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Williams emerges as latest potential USMNT prospect

Daniel Williams (GettyImages)

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.

Comments

  1. I forgot whom it was, perhaps TIAS, but I read a good story about Subotic and how out of place he always felt here in the US and with the US U-17/20s (also remember how many countries he’s lived in). He was a loner on those teams, so when a 19 yr old Subotic gets criticized publicly by the coach, then gets dropped from the squad for hacks like Ofori Sakordie and Julian Valentin – he is understandably upset. He’s just a kid and people here expect him to handle the situation with maturity that guys older than him don’t deal with well.

    Rongen messed up, in my mind, if he brings him and plays him to the ’07 U-20 World Cup, he would have naturally transitioned to the senior side, instead of being left out in the cold and open to making up his mind in Germany.

    To me, of all the potential US players we have “lost”, he is the only one whose mind we could have changed if the situation was handled better.

    Rossi was never interested, Ibisevic was never on the radar, and Castillo came back around is in with us due to a loophole.

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  2. “Come play in MLS if you want a legit shot to play for the USMNT”…has got to be up there as one of the stupidest statements ever. Why would a young player take a pay cut to play in a feeder league when they’re currently playing in one of the top leagues in the world. Seriously!

    It’s proven we’ll take a Bundas defender over a MLS defender any day of the week. Should Dolo play in MLS to insure he’s on the Squad.

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  3. Dealer 2: Who said anything about “coward” I have bleed Red, White and Blue for you.

    Some comments in this thread and others like this quite frankly, just go to show why some Yanks are perceived as we are in the world. It doesn’t help those of us who try to impress our good qualities.

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  4. I would love to see Brooklyn Beckham get a football scholarship to Alabama and become an All-American S. I’m not even an Alabama fan, it is just the scenario that I think would most anger English soccer fans.

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  5. They say “urban markets” because they don’t feel comfortable saying black kids.

    They are right though. Most of the top American athletes in every major sport are black, so it is pretty easy to figure out that it would greatly improve our talent pool if there were more diversity on the soccer fields that produce American players.

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  6. While they weren’t international level soccer players, I have several cousins who were born and raised in Indonesia while their parents worked as missionaries. A couple got tennis scholarships (stole ’em from REAL ‘mericans!) and none of them lived in the US til college. Three of the four stayed for good. One is back in Indonesia, though his two oldest daughters are now US college students.

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  7. good find Ives? I love Ives too (that’s why I visit 3 or 4 times a day). But how Ives gets credit for finding this guy when all he did was link a five day old article on another site is beyond me.

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  8. i always wonder. Would Brooklyn Beckham ever pay for the United States if he ever grew up and didn’t suck. I almost want him to grow up playing and to be good just to see what happened. Even funnier if after being born and raised here if he said no to England. Doubt it would happen though. The pressure from the English would be ridiculous. Personally, i’d take up like American Football instead.

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  9. As a direct dependant (son) of a US Military family (father) all Williams has to do is go to an American Embassy in Germany to pick up a US passport…He is automatically duel-citizenship at birth, and no less of an American than ANYONE else living here that has duel citizenship or has 1 or both parent(s) not born in this country…I hope the USMNT considers him sooner, rather than later, for a viable option even for this World Cup!

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  10. Clayton are you serious …

    You believe that if he was playing in MLS he would be “prepared” to play for the Nats? you think that he could make the Kicker best XI?

    What is he supposed to do in MLS? Get inferior coaching, training, preparation and competition to prove that he is American enough for the Nats?

    Never heard of that one before, The MLS American purity test? Glad you were not around for Dooley, Stewart, etc.

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  11. i read some FIFA article about how taller players are much more likely to get fouls called against them. after watching about 5 minutes of any US game you can see that become apparent when our 6’+ CB’s and Midfielders take on 5′ latin strikers

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