As Everton continues their preseason tour with tonight's friendly against DC United at RFK Stadium (7 p.m. ET, FOX Soccer), it's worth a moment's pause to consider the Toffees' connection to the American game. Over the last 20 years, Goodison Park has seen five prominent Americans given tours of duty in front of the blue half of Liverpool, making Everton one of the Premier League clubs most willing to look across the Atlantic for talent.
The first of the quintet may not have been thought of as American when Howard Kendall threw £100,000 at the Major Indoor Soccer League's St. Louis Storm for his rights in 1992, but Predreg Radosavljevic would go on to make 28 appearances for the US national team, scoring four times while becoming one of the greatest players in Major League Soccer history. In 2010, Preki was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and although his Serbian heritage made his leap to England's first division less of a watershed moment, his four goals in two seasons at Goodison helped legitimize the US as a talent pool.
Five years later, Everton was ready to dip back in, looking to MLS for the Preki-esque Joe-Max Moore, a purchase that paid immediate dividends. In exchange for $50,000 going to MLS, Everton got goals from Moore in each of the American's first five appearances. Over three seasons, Moore would make 52 league appearances, scoring eight times before a knee injury against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup led to his departure. While Moore was never quite the same after his injury in South Korea, his time with the Toffees paved the way for move American talent to land with Everton, who would see their next American land in Liverpool six months later.
In January 2003, David Moyes brought Brian McBride back to England. The former Preston manager had McBride at Deepsdale for the 2000-2001 season, and as the Toffees battled through the Scot's first season at Goodison, Moyes secured McBride's short-term loan from the Columbus Crew. The US forward rewarded Moyes's faith with four goals in eight matches, helping Everton finish seventh in the Premier League (up eight places from the previous season).
Because Everton was unsuccessful in extending McBride's loan, it would be three more years until an American adorned Toffee blue. But rather than looking to MLS for its latest US infusion, Everton stayed within the Premier League, becoming the beneficiaries of Tim Howard's learning experience with Manchester United. After a one year loan at Goodison, the 2003-04 FA Cup-winner secured a permanent transfer for the 2007-08 season and has been with Everton ever since. Howard's 52 clean sheets in league place him sixth on the club's all-time list.
Landon Donovan applauds the Everton faithful during his winter 2010 loan spell.
But perhaps the most famous of Everton's Americans is one that was there for a matter of months. When Landon Donovan arrived in Liverpool in the winter of 2010, skeptics cited struggles in Germany as reason why his England sojourn would fail. Moyes's faith in the American icon proved prescient as Donovan carved out a place in the starting XI, earning plaudits and silencing critics while posting two goals in 13 all-competition appearances. Though financial concerns have kept Donovan from returning to his short-term stomping grounds, both sides continue to leave the door open, hoping the magic of early 2010 can be rekindled.
And while Howard is the only American currently in the Toffee fold, it's not hard to see the now long history between Goodison and the States leading to future chances for US talent. And we're not just talking about established, name, relatively low-risk talent like the five internationals that have broken into the Everton fold. The 2009 signing of Anton Peterlin from the Ventura County Fusion of the United Soccer League's Premier Development League showed Everton was willing to dig deeper. While Peterlin did not work out at Goodison (and has since moved to Plymouth Argyle), the signing was reason to hope that Everton - along with US-friendly clubs like Fulham and Aston Villa - will continue to serve as an option for the US's best talents.
Which brings us back to tonight's match with DC United. As David Moyes's need to stretch his limited funds continues, might he be looking as much at United's talents as his own? When Moyes looks at Perry Kitchen, will he see a young Phil Neville? Is Charlie Davies the touch of pace Moyes may be looking to add to his attacking corps? Maybe Bill Hamid could be a Brad Guzan to Tim Howard's Brad Freidel? Or beyond just Americans, will Moyes be the man to say, "Let's get that Najar kid over here now"?
While none of those scenarios are likely to pan out, Everton's history leaves the doors open, providing an intriguing dimension to tonight's friendly.
