I came across an article on MLSSoccer.com earlier this morning and really thought it was worth discussing. The article is about former MLSers and other Americans/Canadians abroad that should return home to play in MLS. I can’t say I disagree with many on this list and I have a couple more that probably just need to suck it up and return home so they can actually see some playing time on the field.

We know its tough for a young player to head to Europe when they get the big contract. For some it works out. You have a decent group of Americans now in Europe that see playing time on a consistent basis but others struggle. I think Stuart Holden put it well recently in an interview (sorry couldn’t find the link). He said that MLS set him nicely for a move to Europe. Had he gone straight away and not gotten a few years experience in MLS first he would be struggling to see any sort of playing time because the adjustment is so tough for younger players.

For some of these guys below the adjustment was either due to them going to Europe at the wrong time in their career, coaching changes…or constant coaching changes, injuries or whatever.

One of the biggest obstacles in getting any number of these guys back in a MLS uniform is money. Most of these guys have earned more in Europe and will expect to that much here in MLS. Well, that probably won’t happen.

I’ll give you the five mentioned in the article and a few others worth discussing as well.

Eddie Johnson – I’ve thought for a while he needed to return to MLS. He’s been with Fulham since he left MLS a couple years ago. The Grown-Ass Man has seen loan spells to two other clubs that yielded some playing time for him. His contract runs out with Fulham next summer which would be the perfect time for a MLS team to make a pitch to him. He can still score and grabbing a guy like him for a late season push could be the difference in winning a MLS Cup and not reaching the playoffs.

Benny Feilhaber – He’s still very young but I’ve thought for ages he should give MLS a shot. His contract ends in the summer as well and he would be a big upgrade for anyone’s midfield. He may be just entering his prime but maybe a trip back home could help get his career back on track after a couple slowish seasons.

Carlos Bocanegra – This is more of those he’s done plenty and now its time to come home for a couple seasons before he hangs it up. I kind of doubt he’ll come just yet but maybe in a year or so he’ll give it a shot. He’s a natural leader that could really help a number of clubs in the back.

Rob Friend – I had to do a little more studying up on this guy. He’s Canadian and would obviously be a draw to Vancouver or Toronto (or even Montreal). He’s 30 but probably would be an instant upgrade on offense for TFC should he ever make the treck back home to the great white north.

Eddy Sidra – Not a common name for some MLS fans. He’s still very young and would be a nice defensive addition for either Canadian side. The article mentions he’s a free agent at the moment so why not make a play for the young defender?

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A few others worth throwing out there:

Freddy Adu – It won’t happen probably due to him and his agent being stubborn about where plays but he’d actually find playing time if he came back to MLS. I’d imagine the expectations would still be places on him if he did which could keep him from ever returning back here.

Frank Simek – He may have just signed a two year deal with Carlisle United so he could be a couple years away from considering it unless he helps them reach the EPL next year (unlikely at the moment it seems).

Mike Grella – Another young guy that has seen his moments already in England with Leeds and now Carlisle United. He was loaned out this season to get more playing time and so far he’s only seen limited action.

Paul Stalteri – Another Canadian to keep watch out for. He’s still in Germany at the moment but the playing time for this 33-year old isn’t all that great. He’s a little older than most TFC or Whitecap fans would want to see come back to them but I’d imagine he’d be a much better improvement for the Reds over someone like Nick Garcia.

Charlie Davies – Yes I know he finally returned to the first team bench this weekend but I still have a hunch he’ll be in MLS before long. I hope to be proved wrong for his sake though as I’d love to see him get back to where he was at before his horrific car crash.

Kenny Cooper – The move to Europe hasn’t been a smooth one for KC Junior. Either its a lack of playing time or another loan spell that doesn’t work out for him it seems like nothing has really gone his way so far since leaving FC Dallas.

Marcus Tracy – Another one I still have a hunch will come to MLS before long. He skipped out on playing in MLS a couple years ago even though he was drafted by the Houston Dynamo. Things looked nice starting out for him in Denmark but only 15 appearances since joining Aalborg in 2009 doesn’t bode well for his future.

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I’m sure there are plenty more that are really in need of a better playing situation and returning home to MLS would be a good fit. Feel free to add them below. Just keep in mind that I’m not saying any of these guys are going to come back to MLS tomorrow or even next summer. Just an opinion that I think they’d be better off back here.

Instead he is trying to land his feet in England. Grella is on trial with Leeds United, and scored three goals in Leeds’ reserve match against Barnsley on yesterday. Leeds plays in League 1, the English third division.

Some will ask how Grella is able to play for a club in England if he hasn’t appeared for the US National team any…well it is simple, Grella holds an Italian passport. He is free to sign with the English club, and his Italian passport will allow him to sign anywhere in Europe he can secure a contract.

Toronto FC, the club who drafted Grella in last week’s MLS SuperDraft has been made aware of Grella’s situation in Europe. More than likely they drafted Grella to secure his rights for two years.

Still, it is a shame the league couldn’t sign a player like Grella but as we all know until the average rookie salary goes up from the pathetic number that it is now guys will continue to pursue this path. I hope nothing but the best for Grella though in Europe. Hopefully he can produce well and get plenty of PT.

Maryland's Jeremy Hall is one of nine players signed on as a Generation adidas player. (Getty Images)

A few surprises today with the Generation adidas class and MLS Combine rosters being announced. The GA list went out without a hitch from what we discussed yesterday but a couple players were missing from the Combine list that the league ended up missing out on.

Both Marcus Tracey (Wake Forest) and Mike Grella (Duke) have opted not to sign with MLS and instead will look at offers from European clubs. There is still time for the two to sign before next week’s draft but if they don’t this draft class will have taken a big dent with those losses.

As for the GA list, the nine we discussed yesterday were announced today. There is still an outside chance another name could be added to this list but I still doubt that will happen in time.

• Steve Zakuani
• Omar Gonzalez
• Rodney Wallace
• Jeremy Hall
• Baggio Husidic
• Kevin Alston
• Stefan Frei
• Peri Marosevic
• Daniel Cruz

Now as for the Combine information, below is the list of rosters as well as game times for those in the area. Miami fans, you claim to want a team so bad right now…if I were you I’d show up in full force as these games are open to the public. Show your support for the league’s future here, plus it may help get some more people behind you if you do indeed show up for this event. (sorry for the rant, I just couldn’t help it here)

Here are the MLS Combine rosters and schedule of matches:
Complete 2009 adidas MLS Combine Rosters:

adidas adiPure
Alec Dufty (University of Evansville)
Neal Kitson (St. John’s University)
Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason University)
Raphael Cox (University of Washington)
Danny Cruz (Generation adidas/University of Nevada Las Vegas)
Juan Guerra (Florida International University)
Jack Traynor (University of Notre Dame)
Darrius Barnes (Duke University)
Matt Besler (University of Notre Dame)
Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac University)
Aaron Clapham (University of Louisville)
Jokull Elisabetarson (University of North Carolina – Greensboro)
Wes Knight (College of Charleston)
Paul Nicholson (Rio Grande University)
Jean Alexandre (Lynn University)
Jordan Seabrook (University of South Florida)
Jeremy Hall (Generation adidas/University of Maryland)
Otto Loewy (Winthrop University)

Coaches: Bobby Clark (University of Notre Dame) and Jeremy Alumbaugh (Springfield United)

adidas Tunit
Stefan Frei (Generation adidas/University of California)
Trevor Banks (Old Dominion University)
Josh Boateng (Liberty University)
AJ DeLaGarza (University of Mayland)
Richard Jata (Campbell Univeristy)
Rodney Wallace (Generation adidas/University of Maryland)
Brandon Barklage (Saint Louis University)
Pav Castenada (Duke University)
Paul Gerstenberger (Boston College)
Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton University)
Peri Marosevic (Generation adidas/University of Michigan)
Kyle Patterson (Saint Louis University)
Chris Pontius (University of California – Santa Barbara)
Matt Poole (University of Virginia)
Kyle Russell (Coastal Carolina University)
Babajide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara University)
Daniel Revivo (Winthrop University)

Coaches: Cam Rast (University of Santa Clara) and Marc Nicholls (Greensboro Youth Soccer)

adidas Predator PowerSwerve
Evan Bush (University of Akron)
Sean Milligan (Dartmouth University)
Quincy Amarikwa (University of California – Davis)
Oscar Castillo (University of Connecticut)
Jeffery Harwell (Southern Methodist University)
Keum Sung Kim (Loyola University)
Akeem Priestly (University of Connecticut)
Lyle Adams (Wake Forest University)
Rhett Bernstein (Brown University)
Sam Cronin (Wake Forest University)
Doug DeMartin (Michigan State University)
Bryan Irwin (University of Portland)
Yohance Marshall (University of South Florida)
Ryan Mirsky (Southern Methodist University)
Patrick Murray (Furman University)
Steve Zakuani (Generation adidas/University of Akron)
Nick Zimmerman (James Madison University)
Omar Gonzalez (Generation adidas/University of Maryland)

Coaches: Caleb Porter (University of Akron) and Bobby Muuss (University of Denver)

adidas Tiro
Steward Ceus (University of Albany)
Milos Kocic (Loyola College (Md.))
Ryan Maxwell (University of Tampa)
Michael Lahoud (Wake Forest University)
Chris Salvaggione (UNC – Charlotte)
Kevin Alston (Generation adidas/Indiana University)
Calum Angus (Saint Louis University)
Evan Brown (Wake Forest University)
Graham Zusi (University of Maryland)
Chris Clements (University of Tulsa)
Dylan Curtis (University of California – Davis)
Alex Grendi (University of Pennsylvania)
David Hertel (Michigan State University)
Ryan Maduro (Providence College)
Baggio Husidic (Generation adidas/University of Illinois – Chicago)
George John (University of Washington)
Ross Schunk (Redlands University)
Nick Perera (University of California – Santa Barbara)

Coaches: Chaka Daley (Providence College) and Janusz Michallik (National Director of SoccerPlus Camps)

MLS PLAYER COMBINE GAME SCHEDULE
All games are open to the public. All times eastern and schedule is subject to change.