U.S. players need to branch out further than England

	Brian McBride (20) and Clint Dempsey (far right) are two of 13 Americans currently playing in the English Premier League. AP
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It was a watershed weekend for U.S. soccer players in England. By my count, 10 Americans played on Saturday in the Premier League, including three keepers -- Brad Friedel, Marcus Hahnemann, Tim Howard -- and starters at just about every other position.

For two minutes during the Fulham-Newcastle match, four of the 22 players on the field were Americans -- Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey, as well as Oguchi Onyewu making an impressive Newcastle debut.

As if that wasn't enough, Fulham's McBride turned the patriotic euphoria up to 11 with a lovely match-winner in the 73rd minute, condemning my Magpies to another loss, another moment of pure Newcastletonian disappointment.

But on Sunday, I realized something was bothering me. There was a hint of dissatisfaction that so many U.S. players were out there doing their thing in England. It wasn't that I think they should be back here in MLS. Far from it.

But I started to wonder what it means that Americans are now, by and large, going only to England. Is that the best place for all of our players to grow and develop?

(And please, no e-mails about the U.S. players in Norway or Scandinavia or wherever. Those are bush leagues, and you know it.)

Don't get me wrong, I love the EPL. Watching Manchester United thrashing Tottenham featured all the beauty of the English game -- the speed, the ambition, the clinical nature of the finishing. It's a brilliant game to watch, by far the most exciting league in the world from a fan's perspective. And it's a terrific place for certain players to develop.

Players like Manchester City's DaMarcus Beasley, who has recently adjusted to the EPL's blistering pace and is now taking ownership of the left flank. He's been in England for half a season and he's already an improved winger who should be able to bring his new-found urgency to the U.S. national-team flank someday, getting to the byline and whipping balls in with some venom. That's great.

Same goes for a player like Dempsey, who has lots of skill but is a balls-out, run-till-you-drop kind of player. His game will improve under the constant midfield pressure applied in the EPL.

But is this what all American players need?

No. We are a mixed nation, our players coming from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds. They run a brilliant spectrum of styles, from the full-speed-ahead Brits to the cautious, creative Latino players to the technical gamesmanship of the Italians and Portuguese. And all of these styles need to be incorporated into the national team. They also need to be developed when players make the leap overseas.

A great philosopher of the game recently issued a similar critique of English football. Just Sunday, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari -- nicknamed Felipão, or "Big Phil," who coached Brazil to the World Cup championship in 2002 -- urged Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford and go to Barcelona to continue his "education."

The implication is that Spain would give the 22-year-old winger the sophistication he needs to become even better than he is. "Sophistication" is a word rarely used to describe English football.

And some of the U.S. players need this same kind of sophistication injecting into their game. A young player like Justin Mapp -- who, if you've read any of my recent columns, is a favorite of mine -- would thrive in Spain or Italy. His game is a mixture of technical ability and reading the pace and movement of the game like a chess player does. Or like Ronaldinho does. (No, I don't think Mapp's the next Ronaldinho, but allow me to indulge for a moment.) His game is not suited to England's brutal pace and more brutal weather.

A player like Ricardo Clark, contained and yet able to explode when necessary, could similarly thrive in Spain or Italy. He would learn the tactics necessary to marshal the midfield like a Claude Makélélé. Makélélé, by the way, perfected his holding midfielder trade at Real Madrid before taking it to Chelsea, where he was immediately lambasted for playing too many square balls. Everyone finally relented when they realized how successful those square balls are and how rarely he gave up possession.

Like I said, I'm still a big fan of England. I watch five EPL games a week, at a minimum. And I make a point to catch any game that features Americans, which is getting harder and harder because so many are playing at the same time and I can only TiVo two games at a time.

But come August, when the next transfer window opens, I'd love to flip on my computer and read a story about an American going to Spain or to Italy (only if the Italians have cleaned up their act by then that is). Someplace where the sun shines and the game is a dance more than a sprint.

Someplace Big Phil would approve of. After all, he's won a World Cup.