Geoff Cameron's Work Permit Approved

It was announced this morning that Geoff Cameron's work permit has been approved and the former Dynamo defender is now officially a member of Stoke City. Congratulations to Geoff on having the opportunity to pursue this incredible personal opportunity and we wish him all the success in the English Premier League.

Despite the fact all indicators pointed to the work permit approval being no big deal, until the final approval was given, there was still that little kernel of doubt in the back of everyone's mind. The Dynamo sure didn't seem concerned, signing Ricardo Clark using the salary cap space cleared by Cameron's transfer. Had the work permit appeal failed, who knows what kind of chaos would have occured.

Fortunately, that's no longer and issue and everyone can now move forward from this protracted situation.

Here's the press release from the team about the work permit approval:

HOUSTON, TX (Wednesday, August 8, 2012) - Former Houston Dynamo defender/midfielder Geoff Cameron was granted a United Kingdom visa today, completing his transfer to English Premier League club Stoke City. The terms of the transfer were not disclosed.

Cameron, 27, was selected by the Dynamo in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Rhode Island. He made 116 regular season appearances for the club in five seasons, scoring 11 goals with 15 assists. The Attleboro, Mass. native played various roles in central midfield and center back for the Dynamo and was named an MLS All-Star in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Cameron also won Houston's Golden Boot in 2011 with five goals and five assists in a career-high 33 games.

"On behalf of the club, I want to thank Geoff for his contributions over the last five seasons and wish him all the best at Stoke City," said Dynamo president Chris Canetti. "He has been an excellent player and community ambassador during his time here. I am confident that he will have success in the Premier League. We are sorry to see Geoff go, but this is an excellent deal for all parties involved and one that is very beneficial to the Dynamo moving forward."

Cameron has earned five caps for the United States men's national team since 2010. He appeared as a halftime substitute in its most recent 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, a 1-1 draw at Guatemala on June 12.

"We are very happy for Geoff," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "I think he is a great player and he can be successful in England. We didn't know what kind of player he was when we drafted him. But soon we knew he had a real good chance to play on the national team and have other great opportunities."