Chad Marshall should have gone to Germany.

The offer made by both the Crew and Mainz were said to be close. So we can remove any variables with pay.

Next, lets look at each team and their prospects:

The Crew will have the majority of the same players as last year (though that might change as Sigi might convince some to follow him), but I assume the team will be the same. The Crew will have a new coach that has been with the team for years, so again, no real change here. We also know that he won’t have to fight for a starting place. An injury is the only thing that will keep Marshall off the field. Chad has nothing else to win or prove in the MLS. He has won the Cup and the MLS Defender of the Year.

Mainz on the other hand is in Bundesliga 2. Mainz is currently in 1st place and are favored to win promotion to the Bundesliga next season. While Marshall might not walk in and be given a starting position, he has the skill to gain that position. Next year he could be playing in the Bundesliga against the Bayern Munichs of the world. Unlike his current standing in the MLS, Marshall has much to gain. Playing in a more competitive league, and more European exposure.

The next argument is getting a place on the US National Team. Well, he has been with the Crew for years and has gained little notice of the national team bosses. I’m not saying you need to play in Europe to make the National team, because that is not true. Just look at the upcoming team and where the majority of them are currently playing…it is not MLS. The majority of the players on the 2010 World Cup Team will not be from the MLS, and we wont even get into the starting eleven.

In the end my argument is Chad Marshall has mastered MLS. He has nothing else to prove in the States. It is time to expand his resume and skill set by playing in a different county (and I’m not saying Europe is the only place to go).

Again, I’m glad the Crew have him for another season and I look forward to watching him live again next season.

O RLY? Hoffenheim is so small, the team plays in front of only FIVE THOUSAND. What’s worse? Leading a top European league and only playing in front of 5,000 or playing on a baseball field?

How did the Hoffis get to the top of the ol’ Maypole? Their very own Roman Abramovich, SAP co-founder Dietmar Hopp. It’s not quite that simple, though. Unlike Abramovich’s whirlwind upending of Chelsea, it’s estimated Hopp has invested around 100 million Euros in the club over a period of twenty years, bringing the team up slowly from the depths of German fussball. He calls himself the “anti-Abramovich.”

And what is this little-club-that-could doing to the status quo? Well, the Bundesliga’s NY Yankees (i.e. richest-club-that-buys-all-the-best-players-from-other-league-teams-and-wins-the-most-engendering-the-requisite-resentment), Bayern Munich, have struggled – but with a recent hot streak have climbed all the way to third. Which, by the way, is completely unacceptable for FC Hollywood.

Aside: I had the distinct pleasure of living and working in Munich for a year, and by working, I mean: doing an internship working 35 hours/week and drinking a LOT of wiessbier. I asked a colleague of mine if he wanted to see the first Bundesliga match of the year – it wasn’t Bayern Munich, but TSV 1860 Munich, the city’s working-class team. He turned up his nose at me like I’d asked him to shovel Kuhdung (translation “cow manure”). I went by myself.

So, at the end of the year, will it be the little-club-that-could? The big-rich-club-that-usually-does? Or somebody-completely-boring-like-Schalke? As Franz Beckenbauer would say, “Shau ma mal.” (translation “We’ll see.”)

I was a little frustrated with Bradley during the Olympics due to his on-the-pitch decisions, but this a great move.  The level of competition will be higher and Michael will get better recognition. My only concern is Borussia Monchengladbachs chances to stay in the Bundesliga this season. If Borussia gets regulated this season, Bradley will be playing in a lower division than when he was in Holland.

In the end it is good to see another US international playing in the top league of a major European country. This is the type of moves we need to see to better strengthen the US Men’s team. LANDON, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?