Today it was announced that Marcus Tracy, the former standout college striker who left for Europe, will be returning to Major League Soccer after signing a contract with the league.
Tracy, who was originally from the Chestnut Hill district of Philadelphia but grew up in Connecticut, has been training with the Philadelphia Union recently while negotiating his next employment (h/t Jonathan Tannenwald). He started his professional career with Danish club Aalborg BK, but has struggled with injuries ever since his college years at Wake Forest. According to the Twitter feed of MLS Manager of Sports Communications Lauren Brophy, Tracy has obtained his return to the United States in an effort to reestablish his professional career, and now will await a weighted lottery to find out his new club on Thursday of this week.
The 25-year-old Tracy earned many honors at Wake Forest University, playing a pivotal role in the Demon Deacons' College Cup title in 2007. He won the Hermann Trophy in 2008 as top college soccer athlete, and was a 1st-Team All-American. After spurning MLS for the lure of European football in Scandinavia, he was hampered by injuries and a lack of playing time in the Danish Superliga. His most recent knee injury spelled the end of his time with Aalborg, after 15 appearances and 2 goals. Though he was selected by the Houston Dynamo in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, he was not offered a contract.
According to the American Exports report linked earlier, Tracy was entertaining offers from other European clubs, but in the end he has chosen Major League Soccer. With the Philadelphia Union currently in need of finishing help up front, and the fact he's training in Philadelphia, it could mean that the Union are interested in his services. If they sign Tracy, and he can remain healthy, he could prove to be the scoring threat the Union have lacked since the trade of Sebastien Le Toux.