February 1, 2010
Apparently you can go home again.
Steve Ralston grew up in the St Louis area and now he is the first signing by AC St Louis.
Ralston leaves the New England Revolution as the MLS All-Time leader in games played, minutes played, and assists.
Not only will Ralston be counted on to be an on the field leader for AC St Louis, but he is also an assistant coach for the first year club.
As is usually the case for a player in their mid-30s, durability is a question for Ralston as he played in 26 league games in 2007, 21 league games in 2008, and then 20 league games last season.
Kind of like Steve Guppy coming to Rochester in 2008 with durability questions, older players can surprise.
Now it will be interesting to watch who AC St Louis surrounds Ralston with.
News & Notes:
- Greg Lalas does his farewell column at SI.com on the state of US players abroad.
- Speaking of players abroad, the Landon Donovan to stay with Everton talk is starting to heat up. The obvious stumbling block will be the fact that Landon will likely be worth more to MLS & LA than to any club in Europe.
- Freddy Adu sets up Eddie Johnson for Eddie's first goal in Greece for Aris. I love the "Made in the USA" from the commentators.
- Kenny Cooper to Plymouth Argyle is official.
- On the downside, Dolo-mite is on the shelf for over a month with a shoulder injury.
- Steve Davis takes a look at the stadiums in MLS. Speaking of stadiums, Philly appears to have sold the naming rights to their new dig and the club's CEO is talking up a star studded list of teams that want to play there.
- Manchester United may be headed to the US this summer.
- Red Bulls Reader checks in with Carlos Mendes.
- I think DC United trialist Two-Boys Gumede is up there on an All-Name team.
- I'd rather have the NASL look at markets like Ottawa ahead of Phoenix, San Diego, and San Antonio . But, that's just me.
- I hope the CAF change their mind about banning Togo from the African Cup of Nations over what happened this year.
- Beckham versus Montreal Impact fans? I don't know who I want to win this war of wills. Well, if Beckham moves his view from Montreal to Rochester, then the choice is easy!
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
