Daniel Williams has never set foot in the United States, but the SC Freiburg defender had begun making waves among U.S. national team fans as the latest USA-eligible player to emerge as a potential national team prospect.
The son of an American serviceman father, Williams was born and raised in Germany, but recently stated in an in-depth interview with Yanks Abroad that he is open to the idea of playing for the United States. That revelation has American fans excited considering Williams' recent emergence as a starter at right fullback for the Bundesliga relegation battlers.
Early reviews of the 20-year old are positive, though it should be noted that Williams is being played at right back despite being a natural defensive midfielder. Freiburg's need for defensive cover precipitated calling Williams in from Freiburg's reserve team last month and Williams has made the most of that opportunity, starting four straight matches.
Williams is not yet officially eligible for the national team, but the Yanks Abroad feature suggests that this is a mere formality. While a shot at the U.S. World Cup team is highly unlikely, his age and early success with Freiburg bodes well for a potential role on the U.S. national team in years to come if he chooses the United States over his native Germany.
Freddy Adu is barely 5’4 or 5’5 in real life if you’ve seen him in person. His listed height is bogus.
Ahhh!!! the european bias… doesn’t change your mind that the euros suck outside of europe?
Why do people say this? Why? There is no special kool aid in urban markets. I mean just because your parents work and bust there butt dosen’t mean your not going to be a good player because you weren’t poor. This isn’t Brazil, I mean the idea of kids playing in the street barefoot, honestly would you let your kid do that? I mean love for the game isn’t born in you because your poor its born in you because someone in your life exposed you to it. My son is 6 he’s playing his first season this year, I’m a single mom, I dunno if we’ll be rich but I know I will not raise him in an urban setting, I will not raise him to believe that the only way we’ll make it is for him to be pro and take care of me, but I will raise him to love the game and respect it, and if it works out that he’s good enough and he becomes pro then great if not then great too, because we’ll be able to enjoy it together.
Why bash MLS? This has nothing to do with MLS. Unfortunatley for some people they don’t have the chance to learn from the best in europe, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up their dream of being a professional, they will just take a different route. But I guess when all fails blame MLS, makes your argument sound better.
and as a frame of reference, Freddy Adu is 5’8
Maradona :5’5
Pele: 5’8
Xavi: 5’7
Tevez: 5’8
David Silva: 5’7
Iniesta: 5’7
This could easily go on
amen
cap him!!!
Williams dad served our country proudly, that’s all I have to hear to consider him American. I hope I see him in a USMNT jersey sometime in the future.
Rossi: We never had Rossi to begin with, although I find it funny how he has all the attributes of your stereotype American, yet he doesn’t play for us.
Subotic: I can care less for this cry baby. I hope he enjoys his time in Serbia.
I believe the U.S will win a W.C before they do. 🙂
Don’t like that either.
Something I wouldn’t consider … ok dude. I just think he’s looking for a spot on an international team to play for. Not good enough to play for Germany, but good enough for US. Win – Win. Come play in MLS if you want a legit shot to play for the USMNT
I’d say California. Northern valley. Stockton or Fresno.
It’s far from clear the Rongen gave him a “shove out the door”. He apparently was critical of Subotic but what I was able to read about it didn’t make it sound like anything over the top.
Are you going to tell me that from now on this means the coaches have to handle every potential dual citizenship kid with kid gloves and pamper tehm and blow smoke up their….guaranteeing them nights with the USWNT?
Particularly at an age when you have no idea just how good a kid can be?
That could be just as counter productive as losing Subotic. From what I could find it was pretty clear Subotic always had a list of countries he was always going to choose and the US was about 3rd or 4th on that list. You are always going to lose some kids, get over it.
Well played, sir.
It says in his article that he can get it whenever. He just needs to go to the embassy and pick it up.
For now on, if something goes wrong with the national team we should just say Gunther Amadeus will fix it.
GUNTHER…AMADEUS!!!!
My thoughts exactly!
Like the height of both Williams (5″11″) and Michael Hoyos (6″1″). Anyone outside of a person with the last name of Messi (5’5″ on a good day)just ain’t cutting it nowadays. Yes, I am talking about you Freddy Adu.
He sounds like an exciting prospect and if he commits to the US we should think seriously about him in the future. But with regard to 2010, the problem is that his skill set is in the areas in which we are the deepest. At RB, he is not going to be an upgrade over Cherundolo and Spector, both of whom have more playing time at better teams. Likewise as a defensive CM, he’s behind Bradley, Clark, Torres, Jones, Edu and maybe Beckerman right from the get go.
If the injury crisis is still serious this time next month, then perhaps he gets a call-up.
But Ives that’s what we do. In with the new and out with the old
Everyone is harping over this kid that has never stepped foot in the US but is undecided on what country he wants to play for, yet loves the fact that Edgar Castillo chose the US after saying that he would only play for Mexico. Anyone else see something wrong.
Rossi has played for Manchester United and Villarreal, two well-known, established teams.
My point is this: countries that have a legitimate chance to win each year have talented players playing for major clubs.
We’re moving towards that. I am a huge USMNT fan and I always will be. I am simply tired of reading stories about guys who are fringe players with tenuous connections to the US being considered potential national team players. We have to be better than this.
The other issue is this: I want players who love the US and WANT to for America. To guys like Subotic, (who was torched by Bayern this past weekend, by the way) who hem and haw, I say good riddance. I’d rather lose with guys who are proud to play for the team than win with players who have to be begged and cajoled.
What about David Wagner? Can we call him back? Remember Sampson prattling on and on about he plays well with his back to goal?
In all seriousness, if Bob is looking for cover, I’m all for doing a little looking around to see who’s out there. But nobody we find this late should have a realistic chance of playing in SA.
If he truly considers himself a Defensive Midfielder, than the presence and age of Lahm is a none issue. The issue becomes who does Germany have playing the Defensive Midfield roll? I think its Ballack (33 yrs old) as the primary…but who is Ballack’s backup? and who is in the Wings to potentially play Def. Mid for Germany. J. Jones basically jumpted to the US because he was unlikely to make the German National Team, but he’s 27…with a smaller window of opportunity. At 20 Williams has time to decide. Hopefully he’ll decide to join the USMNT.
Well, dang. Good point. That’s probably a very accurate picture of the landscape of the USMNT right now in regards to these types of situations.
Good thing we have two players from the USMNT on club rosters in Germany that may be able to influence his decision. (Granted there is an even bigger German presence.)
Like!
Bingo, Enough said
For the record, I don’t care if the person is one-legged, three-armed and produced in a test tube via a Mongolian laboratory run by Cher and Spongebob Squarepants. As long as the Department of State considers him a fellow citizen and the dude runs (in this case, hops, I guess) his ass off for the Nats, then count me as a fan.
Did it say when he was going to get his passport?
Yeah…and we did better than we had ever done in a WC before.
So basically Ives you know the Dutch roster already? If he gets his passport and continues to play…how could he not be called up to the Dutch match. Bradley should relize getting him now, is our best chance and a call-up would do that.
thank you tony…that was pure gold
Sorry, but until we have soccer played in the US Urban city environments we are going to have to accept some American Citizens born overseas from Military Serviceman. Soccer-Mom suburban soccer is not producing World Class players and most likely never will, maybe( a big big maybe- 1 every 40 years.)
I wonder if the presence of Phillip Lahm, a relatively young talented right back, will influence his decision on who he decides to play for.
Fair enough. I do agree that Rossi should not be considered lost and it is time for USMNT fans to forget about him
Ives, why did you not tell fernando that Italy was his country of birth and not his sons? or did Guiseppe already believe he was in Italy and not USA, before he actually moved to Italy. I wonder how Guiseppe must have felt when he arrived in Italy at 13 years old and he said “Why is this country called Italy as well” his father replies, “ohh that country you were born in was just Little Italy”, sorry for the Confusion son”. haha.
Can we open a military base in Brazil?
I agree that I would love to be a first choice for players like this, but the fact is it might take some players resorting to their second choice for us to become a first choice.
I read an article some time ago and didn’t get that impression, but I’ll go with with your thinking….but my point is that Rossi should not be considered ‘lost’
thanks ives for putting up something about daniel williams who i know can make the world cup team if he stays healthy and continues to start till the end of the season
(SBI-He’s never been with the U.S. team before, and won’t be for the Dutch friendly, but you think Bob Bradley will pick him for the World Cup team despite never having had him in camp? I don’t see it happening unless something happens to Spector or Cherundolo, and even then I’d call it a longshot at best. Hey, I’m sure the kid could play out of his mind the next two months and make people call him the next Maicon, but even then, at what point does he then consider Germany? Way too many variables here for people to be even thinking about him being on the U.S. World Cup team.)
any other guys like him over there you care to let us know about?
As I said, I agree about Subotic
We should not be considering Ibisevic as lost. He moved to the United States when he was 17 years old and never had any desire to represent the US.
i’d be the first in line for a Guenther Amedeus jersey. Rock Me Amedeus!!
ahahahah what an idiot
I see your point, but have you ever been on a US Army base abroad?
No matter where they are you feel like you’re in Texas.
As far as not having a passport, I’ve read that 70% of Americans don’t have a passport, so no big deal there.
Hmmm? Lemme think about this if I was an American kid with aspirations of playing football and growing up in the following: Germany, Italy, Spain, England and dreaming of playing for a professional club in ??? the USA (NOT) Germany, Italy, Spain, or England.
Clayton: His father is doing something you would probably never consider–serve this great nation called the United States of America. And if you think like that, I wouldn’t want you serving by my side.
BL: Blame the USSF scouting system…
Considering our current “great needs” at both right back and d-mid, lets hope he has a long career….