Is 6' - 3" the New Standard for American Defenders?

In the run up to the World Cup the average American soccer fan now knows about Gooch. Oguchi Onyewu, otherwise known as Gooch, is a 6' - 4" monster who played for Clemson University and then left for the professional ranks in Belgium instead of taking a small money offer from MLS. That tough choice has paid off for Gooch as he is now part of the US National Team at the 2006 World Cup. It now looks like Gooch may land in one of the big European leagues as rumor on the street is that English Premier League side Middlesbrough is on the verge of signing the young American. Gooch will anchor the central defense and his size will help the Americans in all aspects of the Cup. Gooch has become loved by fans for his famous stare down of Mexican forward, Jared Borgetti, in a World Cup qualifier.

Gooch grew up in the spotlight playing alongside Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley with the US U-17 team and his size has seemed like an anomaly in the US Soccer ranks. Just when you think it is safe to be a small striker in college soccer, Gooch appears to have led the charge of linebacker size kids playing college ball. The 2006 Premier Development League (PDL) season has brought a couple more big defenders to the spotlight. Michael Holody (University of Michigan) and David Horst (Old Dominion), 6' - 3" 200 lbs and 6' - 4" 195 lbs respectively, have been making some noise in PDL. Michael is playing in his native Michigan while David is playing for Virginia Beach. They both made the week 6 team of the week and it is David's second TOTW in a row. David even scored the game winner for his team this week while Michael also got on the scoreboard in a 4-0 rout.

Playing well in PDL will get these guys on the MLS scouts' radar screens. They both have some college years left in them but I expect to see David at the 2008 combine and Michael at the 2009 event. Coaches are going to begin to look for players who can use their size both on the defensive end and on set pieces on offense. Bruce Arena has been able to get the most out of his giant, MLS will too. I'm sure as soccer becomes more popular with young athletes, we'll start seeing more Americans topping the size charts on the international scene.