Landon Donovan: An American in Paris?

BOSTON — Despite the U.S. national soccer team’s lofty ranking at #12 in the world, despite its occasional glories in international play (most notably the run to the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup and the recent upset of then #1-ranked Spain to reach the finals of the Confederations Cup), there is an inferiority complex at the heart of American soccer.

It’s on display whenever American soccer fans get positively giddy at the news that one of their own will break out of the confines of homegrown Major League Soccer and get a chance to play on one of the major European stages.

The American soccer establishment usually shows a bit more restraint than the fans in these matters; it is hardly in a position to trash MLS, which still provides more than half the national team player pool. Still, its leaders will admit privately and, occasionally, even publicly, that if the United States hopes to make the next leap into the world elite, its stars will have to refine their skills and boost their mental and physical toughness in the European soccer wars.

The players are certainly heeding that counsel; only five of the 18 U.S. players who suited up against Mexico for the recent World Cup qualifier still ply their trade in MLS. Which explains why there was a lot of excitement here on all soccer fronts with the rumor in the soccosphere that Landon Donovan could be headed to Paris St.-Germain, a team experiencing a revival in France’s La Ligue. No American seems a better candidate for a European upgrade. Donovan is already America’s biggest star. Still just 27, he is the national team’s all-time scoring leader and, as the lynchpin of the offense, will likely do more than any other player to determine its success in its World Cup 2010 campaign. Yet he remains maddeningly inconsistent, capable of disappearing for long stretches on the field and too easily bullied off his game.

Of course, signing with a European team from an elite league is no guarantee of playing time for any American. And there may be nothing more damaging to U.S. World Cup prospects than to have its key players in Europe adding only rust to their game. There was much celebration earlier this summer when Oguchi Onyewu, the stalwart American central defender, signed with one of Europe’s most storied franchises, AC Milan. “Gooch” is only the second American ever to play in Serie A. Or he will be if he actually steps on the field, as he didn’t get a call in Milan’s opener.

The record of Americans abroad has been disappointing in the two decades since midfielder John Harkes became the first Yank to play in England’s Premier League. Only American goalkeepers — Casey Keller, Brad Friedel and current U.S. starter Tim Howard — have truly thrived in Europe. (Friedel and Howard still star in the Premier League, while Keller, who played in England, Spain and Germany, is finishing his career with Seattle in MLS.) But young American players, particularly promising, attacking players like Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore have crossed the ocean to great hype only to wither on the vine.

Donovan already knows something about that. As a 17-year-old wunderkind, he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen in Germany’s Bundesliga. But lack of playing time and an acute case of homesickness sent him back to California and into the MLS. While under contract to the German team for six seasons, he made only seven appearances and never netted a goal. Nor did he score in a brief stint with Bayern Munich after the 2008 MLS season.

The French League may be more suited to Donovan’s game, which relies on technical skills and finesse, than the physical Bundesliga. And Paris St.-German does not have the kind of midfield depth that kept Donovan on the bench in Germany. Beyond Donovan, there is some promise for the U.S. team in Europe. Americans Clint Dempsey and Jonathan Spector have earned starting jobs with teams, Fulham and West Ham United, that finished in the top half of the Premier League last season. And the 20-year-old Altidore, who seldom saw action with Villarreal in Spain last season, entered as a sub in his first game with the Premiership’s Hull City and immediately set up the game’s only goal.

The CONCACAF region in which the United States plays is staging a surprisingly spirited competition for the World Cup, with just three points separating four teams fighting for three automatic spots. The U.S. remains a favorite to survive the scrum and reach the World Cup 2010 Final in South Africa, as it has done for every Final back to 1990.

But an early indication of whether it will be another disaster (like ’98 and ’06) or a step up for the United States (like ’94 or ’02) may lie in Paris, Milan and other European capitals where Americans may finally get the chance to grow their game.