Everton Sign Obscure American Midfielder

So this morning when I woke up and skimmed through the seemingly never ending tide of European transfer rumors, one headline caught me eye -- "Everton to sign American midfielder." Immediately I thought it might have been U.S. International Clint Dempsey moving from Fulham, which had been talked about during last month's Confederations Cup.

Turns out, Everton's signing was hardly on the profile of Dempsey -- not even close. Instead it was 22-year-old Anton Peterlin who currently played in the American Premier Development League, the fourth tier of U.S. domestic leagues.

To encapsulate how little known Peterlin is, the guy isn't even listed on Wikipedia. Searching for his name links you to a deceased Slovenian physicist. (There are pictures of him through Google searching, so Peterlin is not soccer's version of Sid Finch.)

In short, this is a pretty amazing story on many levels. It's hard enough for an MLS starter to make a jump to the Premier League, for a 22-year-old toiling with the Ventura County Fusion is all the more remarkable.

Putting it in context U.S. all-time leading international goal scorer Landon Donovan wasn't offered a contract by Bayern Munich after a brief trial earlier this year. Also, at the time rising prospect Sacha Kljestan trained with Glasgow Celtic over the winter and wasn't offered a contract either. Yet somehow Peterlin, a guy even the most ardent U.S. fans probably hadn't heard of until this morning, gets a contract from the team that finished fifth in the 2008-09 Premier League.

Peterlin, on the recommendation of Fusion coach Graham Smith, apparently impressed Everton coach David Moyes during a trial in the spring. Monday he was offered a contract. How often we'll actually see the defensive midfielder in Premier League action during the 2009-10 season seems like a longshot. It would seem more likely he gets action in the League Cup or reserve matches.

It's probably a good move for Everton, since it's likely the the cost of signing Peterlin was roughly probably in the range of how much Cristiano Ronaldo pays for a pair of sunglasses. The Toffees can always use depth, especially after last season when they were hit hard by the injury bug.

Perhaps U.S. fans will get thier collective first glimpse of Peterlin later this month when Everton takes on the MLS All Star team at Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29. Can't you smell an ESPN pregame feature right now?

And if you had Peterlin tabbed as the next American to play in the Premier League, it might be wise to pick up a lottery ticket on the way home.