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<H2>Onyewu move to Marseille is completed.</H2>
<TABLE width=100 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
</TD></TR><TR align=middle><TD align=middle>Oguchi Onyewu will return to France where he previously played for three years.
-- United States Soccer Federation web site photo -- </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>By Chris Courtney (in Brussels)
and Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)
SoccerTimes
BRUSSELS (Friday, January 26, 2007) -- After being courted by several of the top teams in Europe, United States central defender Oguchi Onyewu committed to sign today with Olympique Marseille of the French Ligue 1.
Standard de Liège, which is currently tied for third place in Belgium's Jupiler League, will receive a transfer fee reported to be around $4 million from Marseille.
"A final agreement will be signed over the weekend with Marseille," read a statement on Standard's web site.
Onyewu went the distance for Standard tonight, earning a yellow card in the 32nd minute of a 5-2 decision over SC Charleroi.
Onyewu, 24, had been linked to clubs in Spain, Italy, England and France. Fulham, an English Premier League club which already had U.S. striker Brian McBride and defender Carlos Bocanegra, and was then in the process of finalizing its acquisition of American midfielder Clint Dempsey, offered a transfer fee approaching $2 million for Onyewu earlier this month, but the proffer was rejected.
Will Sherling, Onyewu's agent, said it was the player's decision not to go to Fulham, though he did not give a reason. During last summer, Onyewu turned down an offer to move to Middlesbrough of the Premier League.
AC Milan and Lazio of Italy's Serie A were said to be interested in Onyewu, but nothing came of talks with those teams. In recent days, much specualation surrounded a possible move to two-time defending EPL champion Chelsea, which reportedly offered Liège $3.95 million for the transfer.
The EPL's Newcastle United was also said to have bid on the 6-foot-4, 210-pound American, noted for his physical style of play.
Sherling confirmed the offer and said intense negotiations had taken place, while French champion Lyon had also been in discussions for Onyewu.
"Lyon wants to sign the player," Sherling told Associated Press. "They want to do the deal, but they want him to stay at Liège until the end of the summer."
The Chelsea deal fell through, according to media reports, because Onyewu was concerned that the club's manager Jose Mourinho would leave at the end of the season and he might not fit into a new coach's plans.
Onyewu, who was named the U.S. Soccer Federation's 2006 "Male Athlete of the Year," spent three years with Metz (2002-04) in France, though he played only three times for the first team. Metz did loan him to La Louvière of Belgium, where he played in 24 matches and scored one goal in 2003.
Onyewu speaks French and is quite familiar with Ligue 1. That clearly made him desirable to Marseille, where he will likely start from the moment he arrives.
Marseille currently stands in second place with a record of 11-7-3 for 36 points, even with Lens (10-5-6) on points, but well behind league-leading Lyon (16-3-2, 50 points). There is a bitter battle for second place and its attendant berth in the European Champions League with seven teams within six points of Marseille and Lens.
Marseille identified bolstering its back-line as a to
<TABLE width=100 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
</TD></TR><TR align=middle><TD align=middle>Oguchi Onyewu will return to France where he previously played for three years.-- United States Soccer Federation web site photo -- </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>By Chris Courtney (in Brussels)
and Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)
SoccerTimes
BRUSSELS (Friday, January 26, 2007) -- After being courted by several of the top teams in Europe, United States central defender Oguchi Onyewu committed to sign today with Olympique Marseille of the French Ligue 1.
Standard de Liège, which is currently tied for third place in Belgium's Jupiler League, will receive a transfer fee reported to be around $4 million from Marseille.
"A final agreement will be signed over the weekend with Marseille," read a statement on Standard's web site.
Onyewu went the distance for Standard tonight, earning a yellow card in the 32nd minute of a 5-2 decision over SC Charleroi.
Onyewu, 24, had been linked to clubs in Spain, Italy, England and France. Fulham, an English Premier League club which already had U.S. striker Brian McBride and defender Carlos Bocanegra, and was then in the process of finalizing its acquisition of American midfielder Clint Dempsey, offered a transfer fee approaching $2 million for Onyewu earlier this month, but the proffer was rejected.
Will Sherling, Onyewu's agent, said it was the player's decision not to go to Fulham, though he did not give a reason. During last summer, Onyewu turned down an offer to move to Middlesbrough of the Premier League.
AC Milan and Lazio of Italy's Serie A were said to be interested in Onyewu, but nothing came of talks with those teams. In recent days, much specualation surrounded a possible move to two-time defending EPL champion Chelsea, which reportedly offered Liège $3.95 million for the transfer.
The EPL's Newcastle United was also said to have bid on the 6-foot-4, 210-pound American, noted for his physical style of play.
Sherling confirmed the offer and said intense negotiations had taken place, while French champion Lyon had also been in discussions for Onyewu.
"Lyon wants to sign the player," Sherling told Associated Press. "They want to do the deal, but they want him to stay at Liège until the end of the summer."
The Chelsea deal fell through, according to media reports, because Onyewu was concerned that the club's manager Jose Mourinho would leave at the end of the season and he might not fit into a new coach's plans.
Onyewu, who was named the U.S. Soccer Federation's 2006 "Male Athlete of the Year," spent three years with Metz (2002-04) in France, though he played only three times for the first team. Metz did loan him to La Louvière of Belgium, where he played in 24 matches and scored one goal in 2003.
Onyewu speaks French and is quite familiar with Ligue 1. That clearly made him desirable to Marseille, where he will likely start from the moment he arrives.
Marseille currently stands in second place with a record of 11-7-3 for 36 points, even with Lens (10-5-6) on points, but well behind league-leading Lyon (16-3-2, 50 points). There is a bitter battle for second place and its attendant berth in the European Champions League with seven teams within six points of Marseille and Lens.
Marseille identified bolstering its back-line as a to
