Oguchi Onyewu‘s outstanding performances for the U.S. national team in the Confederations Cup boosted his profile – a lot. The center back has joined AC Milan on a three-year contract the club said Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. player to join Serie A in more than 10 years. Onyewu joins Milan from Standard Liege in Belgium, where Onyewu helped his club win two consecutive league titles.
Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed. Onyewu also holds a Belgian passport and Milan will likely register him as an EU player. The 27-year-old Onyewu was born in Washington, D.C., after his parents emigrated to the United States from Nigeria.
The last American national team player to play in Serie A was Alexi Lalas, who played for Padova from 1994-96. (Italian national team striker Giuseppe Rossi, who was born in New Jersey and still holds American citizenship, spent a season with Parma.)