FanHouse Heath Pearce

In an update from a story yesterday, U.S. defender Heath Pearce's move to Turkish club Bursaspor has apparently fallen apart. Pearce wanted to rework the deal before signing it and it didn't leave the club enough time to make adjusts before the transfer window closed.

Where this leaves Pearce going forward is anyone's guess. MLS always seems like a fall back for American players, but with the season nearly over and FC Dallas (currently seventh in the Western Conference) getting the first crack to sign him, he'd only get a handful of games before 2009 is over and the reason resumes in March 2010.

If there's one edict that U.S. National Team coach Bob Bradley has established since taking over the reigns from Bruce Arena at the end of the 2006, it's that if a player wants to be included in the U.S. squad he'd better be playing for his club team.

U.S. semi-regular left back Heath Pearce found this out the hard way when he was left off the 23-man roster for the upcoming crucial qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago since he was out of contract and without a club to call home.

SEATTLE (AP) -- Playing without its top stars, there was some concern that the United States would struggle to generate offense during the heading CONCACAF Gold Cup. That doesn't look like a problem anymore.

The Americans, fresh off a stunning runner-up finish at the FIFA Confederations Cup, thoroughly dominated Grenada, 4-0 on Saturday night, as they began their quest for a third straight Gold Cup title.

Though Heath Pearce was, IMO, highly unimpressive in his USMNT audition against Colombia -- and we here at FanHouse apologize for bringing that up -- he acquired a reputation as one of the best left backs in the Danish Superliga at the tender age of 22. This rep and a brief trial with newly promoted Hansa Rostock earned Pearce a two-year deal. Pearce joins USMNT fixture Steve Cherundolo and Gold Cup darling Benny Feilhaber as the only Americans currently in the Bundesliga. (Kasey Keller's team got relegated, and he's a free agent anyway.)

This is great for both Pearce and the USMNT if he can find the field regularly. Chances of that? Well... it's possible:

"[Pearce] and Hansa Rostock have agreed to a deal until June 2009," Sporting Director Herbert Maronn confirmed to YA. "We expect him to compete and challenge for an important spot on our team."

A regular spot on a Bundesliga side would put Pearce in a great position to challenge Jonathan Bornstein as the USA's first choice left back.

(Hat Tip: Soccer By Ives.)