After four and a half years, two Player of the Season awards and the captaincy this year, American International Brian McBride is leaving Fulham.
With a young family he likely wants to raise in the United States, I can see why he intends the move. However, McBride's loss may be tough to replace as he has been not only a goal scorer for the Whites, but something of the heart of the team. His injury early in the 07-08 season hampered his goal scoring, but he came back late in the season and scored key goals in the run in to survival.
With McBride's departure, the release of Carlos Bocanegra and the likely departure of Kasey Keller, the Whites will have only two Americans on the squad, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson. Can we stop the Fulhamerica talk now?
Fulham FC has a pictorial tribute to McBride.
What's next for McBride?
Rumor has it he may be named one of the overage players for the U.S. Olympic team, so that would be a fitting move for him, to play for his country again.
A return to the MLS, perhaps within the next few weeks is likely. McBride played for Columbus for a number of years, but no doubt a number of clubs will be interested in retaining his services (DC United could use a striker and has a DP slot open I think). I certainly see coaching and managing in McBride's future.
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