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Boyd and Johannsson reflect on their USMNT experiences

Terrence Boyd
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBOJ6nB0c80?list=UUk1pcWQ5E19g0Cgp4c1eI1w]

Comments

  1. If you think this argument is painful now, wait 7 months until the mainstream sports media picks it up as part of their obligatory lip service to the World Cup. God willing, Aron will hit a hat trick in the first game, and we will get a big, greasy serving of Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, et al giving us their unsolicited two cents.

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  2. Too bad those that complain out our dual citizens complainers. Love to see you on the field yourself. You will never see it coming, but you would get whacked with studs up. 🙂

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  3. There are many folks who come to America that are more “American” than many people who have spent their entire lives here. As a nation whose very identity is woven from the fabric of many different cultures, xenophobia is one of the most unamerican traits I can imagine. If someone buys into the ideals that this country is built on and wants to represent USA, thats great. When I see Danny Williams tearing up during the national anthem and listen to TBoyd’s obvious thrill and enthusiasm for representing the US, I consider them as American as myself.

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  4. This couldn’t care less about America until it was convenient for them.
    If Germany would offer them a spot in their NT they would switch shirts at half time during the World Cup

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  5. Here’s my pre-emptive rant in response to what I assume will be endless comments about “mercenaries” or it not actually being the USmnt:
    1. People are acting like Jurgenn is the first to bring this concept into play. Just because the US has not done it much before, doesnt mean everyone else hasnt. See Camoranesi not knowing the anthem, Prince Boateng playing for Ghana, Defoe playing for England, etc. Everyone else does it, why should we act as if we are greater than thou and shouldnt accept anyone not 100% American.
    2. Which brings me to my next point, its not like we are great-grandfathering anybody in. We arent finding strange loopholes in FIFA law like “their second cousin once removed once visited America so they can play for us”. These guys were either born in America or have one American parent. THAT MAKES THEM PART AMERICAN. Whether you like it or not American both has a lot of immigrants living here, as well as those who are on foreign soil such as a base or embassy. And this team is no “less American” than any other in the past.
    Rant over.

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    • I’ll just add that even those who would like to see FIFA change its rules. Would like to see it changed to the country your born in or the country of your parents. All the guys on the team fit into that. What people have a problem with is nationalizing players just to get them on the team.

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      • It still takes 5 years residency after a player hits 18 to be naturalized (which is a rule change from, at one time, was immediately after naturalization). There aren’t many teams trying to take advantage of that. True, Mexico did naturalize a few players, but they had been in the country a long time.

        There will always be loopholes and countries looking to take advantage of them.

      • John,

        Boyd’s father is American. Insisting that both parents be American is unreasonable and holds soccer players to a higher standard than non soccer players, in terms of citizenship purposes.

        AJ was born in the US.

        Before the rule change all FIFA asked was that the player had a passport for that country. However, you will find that many countries had pretty lax passport regs and the US passport is actually one of the toughest in the world to get.

        USMNT players all have legitimate ties to the US it’s just that most of the people complaining about them just don’t like these guys, and the nationality thing is just an excuse to piss all over them.

        You may find Chandlerfor example weird looking and repellent when all he really is a small town, immature kid ( he hasn’t exactly traveled that much in his life)who isn’t sure he is ready for the kind of committment that international football, for any country, requires.

        The US has always used “mercenaries” for higher purposes.

        We used Nazis to get us the to moon and to assemble the atom bomb.

      • Yeah I agree.

        Yeah I kind of feel for Chandler, I think alot of people pushed him as being the right back for the next 10 years when his club situation has never as solid as some have made it out to be.
        Let him be a pro for awhile and see how feels about it sometime next cycle.

    • Agreed. And as someone who married a child of a serviceman whose family spent years at an overseas base when she was young, I can promise you they are no less American for it. And Dad-in-law would not appreciate implications that children of our servicemen are less American for not having spent their entire lives in the US.

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    • Mr. 09

      To play for the USMNT you must have a US passport. No exceptions.

      Do a little research and find out just how hard it is get a US passport if you were not born here.

      If you have a US passport you have all the rights and privileges of any American citizen.

      There is no such thing officially speaking as PART American.

      You either are or aren’t.

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      • Mr. GW

        I do realize you cannot be “part American citizen” or have a “part American passport”. I was referencing that you can be part American in heritage. As in Terrence Boyd is German-American. But thanks for the citizenship lesson.

      • I think youre mistaking the point I was arguing. Im not arguing what FIFA should or shouldnt allow. Im arguing how fans should view these players. Many fans seem to take the viewpoint that since Terrence and Jermaine did not spend any time in America, that they arent truly American (whether they have a passport or not), and should not be brought in. Or that its somehow cheating or frowned upon when we bring them in. Which is what I disagree with.

    • It really is the decision of the individual players to decide to play for the national team, not ours. They might have financial or other personal reasons that none of us really understand for joining. For all I know, not embracing a different culture that is “American” is close-minded and not the message we should be sending to these players. If they do show a lack of commitment when playing for the shirt, I think Klinsmann is competent enough to identify that and just leave them out of the squad.

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  6. “Jozy is like…BIG PLAYER.” Haha

    I hope Boyd gets his first goal in this set of friendlies and ultimately earns a ticket to Brazil.

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    • Seems odd that you would want a forward on the team in Brasil that has failed to score a goal in ten appearances (I know most of those has been as a sub, but he did start in the 5-1 victory over Scotland and had numerous chances that he completely blew). It is kind of like wanting a goalkeeper on the squad who has failed to make a save.

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      • Wayne Rooney once went something like 18 months without a national team goal and it is only in the last two years or so that Messi started scoring regularly for Argentina. Not to suggest he is on a level with those guys, but the international game is at a different level and scoring droughts are not uncommon.

  7. a few comments:

    Alan Hopkins is worthless as a reporter, and his speaking cadence is completely unnatural.

    What the crap was with the piano music in the background?!

    It’s great to hear Boyd and Aron speak at length, even if it’s all platitudes from young players. At least we know they speak English well enough to communicate with the media (and teammates)

    Cool to see them in shooting drills even if the clips make it seem like our goalies are worthless.

    Excited for the next 2 guys; I hope they get tons of PT and Wondo stays glued to the bench.

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      • Thank you to everyone above for motivating me to watch JUST so I can hear the music…going in thinking “how bad could it be”, well I’ve watched and the answer is….much worse than expected!

        Fun to hear the guys speak though, and I’ll be damned if Bacon doesn’t speak perfect english?!

        USA-USA-USA

      • Not to pick on you as I often see comments like this. But the US is so parochial sometimes. In Europe, especially Northern Europe, everyone knows 3 or 4 different languages. I have a neighbor from Holland who speaks perfect unaccented English, Spanish, French, German, I think Italian, and Dutch of course. Anyone from a Nordic country is almost guaranteed to speak good English.

      • You stand corrected. He used “good” as an adjective ( speak good English), not as a misused adverb (speak English good).

        Grammar nazis!

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