Michael Parkhurst in his new uniform. (via FC Nordsjaelland)

Talk about someone wanting to go to Europe at any cost. Now former New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst is set to join Danish club FC Nordsjaelland today.

The most interesting part of all this came out about his contract with the Danish side. He is set to make roughly as much as $250,000, plus bonuses and incentives according to Steve Goff. Last year in MLS, Parkhurst made $148,000. It shouldn’t have been much of a stretch for the Revs to bump up his salary for 2009 but this shows me just how badly Parkhurst wanted to go abroad.

“I just felt like with me being the age I am, and being out of contract, that if I ever wanted to try and make it in Europe, this was the time,” said Parkhurst. “Now that I’m still young and have the opportunity to do it, I felt like it was something I needed to do to further my career.”

“It could be a good steppingstone for me.”

As much as I hate to see a great young player in MLS leave, I have to tip my hat to them for trying their hand elsewhere. I’m sure Parkhurst will make us all proud over in Denmark and I wish him the best. Now the big question comes up for New England, who is going to replace Parkhurst?

Michael Parkhurst is as good as gone from MLS, but who is will join him? (Getty Images)

I think it is safe to say that it is open season right now for foreign clubs to pick apart MLS talent in preparations for the upcoming transfer window.

Lots of rumors are swirling around who will go where and for how much. A lot of transfers unfortunately will probably cost MLS more due to the lack of possible transfer fees as some players are out of contract. But they could make up for it with some young stars that are looking to move on from the league.

Defenders are at a premium for the taking right now. But so are some young talent that we’ve been saying would be ripe for the picking for a while now. There is also now some veteran players in the league that could see their chances elsewhere increase in the coming weeks.

Again, loads of rumors and only so many will come true. Even with the amount of possible players leaving it always means the door will be open for more to come in. From what I’ve seen so far there are plenty of possible players to join the league this winter in transfer deals.

Let’s just look at this at a player-by-player case:

• Landon Donovan: He’s either in Munich or he’s not for a loan right now, depending on who you ask. For the most part we know he will be there until at least March. I still have a slight feeling he won’t be staying longer than that for an extended stay. Sure he has grown up a bit since his last couple tries but I just see this not working out yet again in Germany for LandyCakes.
• Taylor Twellman: No way Twellman is leaving MLS right now from what I’ve been hearing. If he leaves New England it will be in a trade to somewhere else in the league. Right now that seems like the most likely scenario of anything for him.
• Michael Parkhurst: He is as good as gone. According to Steve Goff today he will be in Denmark. The Scandinavian club Nordsjaelland is the destination and in the words of the Insider, “the Revs have already began preparing for 2009 without him.” Toughest part is not seeing the league and the Revs get any sort of transfer fee for Parkhurst.
• Sasha Kljestan: Dutch side FC Twente want him and will get him, I just don’t know if it will be this winter or next summer. If he does leave this winter he will get Chivas (and MLS) a nice little transfer fee. Part of me still thinks this won’t go down until the summer but either way he is going to Holland before long.
• Chad Marshall: I don’t expect any big name clubs to come calling Marshall’s name this winter but the MLS Defender of the Year will probably land on his feet in some Scandinavian league. Go figure right? He’s one of the few that hasn’t been linked to any clubs just yet and if he has Crew fans aren’t willing to mention which ones they are either. (EDIT: Now it appears that he could be going to Germany. He will be having a trail soon with German club Mainz.)
• Kenny Cooper: German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt seems to be the ones wanting Cooper now. We all recall the summer months of rumors with Cooper and the various clubs out there. It’s funny though because here in Dallas there isn’t a huge discussion on Cooper leaving, most feel his two club options on his contract will be picked up and he will have to wait it out again for getting sold to a European club. His big pay day is still in the works as he wants DP-style contract in MLS, which of course they won’t give to him. My money is on him leaving next month though because I think Dallas will make a couple big trades with the loads of cash they now have that Dulio Davino is off the books for 2009.
• Marvell Wynne: He wowed some people at the Olympics a few months back so expect some suitors to come calling Mo Johnston’s office here in the next few weeks. If Johnston is going to have the fire sale that some believe he will in order to land a couple high priced players in January, expect Wynne to be the first to go in a transfer. He will probably land in a smaller league, possible with a Danish or a Norwegian side but there has been some interest from Italy and Holland.
• Joe Cannon: When the Quakes decided to not pick up his option it showed me one thing, they weren’t as smart as some pegged them to be. Not picking up his option and low-balling him in an offer allows one of the league’s best keepers to be on the world market for a free transfer. I was kind of shocked when I first heard they didn’t pick up his option but now the word is some Norwegian clubs are looking at Cannon. I may be the first to say it but if they do lose Cannon this way they will not make the playoffs in 2009 unless they get a solid replacement, maybe a Chris Seitz from RSL?
• Bakery Soumare: When you are big, physical and hold a French passport some people take notice in the soccer world. That is he life that Soumare is leading right now. He jumped from a bench warmer to a star in 2008 and now he could very well cash in on a big pay day in Europe. He probably won’t go cheap though for Chicago to let him go that easy. I would imagine it will take some big number to get him to go.

Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch was voted the 2008 Panasonic Goalkeeper of the Year. New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst was named the winner of the MLS Fair Play award, and the Revolution earned the MLS Team Fair Play award, recognizing the MLS club with the fewest disciplinary points during the 2008 regular season.

Busch had a stellar year thanks in some part to having an injury free year and a strong defense in front of him. The 32-year old started and played every minute (2,700) of all 30 regular season games for Chicago. He led the club to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference (13-10-7) and ranked first in MLS in shutouts (10), was tied for second in wins (13) and second in goals against average (1.10).

Busch is also up for Comeback Player of the Year award.

Parkhurst is claiming his second consecutive MLS Fair Play Award. He becomes the third player to win the award twice and second to do it in consecutive seasons. Steve Ralston, his New England teammate, won the award in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Mark Chung is the other two-time winner.

The New England Revolution claimed the Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points (300) of any team during the 2008 regular season. As stated by the league’s website, disciplinary points are assigned as follow: 4 points for each caution received, 10 points for each red card, 0.50 points for each foul committed and a reduction of 15 points for each game that a team completes without receiving any cards or action from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

Two more awards will be handed out this week on Thursday with the Referee of the Year and the Defender of the Year.

A lot of end-of-season awards in Major League Soccer are just as tight as the playoff race. I’ve been tracking the Rookie of the Year and MVP races for some time now but I figured I would weigh in on all the awards for once since we are in the final few weeks of the season.

MLS MVP Award:

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew: His club may be playing well without him but his numbers still make a serious case for MVP this season. He should be back soon, which can only mean his soccer IQ on the field will enhance the Crew even more here.
2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: 19 goals in just 21 games. I think that may be all I need to say here. Earlier I thought his production wasn’t enough for the MVP this year but I am thinking otherwise now.
3. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: He and his club may be stumbling but that should all work itself out once the Revs clinch a playoff spot.
4. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: If this were a half-season MVP I would probably have a tough time picking between Schelotto and Huckerby. Both have been stellar in the second half of the season. Huckerby has only been here for a half season, just think what he can do for a full year.
5. Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls: He’s forth in goals this season in the league but I don’t think that will be enough to get him this award this year.

Others in the discussion:

Javier Morales, RSL; Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago; Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas; Jamie Moreno, DC United; and Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA.

Newcomer of the Year:

1. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: No doubt that Huckerby will win this one. In nine games with the Quakes, he has scored six goals. Not to shabby.
2. Andre Rocha, FC Dallas: A bit of a homer pick for me but I’ve loved Rocha’s play on the field this season. At times it’s been tough to watch but most of the time he has been a solid addition to the Hoop’s midfield.
3. Rohan Ricketts, Toronto FC: There has to be a bright spot in a dark season for the Reds, that bright spot is Ricketts.
4. Jorge Rojas, New York Red Bulls: Let’s face it, since the addition of Rojas the Red Bulls have looked like a whole new club. He’s a big reason for that.
5. Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: This Olympian has given Sigi Schmid a nice addition on the wings.

Others in the discussion:

Jamison Olave, RSL; Louis Crayton, DC United; and Francisco Lima, San Jose Earthquakes.

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Rookie of the Year:

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Some think that Dube isn’t the front-runner anymore, I think otherwise. Then again, this year’s award may be anyone’s guess at this point.
2. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: I still like Iro could sneek in and win this award. But will the voters feel the same way?
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Expect to see more of him in the final weeks of the season.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: He’ll get more minutes as well which could really help him out in this award race.
5. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Some have him as the front-runner but I think he played himself out of that a while back. Could he sneak up again though is the question?

Others in the discussion:

Roger Espinoza, KC Wizards; Stephen King, Chicago Fire; and Steven Lenhart, Columbus Crew.

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Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Jon Busch, Chicago Fire: Best stats in the league, to his credit though his defense in front of him is pretty darn good too.
2. Joe Cannon, San Jose Earthquakes: Cannon is a very close second right now for me in this race. Should the Quakes get in the playoffs he will earn a bunch of votes for this in the process. And rightfully so.
3. William Hesmer, Columbus Crew: Hey his club is still top dog in the league, and he is a reason for it.
4. Matt Reis, New England Revolution: I still think Reis is one of the best keepers in the league. From time to time he isn’t able to show it because of faulty defense.
5. Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo: Onstad is in that same category as Reis. Solid every year.

Others in the discussion:

None, really outside of Busch and Cannon there isn’t much of a race going on here.

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Defender of the Year:

1. Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago Fire: There’s little doubt in my mind he will win this award this season.
2. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: We know what Parkhurst can, but can he work his way to the top of this list?
3. Wilham Conde, Chicago Fire: People love Segares and hate Conde at the same time. Its a shame too because Conde is a beast.
4. Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew: Speaking of a beast, Marshall is one of those guys that probably is due for a National team call-up.
5. Bobby Boswell, Houston Dynamo: Think DC is wishing they hadn’t traded Boswell before the season?

Others in the discussion:

Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire; Jamison Olave, RSL; and Wade Barrett, Houston Dynamo.

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Coach of the Year:

1. Sigi Schmid, Columbus Crew: Once the Crew wrap up the Supporter’s Shield so does Sigi wrapping this award up. Or has he already done so? Maybe.
2. Preki, Chivas USA: His club may have had a rough year but you cannot deny how well Preki has handled it all this year.
3. Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes: Can Yallop get his club to be the first expansion club to reach the playoffs since Chicago did so back in 1998?
4. Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo: Two MLS Cups and possibly one more on the way? Simply remarkable if you ask me.
5. Steve Nicol, New England Revolution: Nicol has navigated his club through a heavy schedule.

Feel free to give your thoughts on a player listed here or bring up a name that isn’t being talked about that could see a move across the pond.

I will do this in a couple different sections too. Players who could go now or have tried and players who are more in line to be the next Brad Guzan or Maurice Edu.

Players Who’ve Tried:

1. Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas: We all know Coopers attempts this summer to go to either Rosenborg or in Cardiff City. FC Dallas said no way to any and all transfer fees, even the really nice ones like Cardiff’s $4 million offer. I think we all know his name will be thrown out again come winter, even though his club has a couple options left on his contract AND they are still actively working to get him a new deal.

2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: We’ve heard him say he wants to try his hand at Europe once more. I would say if this whole deal with Bruce Arena falls apart you could see him throw his name out a bit more. But in all reality he is a whipped man at home and he doesn’t appear ready to leave his wife and TV star Bianca Kajlich behind just yet. I think its more of a thing if her TV career falls in the tanks, you could see him go. For me its a ‘never-say-never’ kind of thing with Landon and Europe.

3. Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution: He tried to leave and it didn’t happen. Sort of like what Dallas did with Cooper. Said no way and good day. I think Twellman’s injury status this season and the Revs quality play may help him out if he still wants to leave this winter. The Revs know they can win without him, but the biggest question will be if anyone still wants him. I’m sure they do but it may not be as high of a value as it could have been back in January.

4. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: The man should be in the big-boy leagues but he isn’t yet. He nearly went to Celtic at one point and I would not be shocked to see him try to go once again if he isn’t happy. If the right deal comes along you could see Joseph land a nice contract with a good team in Europe. I think that’s what he is waiting on if he still has European aspirations.

5. Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids: He wants to go after this year and he will. It is just a matter of where. I’d kind of love to see him get traded this year to an actual contender and see him get a MLS Cup before he goes.

Young Guns Waiting To Go:

1. Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA: Don’t be at all shocked if this winter you see his name float around in the rumor mills. Kljestan has the range that many European clubs would look for in the midfield. Not to mention he will probably have enough international experience at the nice age of 22 to make plenty of clubs want to spend some serious cash on him.

2. Chris Seitz, Real Salt Lake: We hardly see the 21-year old with RSL because of a veteran in the way but believe me Seitz has the size and potential to be a real stud in goal for years to come. Plus since he rarely plays you can bet some club will snag him for cheap and the league won’t even realize it.

3. Brek Shea, FC Dallas: We know some big name clubs have mentioned Shea here and there. While I don’t see that happening I do think before long he will get some serious mention from other clubs and will make the move. His size and the fact that he is still very young makes him a big time prospect for other clubs. Another one that the league will lose and get hardly anything for it because of the lack of PT he has gotten this year.

4. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: Good Ol’ Park is one of those guys that will probably leave sooner rather than later here. That is unless New England puts the stop to him going like they have before with other players. He’s one of the, if not the best defender in all of MLS. The way he reads the game on the field is pretty fun to watch for someone who use to play defense. I’d hate to see him go but I know he’s got the potential to do well abroad.

5. Ricardo Clark, Houston Dynamo: If he gets the anger issue in control he will be a prime candidate for a move. He’s another one of those defensive midfielders that cover a lot of ground on the field and would be able to fit right in to most European clubs.

6. Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire: I wasn’t too high on this kid when he first came into the league but the more I’ve seen him the more I’ve seen him grown as a player. He doesn’t get pushed off the ball too easily and his size is perfect for his position. He isn’t overly speedy but is overall size would be enough to make some clubs spend a little cash to get him. Easily a candidate for one of those Scandinavian leagues.

7. Marvell Wynne, Toronto FC: Who doesn’t love a big, speedy wing-back who can cover the entire sideline? I love watching Wynne play because of that reason. His play in the Olympics may have helped him get noticed a bit more too.

8. Stuart Holden, Houston Dynamo: There are times when I doubt this kid but then there are times that I cannot help but thing he will end up in Europe one of these days. His play in the Olympics was just like that. One second he was brilliant and the next he was so-so. This may be a wildcard and that is why I saved him for last but who can’t say one of those Scandinavian clubs wouldn’t want Holden in their midfield?

But before an influx of new talent comes into Major League Soccer I wanted to spend a little time looking back at the homegrown stuff here in the States. More importantly the homegrown talent that comes out of the college ranks and what not through the league’s SuperDraft.

I am mainly looking at old drafts and thought it was worth a mention to take a look back at the last few drafts to see not only how clubs did but the players that have moved on to bigger and better things through the league. Also to talk about the players who were picked high and ended up as duds (there are more than you’d think).

For the most part the MLS SuperDraft finds us about 10 good players and about 30 or so not-so-good players. Some last in the league, others don’t make it, and some head for Europe before the first kick of their rookie season. I think the draft will continue to go on in the future but with fewer rounds before long. Once the homegrown talent from youth academies kick in we will mainly see college players go through this process. And most of those won’t come with a high profile either in my best estimate.

I’m only taking us as far back as the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. I feel like in this now-expansion era of MLS soccer, that’s a solid starting point for discussions like these. Not to mention most of those players by now are either hits or misses.

As always feel free to pipe in your own thoughts about these past drafts below.

2005 MLS SuperDraft:

• I think it is fair to say that the top pick in this draft is still a kid. Nikolas Besagno probably didn’t go to the best club (RSL) to develop his talents but the jury may actually still be out on this kid. But by other people’s standards a top pick that has only seen eight league matches since being draft isn’t a good thing. If he was worth the top pick he would be a steady starter by now, at least.
• Brad Guzan went second to Chivas, I think right now we all know how well that pick turned out to be for both sides.
• I forgot Chad Barrett went at number three to Chicago in this one. Worthy of a top three pick? Maybe not with his inconsistent finishing. Still fairly young though, but I’m sure looking back on this the Fire would have loved to get a better defender out of this draft (Michael Parkhurst or Drew Moor). Though they did end up with a LATE steal in the third round with Gonzalo Segares.
• Speaking of Parkhurst, he was easily the best player in the draft now that we look back on it four years later.
• Rounding out the rest of the first round, lots of role players right now for the most part. Not a lot of big names to speak of. That’s what you get when seven of the first 12 picks are defenders.
• Chicago easily had the best draft…along with Barrett they got two third round gems in Segares and Chris Rolfe. Not many clubs in any sport in America can say they got two steals in a late round like the Fire did. Pretty impressive.

2006 MLS SuperDraft:

• Marvelle Wynne was the top pick with New York, though his time didn’t last long in New York I still believe he is one of the better wingbacks in the league right now. His pace and ability to get down the wings shows us reasons why he was the top pick in 2006.
• Mehdi Ballouchy carried on the tradition of terrible draft picks for RSL in their first couple of seasons. How this guy is not in the USL or somewhere below that is beyond me.
• Then again the jury is almost out of time on guys right after Ballouchy like Jason Garey and Yuri Movsisyan.
• Best draft may have gone to Chivas who nabbed Sasha Kljestan with the 5th pick and then in the forth round with a steal of a pick in Jonanthan Bornstein.
• We all know Jozy Altidore was drafted in the second round and how big that was. Easily a steal by anyone’s account, especially now looking at some of the crap drafted above him.
• Some decent picks here and there in the first round now that we know more about some of these kids. Kai Kamera shows flashes here and there, Dax McCarty is as solid as they come when he is healthy, same could be said about guys like Jed Zayner, Nathan Sturgis, and Patrick Ianni.
• Biggest dud of the draft may have been New England’s pick with Leandro de Oliveria. Yeah I don’t recall the name and couldn’t find a bit on him. Wow, for all the praise we give Steve Nicol and the Revs for finding gems in each draft he came up short on that one. Anyone have a story on that kid?

2007 MLS SuperDraft:

• Its almost like a gulf in class between some of these drafts and this one. I think it may be a product of younger and better talent either not going into college or in the top pick’s case not staying in college very long. Either way this was a pretty solid draft.
• A lot of trades in this draft…and I mean a lot. The Joe Cannon trade, the Ronnie O’Brien trade, the popular Amado Guvara deal. Plus many others that really shaped this draft.
• Of course it is still early to tell with some players still in this draft but we are starting to see some key role players out of this bunch with guys like Wells Thompson, Brad Evans, Anthony Wallace, and Amaechi Igwe.
• Maurice Edu was by far the best player in the draft, may be one of the best number one picks the league has ever seen really.
• I was low on the second pick for a little while but I’ve come around to Chicago’s Bakery Soumare.
• Chris Seitz continues to be talked about as the best keeper in this draft (which he was by and far) but we haven’t seen much of that in league play out of him. Tough to be a young budding keeper when you have a veteran standing in the way. Don’t be shocked if this kid is in Europe in a year or two.
• Steal of the draft by some accounts was New England’s forth round pick in Adam Cristman.
  
• Second round steal goes to New York (again) with Dane Richards.
  
• Some could say Robbie Findley was a steal in the second round as well. Considering some of the players picked above those two (hello, Chicago picking Jerson Monterio or Colorado taking Nico Colaluca).

2008 MLS SuperDraft:

• Yeah okay, I won’t go into this one too much since we are STILL figuring this draft out. Come back next year I suppose. Its anyone’s guess who got the best draft, much less the best player!

By now you should all know the set up for the roster; a keeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two strikers.

Just comment below or send an email with your picks.

Keeper: Matt Reis, New England – I considered a couple guys for this but I can’t see any other way to not go with the Rev’s most consistent player this season. Reis kept them in games they could have easily lost, helped them win games and has made save after safe this season.

Also worth a consideration: Jon Busch, Chicago; Greg Sutton, Toronto FC – Busch for his ability to surprise me more than anyone else this season in goal and Sutton because the game is in Toronto and that cat knows how to win at BMO Field.

Defense: Michael Parkhurst, New England – I tried to find a reason not to have Parkhurst starting in my line-up. And I failed terribly at it.

Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire – When he was gone for National team duty his club looked rather weak in defense. That’s a good sign of how good this guy really is. I’ve said he was one of the most underrated defenders in the league.

Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy – I’m pretty serious about this one. I honestly believe the Galaxy would have given up around 30 or 40 goals already if Franklin wasn’t in their line up (so far the have given up 24, second worst in MLS). Sure he is a rookie and probably won’t get the nod but I don’t think most people appreciate how good of a defender this kid is right now.

Also in consideration: Frank Hejduk, Columbus Crew; Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakery Soumare, Chicago Fire.

Midfield: David Beckham, LA Galaxy – I don’t even need to explain this one.

Blanco, Chicago Fire – Ditto.

Shalrie Joesph, New England Revolution – I tabbed him as my MVP for this year back in the preseason and so far he isn’t letting me down.

Maurice Edu, Toronto FC – Hometown guy for the TFC fans, I think he is worth starting here too.

Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew – He’s cooled off a bit from earlier in the year but this kid has made serious strides in his game this season and it’s paid off for the Crew.

Also in consideration: Andre Rocha, FC Dallas; Kyle Beckerman, RSL; Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew; Steve Ralston, New England Revolution; Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo; Sasha Kljestan, Chivas USA; and Justin Mapp, Chicago Fire.

Strikers: Landon Donvoan, LA Galaxy – 11 goals, 6 assists. Uh, any reason not to?

Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas – A bit of a homer pick for me but Cooper is having a moster year so far for Dallas. Seven goals so far this year, well on his way to a career year.

Others in consideration: Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy; Luciano Emilio, DC United; Danny Dichio, Toronto FC; and Alejandro Moreno, Columbus Crew.