U.S. World Cup Player Ramos Signs With Second-Division Club in Spain
Tab Ramos, a midfielder on the U.S. World Cup team, has signed a one-year contract to play for a second-division soccer club in Spain.
Ramos, of Hillside, N.J., becomes the first American team member to sign a professional contract after the World Cup, which U.S. officials had hoped would expose American players to European club owners.
Ramos, 24, had been offered a three-year deal with a Dutch team after the United States was eliminated in the first round. However, Ramos said he didn’t want a long-term contract and rejected the offer.
Ramos started all three World Cup matches and was one of the U.S. team’s most effective players in Italy. He played soccer at North Carolina State, where he was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer in his senior year.
The Spanish club, Figueres, is about 90 miles from Barcelona and finished near the middle of Spain’s second division last season. In an agreement between the club and the U.S. Soccer Federation, Ramos will be available to the U.S. national team for matches.
