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Chandler rumored to be mulling international choice

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Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

Despite Timmy Chandler's insistence that he wants to play for the United States, a familar name in American soccer has floated the possibility that the German-born fullback might still be considering playing for his native country.

Tony Sanneh, a former U.S. international and FC Nurnberg player who helped bring Chandler to the U.S. national team in the spring, suggested on his Twitter feed that Chandler may end up switching allegiances back to his native Germany after all.

Sanneh wrote:  "Rumor is chandler gonna play for germany. Lowe visits nberg today" with Lowe referring to German national team coach Joachim Loew (a former assistant of then Germany and now U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann) and nberg referring to FC Nurnberg, Chandler's current club.

Chandler, who missed the Gold Cup but has suited up in friendlies for the United States, is not yet tied to U.S. Soccer and could still represent either country internationally. This past summer Chandler repeatedly stated his desire to play for the United States, while also shooting down suggestions he might still play for Germany:

"Some people were saying I wanted to play for Germany, but I've always wanted to play for the U.S. team," Chandler said in an interview with the U.S. Soccer website. "I'm with the ‘A’ team for the USA, and I want to keep playing. No question about it."

Chandler was even more emphatic about not wanting to play for Germany, telling Yanks Abroad in July, "I will absolutely not play for Germany. There is no way that will happen."

Chandler's comments sound like those of a player committed to the U.S. national team, but as we learned with Serbian star defender Neven Subotic, a former U.S. Under-17 national team player who once said that playing for anybody but the United States would be like back-stabbing, players can and do change their minds.

Chandler's situation is a bit different. Subotic was a youth player for the United States while Chandler has now represented the United States on the senior level on four occasions.

What do you think of this development? Worried that Chandler might choose Germany? Confident that Jurgen Klinsmann will get Chandler to stay with the USA?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is not surprising, Chandler is surrounded by a public and press in Germany that do not share Sunil’s cult worship of Klinsmann. Not to mention former captain Lahm’s stinging criticism in recent book of Klinsmann’s leadership at Bayern (“After six or eight weeks, all the players already knew that it wasn’t going to work with Klinsmann. The rest of the season was just about damage control…We almost only worked on fitness in training. Tactical issues were only dealt with briefly….We players had to meet independently before games to sort out how we wanted to play.”). And when all of Germany assumes that Lowe (rightly or wrongly) was the true master behind the WC06 run…you can understand why Chandler has serious doubts. Sadly, I would be shocked if he stays with the US.

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  2. Unless you have first hand knowledge, I think you are assuming that Chandler was/is a bastard.

    Hopefully, I am reading this wrong. Moral pipeline? You must be joking.

    You have an issue with servicemen having sex overseas? Are you saying there is an abandoned super pool of athletic americans combined with the technical dna of the Germans? And that they have been incubated in the soccer mecca that is Germany and we should be ashamed to be plucking this fruit because the serviceman had unwedded sex while in Germany? Or am I way off the mark?

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  3. I think it matters alot. If you grew up playing soccer in Germany wouldn’t you be rooting for the German national team? Chandler wouldn’t have seen many of the US games growing up.

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  4. EXACTLY!!!

    That is why Herr K is an idiot. He should have put Chandler up above Cherundolo, and stuck Spector/Castillo/Rogers/an Orange Cone at LB.

    Don’t ever rub another man’s rhubarb!

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  5. why are you calling me an idiot, have I offended you and any way. Please is you a comment and that what I think it was, if you have any proof to prove me wrong great but if you don’t than do be a rude guy. You don’t know me you don’t even know what other Media talks about the USA and Bradley way of style, tactics and this are people that been in Football (soccer) from a long time ago. Anyway like I said don’t be disrespectful to other. I appreciate Jamie Z and Dennis comment not of them was disrespecting anyone.

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  6. Ives is this just a rumor or something real?, i hope he stays with us

    (SBI-It’s a rumor at this point, but given the high visibility of it I decided to address it on here. When Chandler shoots it down it can be put to rest. Not that I don’t believe the kid is determined to play for the USA, but people change their minds all the time.)

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