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Jeff Cunningham Training With Auxerre
The FC Dallas striker is training in France.
Dec 8, 2009 8:31:00 PM
By Noah Davis
As reported last week, Major League Soccer's Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham is training with Ligue 1 side Auxerre during the month of December. Although the trip across the Pond was arranged to give the Jamaican-born striker a chance to stay in form before the United States National Team camp in January, could it also be the first step towards Cunningham finishing his career abroad?
Possibly, according to Jerome de Bontin, the French-American who has close ties to the club and helped facilitate the FC Dallas man's trip across the Pond after a chance meeting between the two at the MLS Cup.
"Auxerre told me if I were to run into a special player with an interest to come and train with them, I was to extend the invitation... [In Seattle, Jeff and I] were talking about the National Team, he expressed some regret that he had nowhere to train prior to the camp in January," de Bontin told Goal.com over the phone from France on Tuesday night. "One phone call led to one thing and Auxerre [which has a partnership with the Colorado Rush] responded very favorably. They extended an invitation to Jeff to come and spend the month of December with the club.
"Whether it grows into something more for Jeff after this month there, no one can tell," the former Monaco president who brought Freddy Adu to the principality said. "Auxerre's a professional club. It has an extensive team of recruiters, but there's no question in my mind that if Jeff shines during his four weeks in Auxerre, there will be a place for him at Auxerre or somewhere else in France, which might be a great way to finish his career. But the original intent is clearly to give him an opportunity to play and train somewhere ahead of the camp."
At FCD, Cunningham earned a little less than $220,000 in guaranteed compensation during the 2009 season.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Get all the latest news on the US National Team with Goal.com's dedicated page.
As reported last week, Major League Soccer's Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham is training with Ligue 1 side Auxerre during the month of December. Although the trip across the Pond was arranged to give the Jamaican-born striker a chance to stay in form before the United States National Team camp in January, could it also be the first step towards Cunningham finishing his career abroad?
Possibly, according to Jerome de Bontin, the French-American who has close ties to the club and helped facilitate the FC Dallas man's trip across the Pond after a chance meeting between the two at the MLS Cup.
"Auxerre told me if I were to run into a special player with an interest to come and train with them, I was to extend the invitation... [In Seattle, Jeff and I] were talking about the National Team, he expressed some regret that he had nowhere to train prior to the camp in January," de Bontin told Goal.com over the phone from France on Tuesday night. "One phone call led to one thing and Auxerre [which has a partnership with the Colorado Rush] responded very favorably. They extended an invitation to Jeff to come and spend the month of December with the club.
"Whether it grows into something more for Jeff after this month there, no one can tell," the former Monaco president who brought Freddy Adu to the principality said. "Auxerre's a professional club. It has an extensive team of recruiters, but there's no question in my mind that if Jeff shines during his four weeks in Auxerre, there will be a place for him at Auxerre or somewhere else in France, which might be a great way to finish his career. But the original intent is clearly to give him an opportunity to play and train somewhere ahead of the camp."
At FCD, Cunningham earned a little less than $220,000 in guaranteed compensation during the 2009 season.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Get all the latest news on the US National Team with Goal.com's dedicated page.
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