

Hey bartender, get me another Rooney. Or better, have you got some Zidane?

If Zidane is at one end of a spectrum, Donovan is at the other. 

Hence the argument that if you want to win a World Cup these days you don’t need babies found floating down the Nile in Adidas bags, you don’t need prodigies, you need boys from immigrant back streets, fatherless relentless boys, dead-eyed boys and always a little grumpy, boys who, come to think of it, enjoy violence.

Donovan is old school.  A great player perhaps but from a past era.  It’s the difference between Jane Austen and Lady Gaga. He comes from that period when a trip or a shove brought soccer moms out of their fold-up chairs in a rage.

On the other hand, what a life it’s been. Over 11 years in his senior career, Donovan has scored 203 goals in 471 appearances.  And look at the individual honors, which include among others: US Player of the Year:  2003, 2004, 2009, 2010. MLS MVP, 2009. Everton Player of the Month, January 2010. And, ESPN SportsNation Awesomest Dude of 2010.

Awesomest Dude?

In an interview with the New York Times last March, Eric Wynalda, noted, “If he is the best we’ve got, you would hope he would try to be the best he can, in Europe, and not take the easy way out in MLS. We have tended to put him on a pedestal and say, ‘Look how great a player we have in this country,’ and then Landon shies away from proving it.”

When could you start to see this coming? 

After the World Cup in 2006, we began to see Dr. Donovan and Mr. Landon: the timid Donovan who was nearly invisible against the Czech Republic, but the dominant midfielder against Italy. 

Asked that year whether he would return to Europe he was quoted as saying, “I’d probably become a better soccer player just from the day-in, day-out grind of it there, but I wouldn’t be a better person. I wouldn’t be a happy person. I’d be pretty miserable.”

Does that sound like someone who wants to be a better player?

The truth may be that Donovan never liked Europe, on any level. He once called the food “crappy” and talked about how much he missed Americana: the hamburger, the beach and the women. 

And then there was that little business with Beckham, when Mr. Spice guy arrived at the Galaxy and Donovan claimed to Sports Illustrated that Beckham didn’t like the quality of play among his teammates and wasn’t subtle with his condescension. 

I, for one, remember that very first game with the two of them. Donovan had always taken the corner kicks and the free kicks.  But with the very first corner kick of the game Beckham explained that were some changes.

And in body language he added, “and little Landy Cakes if you’ll just go stand over there everything will soon become apparent…”

Here’s some psychobabble:  In 1999, on a Florida golf course, Donovan mistook an alligator for a rock.  But for his coach he would be playing in the wheel chair Olympics. 

So shall we forgive the kid who maybe just wants to go back to Manhattan Beach, walk down The Strand, watch the girls volley with the balls, reconsider a life.

But wait a minute, there’s one other thing.  From the yellow press:  Donovan, whose salary for 2010 was $2,127,778, which is eclipsed in the MLS only by David Beckham, is suing his ex-wife for spousal support and attorney’s fees.  His ex-wife, Blanca Kajlich, is an actress.  No doubt you saw the ever memorable, Halloween: Resurrection.

What kind of man is that?

It’s head-butt time, folks.

My prediction for 2011: Landon Donovan, always the object of bipolar desire, you love him when he scores and hate him the rest of the time, will begin to fade from view. There will be no comeback.

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It’s that dreary, old American rhythm: build somebody up; tear them down.  And then once they’re down, demand a comeback. No comeback, no legend. No ticky, no laundry. 

And who better to tear down these days than “Landy Cakes” Donovan, in 1999 the doe- eyed wunderkind at Bayer Leverkusen, now a decade later, a 29-year-old divorced white male who said recently after his latest return from Europe, and his decision not to return to Everton:  “I need to rest and recover…. I’m tired.”

Tired?  Why the hell is he tired? After all the accolades, after all the bowing and scraping to his princeness, after that hail-mary-mother-of-god goal in South Africa, why you’d think he’d still be running on Nitro.

Or has he had enough of European foul play?  Was it just too tough in the end….

Hey bartender, get me another Rooney. Or better, have you got some Zidane?

If Zidane is at one end of a spectrum, Donovan is at the other. 

Hence the argument that if you want to win a World Cup these days you don’t need babies found floating down the Nile in Adidas bags, you don’t need prodigies, you need boys from immigrant back streets, fatherless relentless boys, dead-eyed boys and always a little grumpy, boys who, come to think of it, enjoy violence.

Donovan is old school.  A great player perhaps but from a past era.  It’s the difference between Jane Austen and Lady Gaga. He comes from that period when a trip or a shove brought soccer moms out of their fold-up chairs in a rage.

On the other hand, what a life it’s been. Over 11 years in his senior career, Donovan has scored 203 goals in 471 appearances.  And look at the individual honors, which include among others: US Player of the Year:  2003, 2004, 2009, 2010. MLS MVP, 2009. Everton Player of the Month, January 2010. And, ESPN SportsNation Awesomest Dude of 2010.

Awesomest Dude?

In an interview with the New York Times last March, Eric Wynalda, noted, “If he is the best we’ve got, you would hope he would try to be the best he can, in Europe, and not take the easy way out in MLS. We have tended to put him on a pedestal and say, ‘Look how great a player we have in this country,’ and then Landon shies away from proving it.”

When could you start to see this coming? 

After the World Cup in 2006, we began to see Dr. Donovan and Mr. Landon: the timid Donovan who was nearly invisible against the Czech Republic, but the dominant midfielder against Italy. 

Asked that year whether he would return to Europe he was quoted as saying, “I’d probably become a better soccer player just from the day-in, day-out grind of it there, but I wouldn’t be a better person. I wouldn’t be a happy person. I’d be pretty miserable.”

Does that sound like someone who wants to be a better player?

The truth may be that Donovan never liked Europe, on any level. He once called the food “crappy” and talked about how much he missed Americana: the hamburger, the beach and the women. 

And then there was that little business with Beckham, when Mr. Spice guy arrived at the Galaxy and Donovan claimed to Sports Illustrated that Beckham didn’t like the quality of play among his teammates and wasn’t subtle with his condescension. 

I, for one, remember that very first game with the two of them. Donovan had always taken the corner kicks and the free kicks.  But with the very first corner kick of the game Beckham explained that were some changes.

And in body language he added, “and little Landy Cakes if you’ll just go stand over there everything will soon become apparent…”

Here’s some psychobabble:  In 1999, on a Florida golf course, Donovan mistook an alligator for a rock.  But for his coach he would be playing in the wheel chair Olympics. 

So shall we forgive the kid who maybe just wants to go back to Manhattan Beach, walk down The Strand, watch the girls volley with the balls, reconsider a life.

But wait a minute, there’s one other thing.  From the yellow press:  Donovan, whose salary for 2010 was $2,127,778, which is eclipsed in the MLS only by David Beckham, is suing his ex-wife for spousal support and attorney’s fees.  His ex-wife, Blanca Kajlich, is an actress.  No doubt you saw the ever memorable, Halloween: Resurrection.

What kind of man is that?

It’s head-butt time, folks.

My prediction for 2011: Landon Donovan, always the object of bipolar desire, you love him when he scores and hate him the rest of the time, will begin to fade from view. There will be no comeback.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

It’s that dreary, old American rhythm: build somebody up; tear them down.  And then once they’re down, demand a comeback. No comeback, no legend. No ticky, no laundry. 

And who better to tear down these days than “Landy Cakes” Donovan, in 1999 the doe- eyed wunderkind at Bayer Leverkusen, now a decade later, a 29-year-old divorced white male who said recently after his latest return from Europe, and his decision not to return to Everton:  “I need to rest and recover…. I’m tired.”

Tired?  Why the hell is he tired? After all the accolades, after all the bowing and scraping to his princeness, after that hail-mary-mother-of-god goal in South Africa, why you’d think he’d still be running on Nitro.

Or has he had enough of European foul play?  Was it just too tough in the end….

Hey bartender, get me another Rooney. Or better, have you got some Zidane?

If Zidane is at one end of a spectrum, Donovan is at the other. 

Hence the argument that if you want to win a World Cup these days you don’t need babies found floating down the Nile in Adidas bags, you don’t need prodigies, you need boys from immigrant back streets, fatherless relentless boys, dead-eyed boys and always a little grumpy, boys who, come to think of it, enjoy violence.

Donovan is old school.  A great player perhaps but from a past era.  It’s the difference between Jane Austen and Lady Gaga. He comes from that period when a trip or a shove brought soccer moms out of their fold-up chairs in a rage.

On the other hand, what a life it’s been. Over 11 years in his senior career, Donovan has scored 203 goals in 471 appearances.  And look at the individual honors, which include among others: US Player of the Year:  2003, 2004, 2009, 2010. MLS MVP, 2009. Everton Player of the Month, January 2010. And, ESPN SportsNation Awesomest Dude of 2010.

Awesomest Dude?

In an interview with the New York Times last March, Eric Wynalda, noted, “If he is the best we’ve got, you would hope he would try to be the best he can, in Europe, and not take the easy way out in MLS. We have tended to put him on a pedestal and say, ‘Look how great a player we have in this country,’ and then Landon shies away from proving it.”

When could you start to see this coming? 

After the World Cup in 2006, we began to see Dr. Donovan and Mr. Landon: the timid Donovan who was nearly invisible against the Czech Republic, but the dominant midfielder against Italy. 

Asked that year whether he would return to Europe he was quoted as saying, “I’d probably become a better soccer player just from the day-in, day-out grind of it there, but I wouldn’t be a better person. I wouldn’t be a happy person. I’d be pretty miserable.”

Does that sound like someone who wants to be a better player?

The truth may be that Donovan never liked Europe, on any level. He once called the food “crappy” and talked about how much he missed Americana: the hamburger, the beach and the women. 

And then there was that little business with Beckham, when Mr. Spice guy arrived at the Galaxy and Donovan claimed to Sports Illustrated that Beckham didn’t like the quality of play among his teammates and wasn’t subtle with his condescension. 

I, for one, remember that very first game with the two of them. Donovan had always taken the corner kicks and the free kicks.  But with the very first corner kick of the game Beckham explained that were some changes.

And in body language he added, “and little Landy Cakes if you’ll just go stand over there everything will soon become apparent…”

Here’s some psychobabble:  In 1999, on a Florida golf course, Donovan mistook an alligator for a rock.  But for his coach he would be playing in the wheel chair Olympics. 

So shall we forgive the kid who maybe just wants to go back to Manhattan Beach, walk down The Strand, watch the girls volley with the balls, reconsider a life.

But wait a minute, there’s one other thing.  From the yellow press:  Donovan, whose salary for 2010 was $2,127,778, which is eclipsed in the MLS only by David Beckham, is suing his ex-wife for spousal support and attorney’s fees.  His ex-wife, Blanca Kajlich, is an actress.  No doubt you saw the ever memorable, Halloween: Resurrection.

What kind of man is that?

It’s head-butt time, folks.

My prediction for 2011: Landon Donovan, always the object of bipolar desire, you love him when he scores and hate him the rest of the time, will begin to fade from view. There will be no comeback.

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Harry Redknapp’s loan ranger master plan was in tatters last night after former LA Galaxy manager Alexi Lalas poured cold water on David Beckham’s chances of appearing in a Tottenham shirt later this month.

Lalas, in charge of Beckham’s MLS club from 2006-2008, told BBC Radio 5 live: "Soccer fans in the US say David Beckham has given a lot, but he's also taken a tremendous amount out of Major League Soccer.

"The reason David Beckham went over to Milan was to prepare, in theory for the World Cup.

"I think that was commendable and understandable to a certain extent but now it is happening once again."

Redknapp has been most vocal in his interest in taking Becks, England’s most capped outfield player, on loan, though Newcastle and Blackburn have also expressed an interest this week.

Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy’s second-most famous player, has already rejected the chance to go out on loan as he did so successfully with Everton before the World Cup. And American fans remain furious over the six-month Achilles tendon injury 35-year-old Beckham suffered playing on loan for AC Milan against Chievo in March.

That put him out of the World Cup and saw him appear only as a bit-part player in the regular season last year, playing just five games. The MLS’s best paid player was booed by Galaxy fans when he came back from his loan spell at the San Siro in 2009 and Lalas admits: "When Landon Donovan comes out and says he won’t go on loan this year, it certainly puts pressure on David."

Redknapp has toned down his need for Beckham, whose MLS season kicks off on March 15, admitting: "Weeks fly by and this month will have come and gone before we know where we are. It's a difficult one. But let's wait and see, it's not in my hands.

"He'd be great to have around the place and I'm sure he's got a lot to offer as a player and a person. As a professional, he's top class."

Blackburn’s new owners, India’s chickens-to-chemicals Venky Group, have said their club are "open whenever David is ready to come." They have also confirmed a £6.2m bid for Brazilian Ronaldinho.

Beckham remains keen to gain some playing time in the Premier League to enhance his chances of adding to his record 115 England caps. Under pressure Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, in charge of Milan when Beckham was his loan ranger, said: “Beckham could be good support for Tottenham if he comes back. But we are not interested. In that position we have good players."

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Frankie Comes To [Bring Glory For] Hollywood

It seems imminent that Frankie Hejduk will close out his storied career in Major League Soccer as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Stints in Germany, Switzerland and a couple of World Cups with the US men's national team are just the bonus to a decade and a half of playing the world's game on America's stage.

The Galaxy signed Hejduk to a one-year contract. The Galaxy acquired the rights to Hejduk earlier this month in a trade with Sporting Kansas City, who had selected him in the first round of Stage 2 of the MLS Re-Entry Process, in exchange for the rights to midfielder Luke Sassano.

“We’re very pleased to be able to come to terms with Frankie Hejduk,” said manager Bruce Arena. “I believe he will be a great addition to our team and will give us added depth and experience to our backline.”

"I'm going back to my roots, where it all began,” Hejduk told MLSSoccer.com earlier last week. “What a great opportunity to get to play in front of my friends and family.

“I’m happy that everything worked out the way it did and very excited to join a great organization and team like the LA Galaxy The most important thing is the opportunity to help this club and its fans win an MLS Cup championship. At the end of the day that is everyone’s goal and if I can be a part of that any way shape or form, that will be great.”

So, what does Hejduk plan to do as a member of the Galaxy?

“With all the games we’re going to have, with the Champions League and US Open Cup and MLS games with a couple of added teams," Hejduk said, "it’s going to bring added depth to a team that’s going to need depth.

“I’ve been a part of that [as a member of the Columbus Crew]. I kind of know what it’s about, so I can help out there in that respect.”

Besides depth and his role on defense, Hejduk will rely on his experience and veteran leadership to become an integral part of the Galaxy's 2011 campaign.

“Experience – you can’t buy that, you can’t teach that," Hejduk said of his years as a player. "It’s something that’s gained, so were going to bring that side to the team. The more experience a team can have, the better.

“With this team, especially, there is an incredible mix of not only incredible experience but a bunch of top-talent youth as well. It’s going to mix really well.”

Hejduk embraced the opportunity to finish his career locally:

“As a Sothern California native, to get an opportunity to play in front of my family and friends is a cool thing that not too many people get to do,” Hejduk said. “In addition, the transition into the locker room is going to be an easy one for me as I already have a bond with many of the players here through the National Team program.

"It’s not very often you get to play with other World Cup veterans on your team and I’m really looking forward to playing with them as well as some of the young and up and coming MLS stars on the Galaxy roster.”

And that is an opportunity Frankie Hejduk will look to seize as he comes to bring glory to Hollywood and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

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Frankie Comes To [Bring Glory For] Hollywood

It seems imminent that Frankie Hejduk will close out his storied career in Major League Soccer as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Stints in Germany, Switzerland and a couple of World Cups with the US men's national team are just the bonus to a decade and a half of playing the world's game on America's stage.

The Galaxy signed Hejduk to a one-year contract. The Galaxy acquired the rights to Hejduk earlier this month in a trade with Sporting Kansas City, who had selected him in the first round of Stage 2 of the MLS Re-Entry Process, in exchange for the rights to midfielder Luke Sassano.

“We’re very pleased to be able to come to terms with Frankie Hejduk,” said manager Bruce Arena. “I believe he will be a great addition to our team and will give us added depth and experience to our backline.”

"I'm going back to my roots, where it all began,” Hejduk told MLSSoccer.com earlier last week. “What a great opportunity to get to play in front of my friends and family.

“I’m happy that everything worked out the way it did and very excited to join a great organization and team like the LA Galaxy The most important thing is the opportunity to help this club and its fans win an MLS Cup championship. At the end of the day that is everyone’s goal and if I can be a part of that any way shape or form, that will be great.”

So, what does Hejduk plan to do as a member of the Galaxy?

“With all the games we’re going to have, with the Champions League and US Open Cup and MLS games with a couple of added teams," Hejduk said, "it’s going to bring added depth to a team that’s going to need depth.

“I’ve been a part of that [as a member of the Columbus Crew]. I kind of know what it’s about, so I can help out there in that respect.”

Besides depth and his role on defense, Hejduk will rely on his experience and veteran leadership to become an integral part of the Galaxy's 2011 campaign.

“Experience – you can’t buy that, you can’t teach that," Hejduk said of his years as a player. "It’s something that’s gained, so were going to bring that side to the team. The more experience a team can have, the better.

“With this team, especially, there is an incredible mix of not only incredible experience but a bunch of top-talent youth as well. It’s going to mix really well.”

Hejduk embraced the opportunity to finish his career locally:

“As a Sothern California native, to get an opportunity to play in front of my family and friends is a cool thing that not too many people get to do,” Hejduk said. “In addition, the transition into the locker room is going to be an easy one for me as I already have a bond with many of the players here through the National Team program.

"It’s not very often you get to play with other World Cup veterans on your team and I’m really looking forward to playing with them as well as some of the young and up and coming MLS stars on the Galaxy roster.”

And that is an opportunity Frankie Hejduk will look to seize as he comes to bring glory to Hollywood and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Here’s an old prediction, now recast for 2011:  This will be Freddy Adu’s comeback year. 

His critics insist Adu is finished, barely a journeyman, and his latest gig is proof.  He has been practicing, without a contract, with FB Randers, now in 10th place out of 12 teams in the Danish super liga.   

Of course you could argue that at 21 Adu is still a hugely successful soccer player.  He’s made millions from big time sponsors, including Nike; he’s played for great teams, including the US National team; he’s scored deciding goals; been a reliable playmaker, and last year had a good run with Aris Salonika FC, the leading club in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki. 

But in an age when success is a hangman’s scaffold and anyone who gets to the top must come down the trap door, Adu is portrayed as the prodigy who didn’t deliver on a promise. 

For those who don’t know the promise here’s a recap.   

Adu comes from the Ghanaian port city of Tema, a teeming suburb of Accra. It’s here that four-year-old Fredua Koranteng becomes a sassy street star.  

He might have remained invisible but his mother wins the Green Card Lottery, moves to America. At 12, he’s allowed to skip two grades in order to play on the varsity of a small private high school, The Heights.  Adu leads the team to a Maryland State Championship.   

About the school, which is in Potomac, the headmaster writes in the online description, “At the Heights, parents are helped to form their sons into the type of men they would want their daughters to marry — men who will be great fathers.”  

Judging from the media gallery, including photos from the schools’ Annual Golf Classic, not many black fathers, or sons, ever go the Heights.  No, this would appear to be one of those places where fathers in their late 30s and early 40s, up to their eyeballs in Ralph Lauren, drive the pride, and if the Adus of the world can help them get to the winner’s circle then badda bing, badda boom. 

From there Adu goes to the IMG Soccer Academy, gets a feel from InterMilan, does time at DC United, gets a $1 million contract with Nike in 2003, has his 15 minutes on 60 Minutes, and then spins off to half a dozen mostly European teams, as well as the US national team.  

During Adu’s pro career, beginning in 2002 with the U17 national team, Adu has scored 54 goals in 198 games. 

Critics say he’s inconsistent, burned out, sometimes difficult to coach, and lacks technical knowledge.  They point to his exclusion from even the 30-man preliminary World Cup team as another indication that he’s done. 

Adu has responded over the years that when left alone he does his best work.  He claims he was overcoached at DC United.  He says that when he got the ball, “I felt like a “robot.”  

He has also inferred that that he doesn’t flourish in the European environment where there is little or no dialogue with coaches.  The message is, ‘you play, I coach. Take it or leave it.’ 

Adu still believes he can be a great player and that in itself means something.  He’s not thinking like a journeyman even if that seems to be his career. 

For the moment Adu is practicing in Randers, a working class city in the middle of Denmark, a former colonial power that once ran a slavery trade out of a castle not 30 miles from where Adu grew up. 

Such are the ironies in his life.  

Look closely at his clips, listen to what he’s saying.  Consider a kid whose freakish talent got him to that circus of agents, private schools and premium leagues that has no real interest in the player but only in what he puts in the coffers.  

And he has survived all that.  And even if he’s not 21 but 23 or 24, Adu still has five or six years left. 

Remember also that there are some players better left to themselves.  You teach them what you can and then you let them go. You let them play their game, not yours.  

In American football, Michael Vick is an example. If he has to learn how to ‘slide’ guards and backs as defenses slide their players, he is also best left to his own devices when he needs to stretch a play. That’s why people come to watch him, that’s often how he wins. 

Among his tweets, Adu has written “Attitude is EVERYTHING, Never put a period where God put a comma.” 

Freddy Adu will come back.

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