By Shaun Fuentes
American-born defender Zak Whitbread is almost certain to feature in the English Premiership next season after his club Norwich City clinched promotion for the first time since 2005 after drawing 2-2 with Coventry City at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Whitbread, 27, is a 6-foot-2 defender who joined Norwich in January 2010, but saw little action the rest of the season because of injury. This year he has settled nicely into the Canaries’ defense, appearing in 21 matches and scoring one goal after making in into the starting team at the beginning of 2011.
He played the entire game on Saturday and went close to scoring in the first half when his close range effort was cleared off the line.
Now he will be hoping to make his debut for the US National Team with Bob Bradley set to name his Squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup within the next few weeks.
The US opens its Gold Cup campaign against Canada in Detroit on June 7. Whitbread was on Bradley’s roster for two recent friendly matches, against Argentina and Paraguay, but a back injury forced him to withdraw. He was born in Houston but spent most of his youth in England and Singapore.
