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At a time when Americans have become somewhat of an endangered species in the England's Premier League, a bit of good news came down Wednesday when it was announced goal keeper Marcus Hahnemann was signed by newly promoted club Wolverhampton. Hahnemann, who had spells at Fulham and Reading, was released by the Royals last month after a long stint at the club, helping them reach the top flight for the first time in their history due to budgetary concerns.
Hahnemann will likely be given a chance to compete for the No. 1 spot at Wolves, but will also be expected to mentor the club's other keepers Wayne Hennessey and Carl Ikeme. However it shakes out, Hahnemann provides a nice veteran insurance policy.
With Hahnemann's return the ranks of American keepers in the Premier League swells back to four. Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan are at Aston Villa, while Tim Howard is the No. 1 at Everton. Unfortunately, the number of U.S. field players remains pretty much stagnant, with Clint Dempsey at Fulham and Jonathon Spector at West Ham at the only guys seeing any sort of regular playing time on the senior teams.
Even if he doesn't get a lot of playing time, it's good news for Hahnemann that he'll spend the season in the top flight, not toiling away at some obscure outpost. He's one of the good guys in U.S. soccer.
