Players having stable club environments will be pivotal for the USMNT moving forward. Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu have found homes. Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Ricardo Clark have not, and, consequently, Juergen Klinsmann left the trio off the U.S. squad for friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium. All three will be searching for a chair before the music stops on Aug. 31.

One thing to consider with all three is the economy. EPL clubs will still splash the cash, but on the continent the downturn slows down the transfer market. Clubs are more reticent to spend money. They also want maximum value when they sell players. This may slow down or stymie the consummation of a number of sensible moves.

Michael Bradley: Bradley is the most likely of the trio to change clubs. Borussia Monchengladbach want him out at any cost. The latest rumors have him traveling to lower table Serie A side Chievo Verona. That seems far more probable than Roma or Napoli. Chievo have depth issues in midfield, having sold Kevin Constant to Genoa and having seen Gelson Fernandes return from his loan. They are a small club with a correspondingly small transfer budget. Bradley would fit the price range, free.

Domenico Di Carlo, returning to Chievo after a year steering Sampdoria into the relegation battle, generally plays a 4-3-1-2 which could suit Bradley. Undisciplined, erratic and inefficient, he’s unlike a typical Italian player, though his direct, impulsive combativeness is something Italian opponents generally won’t be equipped to handle. Bradley needs a club, in any league, where he can play. Chievo seems like a place where he may get an opportunity.

Jermaine Jones: Jones had a decent loan spell with Blackburn in the EPL last year, though Schalke have left him out of 18-man squads repeatedly thus far. He’s not a fixture in future plans and the desire to move him is there. Though, where is his destination? Jones’ pedigree could attract a higher caliber club than Bradley. The trouble is he is injury prone, he turns 30 in November (no upside, no back end value) and Schalke will want a transfer fee. Jones is risky, in a risk averse climate. The Premier League seems the only place where second-tier clubs still have disposable income. A relegation battler looking for a bit of steel and experience (QPR?) would make sense, but he may have to wait for the January scramble.

Ricardo Clark: He’s a peripheral figure for the USMNT, which should give you some idea of where he stands in Europe. Clark has struggled with injuries since leaving MLS. His club Eintracht Frankfurt were relegated from the Bundesliga last season. He has never won a place in midfield. His playing time has come filling in at at center-half, while his club has been desperately looking for a defender to not have to play him there. The right move competitively would be a return to MLS, though, with his contract running through 2013, that may not be feasible.

[Photo via Getty]