Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed that his side were also on the trail of new Milan signing Oguchi Onyewu. The centre-back was signed by the Serie A giants from Standard Liege on Tuesday.

"Congratulations to Milan. We were close to the defender of the U.S. national team 15 days ago, but the Rossoneri were more clever than I am," he admitted to Il Corriere dello Sport.

"For Palermo, he would have been a natural replacement for [the suspended Moris] Carrozzieri. Is he ready for Milan? I do not know if he is a defender of Milan's standards even if he is a good addition."

The 27-year-old recently gained exposure at the Confederations Cup and was one of the most impressive players for the United States, as they made it all the way to the final before a 3-2 loss to Brazil.

Onyewu is now on a three-year deal at the San Siro.

Adam Scime, Goal.com

Quick Start

Born in Washington D.C., Onyewu’s parents were natives of Nigeria and had moved to the states not long before his birth. Growing up playing soccer, Onyewu attended Sherwood High School and played for two years, before joining the U.S. residency program in Florida.

After graduating from the program and Sherwood, Onyewu enrolled at Clemson where he played two seasons. That was all the domestic soccer he’d experience as before his junior year began he signed with FC Metz of France’s Ligue 1.

Standard Procedure

Only making three appearances for Metz during his three seasons as a player at the club, two of them loaned out to La Louviere and Standard Liege, a move away was imminent. It was Standard Liege, the second club who had been on loan with, who sought a permanent deal for then 22-year-old defender.

Signing officially with Liege in 2004, Onyewu was an instant hit in Belgium, and after his first season with his new team, was named to the Jupiler League’s best XI for 2005.

Onyewu experienced four more seasons in Belgium, netting an impressive 179 appearances for Standard in the process. During that time, they won two Jupiler League titles, a Belgian Supercup and were runners up in the Belgian Cup.

In an effort to stick with a bigger club, Onyewu spent the second half of the 2007 season on-loan at Newcastle, but wasn’t able to hold down a first-team place and returned to Standard later that year.

Speculation grew towards the end of last season that Onyewu was ready to move on after five years of devoted service with Les Rouches. His hesitation to renew his contract were the main reason for the rumors.

Those rumors became founded as the summer hit and no contract was decided upon. A whole host of clubs had been interested in acquiring his signature before the transfer window opened, with newly promoted Wolverhampton and Birmingham of the English Premier League said to be high on the list. Other clubs included Marsielle, PSG, Borussia M’Gladbach and Fulham.

Rising On The World Stage

In this summer’s Confederations Cup, Onyewu significantly raised his stock when he put in a host of dazzling performances for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Pitted against some of the world’s best strikers, Onyewu held his own and was an integral part of the team’s dramatic run to the final.

Particularly in their match against Spain, it was the defense that kept the game the way it was, with Onyewu’s unwavering determination to command his area deeming too much for the likes of David Villa and Fernando Torres who couldn’t crack the U.S. back four.

His play in that match, and in the final against Brazil, with everyone watching, greatly increased his stock and brought his name to the lips of some of the bigger club teams in the world. Following the tournament he was rumored to sign with Real Madrid, but when it was all said and done, it was AC Milan who won the race to his signature.

Les Rouches for Rossoneri

In what is undoubtedly the biggest move of his career, AC Milan signed Onyewu on a free transfer on July 7th, 2009. With the retirement of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta’s uncertain health and the return of Philippe Senderos to Arsenal, there was an obvious void in Milan’s back four.

Onyewu should fill it nicely.

It remains to be seen if Milan bring anymore bodies to bulk up their defense, but for now, Onyewu is a signing that should excite Rossoneri fans everywhere. With the signing, he becomes only the second American player in the modern era to sign with a Serie A team, following USMNT great Alexi Lalas, who spent a year with Padova.

"He keeps it simple,” said Lalas of the towering Onyewu. “He won’t be asked to do things he’s not comfortable with doing. When you have a Pirlo or someone like that, it’s simple: get the ball to the guys that create. "


Strength Is His Strength

Onyewu has always been known to possess incredible strength in his vigorously maintained 6’4” body. He has the ability to hold off forwards and is excellent in the air.

In essence, they are two of the most valuable traits for a central defender to have: ability in the air and power. It doesn’t stop there for Onyewu, however. His tackling skills are first rate and he plays with confidence.

His experience in Europe will also benefit him at Milan as he has taken part in continental competitions and could be considered a cultured defender, having tasted life in England, France and Standard’s Belgium.

No Need To Panic

One of the few things that Onyewu has been knocked for in his playing career has been his sometimes hasty movement of the ball when under pressure. Some argue that it cost him a permanent deal at Newcastle as the pairing of him and Titus Bramble turned out to be a complete mess with neither player performing particularly well.

It has also been said that his lack of pace could be an issue, particular in a fast-paced team like Milan. Thankfully, his lanky frame seems to make up for the speed problem and he is able to reach balls with mysterious quickness.

Particulars

Name: Oguchialu Chijioke Goma Lambu Onyewu

Born: May 13th, 1982 (Washington, D.C.)

Club History: Metz (2002-04), La Louviere (loan - 2003), Standard Liege (2004-09), Newcastle (loan - 2007), Milan (2009 - )

Club Honors

Jupiler League Champions: 2008/09, 2007/08
Jupiler League Runners-up: 2005/06
Belgian Cup Runners-up: 2007
Belgian Supercup Winners: 2008

Individual Honors

Jupiler League Best XI: 2004/05, 2007/08
Jupiler League Foreign Player of the Year: 2005
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2006

AC Milan officially signed Oguchi Onyewu on Tuesday and Standard Liege vice-president Luciano D'Onofrio believes that the Serie A side have made an excellent acquisition.

"I think Milan have made a purchase of exceptional value with Onyewu, he is a player that can be a good alternative in [Milan coach] Leonardo's team," he said, according to Goal.com Italia.

"They had already contacted us some time ago, then I met [vice-president Adriano] Galliani last night and we resumed our discussions."

Interestingly, D'Onofrio revealed that the Rossoneri's city rivals, Inter, had also expressed interest in the United States international.

"For the player, who had an expiring contract, we were approached by many teams, among them Inter. The other teams were Birmingham and [Borussia] Monchengladbach."

Adam Scime, Goal.com

In what many would the biggest or most important move ever made by an American player, USA international Oguchi Onyewu has signed on to join A.C. Milan.

 

The towering defender became a free agent this summer and the rumors surrounding where he would land were plentiful. The former Standard Liege star was linked with moves to England, France, Germany, and even a couple of smaller clubs in Italy. One recent report even named Spain's Real Madrid as a possible suitor, but A.C. Milan was never thought to be part of the equation.

 

Yet when the dust settled, AC Milan had swooped in and that was where Onyewu landed.

 

As much of a surprise as it was to most Americans, Onyewu’s jump to one of the top clubs in the world was still viewed as a positive sign by other American players and even Bob Bradley, the coach of the U.S. National team. The move captured the attention of those who know the player.

 

“It's very exciting,” Bradley said of the news of Onyewu's transfer. “(Milan is) one of the great clubs in the world. Certainly, the experience that he'll get there will really be important as we move forward with our national team.”

 

While Bradley’s assessment of the situation focused on how the move may benefit the U.S. National Team in the future, others were just happy to finally see an American field player sign with a big club.

 

“It's a big sign,” U.S. National Team striker Charlie Davies said. “Gooch signing with AC Milan opens a lot of doors for Americans and makes a lot of clubs realize that Americans can play.”

 

Davies has also been the target of some summer transfer speculation after his impressive showing at the Confederations Cup and sees Onyewu’s move as a positive for American players in the future.

 

“Hopefully, now younger guys coming up can have a dream that they can play at Madrid and they can play at Milan because now Gooch has been able to break that barrier,” Davies said.

 

As a long time U.S. National Team veteran, and a player who has spent his entire career in Europe, Steve Cherundolo also recognized that Onyewu’s move to Italy was a good sign for American players.    

 

“It's great for American soccer players,” the 30-year-old wingback said. “We wish Gooch all the best. He certainly deserves it. He had an excellent tournament in South Africa and has played solidly the past few years. I just want to congratulate him."

 

Kyle Beckerman, a midfielder on the U.S. Gold Cup roster, was another player who seemed extremely happy with the latest developments in the Onyewu transfer saga. Beckerman was, along with Onyewu, a member of the first USA U17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida.

 

“I'm super excited for him,” Beckerman said. “It's a huge move. It's got to be one of the biggest ever for a U.S. player. I'm excited for him. I'm sure he's super excited. We all want him to do really well out there.”

 

Beckerman’s sentiments will be felt by Milan fans world wide as they hope the big defender can help lead the Rossoneri back to European glory.

 

Allen Ramsey, Goal.com.

Reporting from RFK Stadium, Washington DC, by Kyle McCarthy.