I don't think it's the same thing. Most people rate Dempsey as a good player over here, which he is. Carroll is a laughing stock, as are Liverpool as a club. Paying 35 million for him might be the worst transfer in football history, or certainly up there. I'm struggling to think of a worse buy. Don't judge Dempsey's price based on Carroll, because the latter is not worth what he was sold for. If he was the measuring stick for prices, no player would ever be bought again as the price would be too high. Ignore everything Liverpool is my advice. Disgraceful club as seen by the Suarez debacle. Re Bradley, Roma are hardly as great as they once were, and the Italian league has gone to crap, and he may not have gotten a chance there either.
I don't think people here have anywhere near as much of a complex when it comes to players from across the water. The fact is that while the US are starting to produce better footballers, there are still only a small handful that could play for the best clubs around Europe. Contrast that with basketball, where Europe is steadily producing players that can contribute on any NBA team, and the stereotypes are, IMO, still more pronounced on the US side.
That isn't meant as an accusation or anything, but it can be seen on any basketball forum, including this one. People who haven't watched guys play, but they're inevitable labelled soft by default. Ludicrous obviously, but happens often.
Don't think we could have gotten any more off topic! Barnes looking solid so far.