As nicknames go it's not original, but it seems to work for Atlanta's Ricardo Clark, otherwise known as "Rambo."
Clark, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany's Bundesliga, was given the moniker by the press there. It derived from a video on YouTube of Clark kicking another player in the shoulder during his days in the MLS.
"It kind of fits the German soccer culture because they enjoy people who show a lot of emotion on the field and are physical," Clark said. "It's been pretty funny."
Clark, a 26-year-old defensive midfielder, signed with Eintracht last year after a six-year career in the MLS. He played his high school ball at St. Pius and collegiately at Furman.
He played so well for various teams in the MLS that he was called up to the U.S. national team. He has made 26 appearances and his play, particularly in the Confederations Cup last summer, caught the eye of several teams in Europe.
Out of contract in Houston, he came to terms with Eintracht and moved his family in January to an apartment in the financial city of Frankfurt in central Germany.
He has yet to make an appearance for the team because of a calf strain picked up during training. But he says he is 100-percent healthy and hoped to get on the field as early as Saturday. He needs to be match-fit because he's expected to be in the starting 11 for the United States at the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
He said he hopes the action on the pitch in Germany is as exciting as what he has seen in the stands.
In his home-opener against Cologne, more than 45,000 fans were packed in, waving flags and chanting.
"No clue what they are saying, but it just adds to the energy," Clark said.
The language barrier has been an issue. He has been working with a tutor to learn German, but between training, rehab and the games, the process hasn't been as efficient as he had hoped.
But his wife and kids are enjoying the cultural differences. He said his 2 1/2-year-old son, Matel, particularly likes all the pick-up soccer games that can be found around the city.
Atlanta still in mix
Though no one knows when or how, MLS commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday that the league still wants to put a team in Atlanta.
He said that the league had very focused discussions with Falcons owner Arthur Blank last year about putting an expansion franchise in Atlanta. The souring economy brought those talks to a halt.
Garber said it's not on the short-term agenda for either party, but the MLS, which doesn't have a team south of Washington or east of Dallas must eventually expand its footprint.
"You can't be a national league unless you are in the South," Garber said.
Champions League
The tournament's quarterfinal round starts Tuesday with Lyon hosting Bordeaux in a French fracas, and Bayern Munich hosting Manchester United in replay of their epic 1999 finals match. On Wednesday, Arsenal will host Barcelona in a game for the soccer purist, and Inter Milan will host CSKA Moscow.
Beat goes on
The Atlanta Beat will finish its exhibition season Sunday with a game against North Carolina, the defending NCAA champs. The game will start at noon at Kennesaw State's field.
Debut
Alpharetta's Jack McInerney made his MLS debut in Thursday night's season-opener between Philadelphia and Seattle. A forward for the Union, McInerney played the last 12 minutes.
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