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Green training with Bayern Munich first team during winter training camp

JulianGreenBayernMunich5 (Imago)

By DAN KARELL

Julian Green’s confidence is likely sky high after being invited to train with the Bayern Munich first team in Qatar.

The German-American was one of three youngsters invited to join the first team squad in its training camp in Qatar during the Bundesliga winter break. Green was given an additional boost when Bayern sporting director Mathias Sammer said the club has “faith” in him to remain with the first team.

“First of all it’s a signal from the coach and the club that we continue to believe in two pillars, established pros on the one hand and talented youngsters on the other,” Sammer told Bayern’s official website. “These three (Green, Alessandro Schöpf and Ylli Sallahi) have put themselves forward and they’re coming along very well.

“We have faith in all three, but now it’s up to them. They have to go for it.”

The 18-year-old Green made his first-team debut last November as a late substitute in the UEFA Champions League and signed his first professional contract earlier that month.

Green is still eligible to represent either the USA or Germany at the international level, and though he’s currently in Germany, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said last month that he was continuing to speak with Green about potentially joining the U.S. going forward.

The Tampa, Fla., native lit up the Regionalliga over the last five months, scoring 15 goals in 18 matches to lead the Bayern Munich Under-23s in that category. Green was also included in the Bayern squad at the Club World Cup, though he didn’t make an appearance.

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What do you think of this news? Do you expect to see Green remain in the Bayern first team for the rest of the season? Think he could make his Bundesliga debut in 2014?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Green is young, Bayern might chose to use him in some games, but they will not use him except in emergencies to replace Robben or Ribery in important games where it is essential to get points or advance. He can learn and improve by staying at Bayern, but at some point in his career he will need to be in a position where the fortunes of his team are much more on his shoulders than they would be at Bayern in the next couple years. That is the difference between a role player and a star. It is not all physical or even about his soccer brain, but also about the psychology of being able to handle the pressure and lead teammates. We all know examples of technically great players who cannot be leaders or who fold under pressure and we all know others who might not have the most athletic talent or technical skills but who make an important, positive difference in games. I guess all I am saying is let’s hope Pep provides him with the best opportunity to grow.

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  2. All good news. He still will be ours yet!!! He belongs with us, the country of his birth. Germany is too stacked at his position.

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    • Why do you say that?

      If Bayern have a say in it, and I don’t know if they do, I’ll bet they want him to play for the US.

      They want to expand their brand here (see 2014 All Star game, MLS )and Bayern already have tons of German international.

      But a USMNT player who is a Bayern regular?

      Now that would be a monster hit in the US. Think of the shirt sales.

      And what if we beat Germany in Brazil? Now that would be good marketing.

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    • Thinking it through, his move up might mean Bayern pressuring him to play for the USMNT.

      My god can you imagine the market for an American striker playing minutes for one of the top 2 clubs in the world?

      They would sell more jerseys in the United States than there are people in Germany (hyperbole but you get the point).

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    • He needs a loan move to another Bundesliga club on loan. It’ll be pretty hard for him to get minutes at Bayern and if he plays consistently that’ll be the best way to justify a spot in the WC by Klinsmann

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      • And what if he is good enough to play for the first team and actually beats out Robben ( who is coming back off of injury) or Ribery?

        American fans are so risk averse. You get better by taking risks and taking on tasks that are “too big” for you.

        He’s young enough to fail and get better.

      • Sounds like your still upset by Bradley’s move to TFC

        Unfortunately I can’t communicate your frustration to him. Sorry

      • Mr. crazy,

        I’m not upset about MB30-20’s move. It will generate tons of hysterical postings on SBI. The internet might explode.

        Green is a lot younger and has much to learn. He probably has no idea yet just how good could he might be. Couple that with being at Bayern, with a guy like Pep on your side, well this kid could go places.

        Mikey is different. He’s about as good as he is going to get, given the circumstances.

        MLS is a step down but regardless of where Mikey plays in the next four or five months, he isn’t going to get significantly better even if he was starting full time at Roma or anywhere else for that matter.

        But if he starts drifting towards Freddy Adu-ness then he could get worse. His WC form could suffer.

        So regular PT is the key.

        And if he has a good WC who knows what that could do for him? Hopefully he has out clauses in his deal.

        But, once the WC is over, I don’t really care what Mikey does. He’s a big boy who knows what he is doing and is very smart. I wish him well. It’s too bad that not everyone on SBI feels that way.

        One thing is for sure, this move tells me every player in the USMNT pool seems to be really taking this WC really seriously. The intensity level is amazing.

      • To say Mikey is as good as he’s going to get and that his move to MLS isn’t going to factor into his play is just a wrong statement IMHO.

        At 26 competing and achieving for a role at Roma would of been absolutely better then guaranteed playing time at TFC. 6 months of playing in a league that constantly tests your limits as a player on the field every second of every minute you see is something would undoubtedly make him a “better” player then 6 months of leisure competition he’s going to see in MLS. And also, the adjustment part of it. We’ve seen it affect the form of players before and will continue to do so, as theirs always an adjustment period that effects a players form.

        In Green, there’s absolutely no guarantee of him being in the first team. Unless you can legitimately say that you know Bayern’s intentions are to keep him in the first team after only being invited to train, idk why your so confident his decision, and that of Bayern’s no less, should be to stay in the second team as it stands. My original comment was about fast tracking him into the national team fold, but regardless I would say he will ultimately be loaned out to another team wether he likes it or not, as is the process with most players and teams in the world.

        Philip Lahm was loaned to Stuttgart for 2 yrs at 20. Alaba to Hoffenheim at 19. Kroos to Leverkusen at 19.

      • Mr crazy,

        If we are to believe the reports, this has either already happened or is about to.

        Which means Mike had/has very good reason to believe he would not get the playing time he needs at Roma.

        Which means at Roma he won’t be able to maintain that sharpness you mentioned. Mikey understands it is not enough to be training with better players. He already did that at Villa. He knows he needs competitive games.

        If Mikey were likely to be starting or playing more in the second half than he did in the first half do you think he would even consider this move? More to the point do you think Roma would let him go? Roma just bought a new midfielder who plays Mikey’s position.

        Mikey is expendable to Roma. Does someone need to paint you a picture?

        Mikey is pretty savvy. He knows about getting going when the going is good and he is aware that a good World Cup will do him much more good than a potentially futile four months at Roma.

        As for Green, every player is different. Did Pep loan out Lahm and the other players? I don’t think so. What is this obsession you have with guarantees? There are none, ever. Green could blow out his knee tomorrow getting on the bus and be finished forever.

        Green is not entitled to success. He needs to learn to fight for it, how to compete, how to deal with failure, how to push to get what you want. So maybe he fails. Big deal. If he is the talent everyone seems to think he is then he will find a way.

        If he doesn’t then he is dead to me.

        Soccer is a brutal, cold business. Sink or swim. I want Green to compete and I don’t care if he fails or not because if he succeeds then the rewards will be great. If he fails, it’s bring on the next American soccer savior.
        Notice how everyone dumps on Jozy now that they have a shiny new AJ to play with? When AJ fails then they will move on to Green and so on. For USMNT fans it’s always the next big thing that draws the love.

      • For the record Mr. GW, I’ve only used the words “guarantee” once, so how you get the implication it’s an “obsession of mine is beyond me and quite honestly vying for Bradley to fight for a spot and potentially succeed (the benefits of which would be highly more rewarding then being at TFC) suggest quite the opposite and is exactly the same argument your trying to present with Green. Every player should push themselves to their capacities and be willing to fight for a spot “sinks or swim”.

        You might point to the fact that it differs between the two because of their circumstances (one being a key USMNT player, the other quite the opposite), well then I would in turn point to original statement, “American fans are so risk averse. You get better by taking risks and taking on tasks that are “too big” for you.”

        Wether you Believe that Michael Bradley has learned all you can from football at the age of 26 is your opinion, but I have to say your fighting against the general consensus. And speaking to Mikey’s transfer, who’s to say he knew had no chance of playing time? Roma has rejected enquiries to him before, and the Belgian who was brought in can play any position in the middle of the park. With injury or loss of form Bradley the fighter that will always be in the mix.

        Also, let us not assume that Bradley’s intentions for moving to TFC, are purely footballing reasons. Guaranteed playing time sure, but there are better places for a player of his caliber then MLS to keep himself sharp and he would of done well to pursue a chance in one of those leagues. Were there no other suitors for Michael Bradley in Europe? I hardly doubt that.

        It’s seems TFC is giving him money other teams could touch. As a person I don’t blame him, but as a USMNT fan I am seriously disappointed.

        And on Green, by dismissing the rest of the Bundesliga teams as places that wouldn’t present a challenge is absurd. What he wouldn’t have to fight through to a position there? Ridiculous. He learn just as much fighting through competition not as superior as Bayern’s and ultimately learning playing time. HSV, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Monchengladbach, all places worth being loaned too. This sink or swim philosophy you seem to have with our American players is detrimental to gradual progress. If he’s ready to play on the first team, then alright, great for him. If he can’t get in and he’s informed he would do best with a loan to a team that sees him as a contributor, just as great.

      • Mr. crazy,

        “Wether you Believe that Michael Bradley has learned all you can from football at the age of 26 is your opinion, but I have to say your fighting against the general consensus.”

        What are you talking about? Did you take a poll? Show me the results.

        This is what I wrote about Mikey’s potential improvement :””regardless of where Mikey plays in the next four or five months, he isn’t going to get significantly better even if he was starting full time at Roma or anywhere else for that matter”.

        There are about four months or so left before the USMNT starts final preparations. Even if Mikey plays in every Roma game between now and then I see no reason to think he will be significantly better than the best he showed for the USMNT this past year. And one could argue he will be more worn down than his MLS playmates.

        On the other hand if he continues to play as sparingly for Roma in the second half as he did in the first half then his form for the USMNT in Brazil could suffer. And a good World Cup is always vital to a pro player.

        “And speaking to Mikey’s transfer, who’s to say he knew had no chance of playing time? Roma has rejected enquiries to him before, and the Belgian who was brought in can play any position in the middle of the park. With injury or loss of form Bradley the fighter that will always be in the mix”.

        That is very easy for you to say. Who is more familiar with the situation, the politics, and the atmosphere at Roma? You or Mikey?

        And who has the final say on this whole move? Who can kill it at any time and who started it? My guess is Michael Sheehan Bradley is that man. He’s the guy who is saying” he knew he had no chance of playing time” or something very close to that.
        And after the World Cup he can continue to improve or whatever but that has nothing to do with WC 2014 which is the topic of discussion here.

        In terms of risk, yes, Green and Bradley are a generation apart. Mikey Bradley is 26 and is at a very different place in his career than the 18 year old Green. For one thing Mikey now has a family to support. Family men have a very different perspective from 18 year old, well off, single males.

        You are arguing as if Bradley’s career is yours and as if Green’s career is yours. It’s not. Their lives are their own and you know almost nothing about what goes into their very personal decisions.
        In Mikey’s case 26 is closer to the end of his maximum earning potential than he is to the beginning. The chance to make 6.5 mill per year is not likely to come up again. If all these figures are true, then to me, Mikey practically had no choice.

        After the contract expires he can move back to Italy and play in Serie A again. Italian is an easy language to maintain especially in Toronto. They appreciate older players in Italy.
        As for Green:
        “by dismissing the rest of the Bundesliga teams as places that
        wouldn’t present a challenge is absurd. What he wouldn’t have to fight through to a position there? Ridiculous. He learn just as much fighting through competition not as superior as Bayern’s and ultimately learning playing time. HSV, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Monchengladbach, all places worth being loaned too. “

        That is all very nice but you are talking about Green having to follow the traditional Bayern career path but there is a new sheriff in town. If Bayern wanted the status quo, the old Bayern way, they would have kept Jupp Heynckes, who wasn’t exactly a numbskull. Now Pep may wind up loaning out Green anyway but there is no guarantee of that.

        What we see now is Pep seems to be giving Green every chance to make his case. And if he shows well enough Pep will keep him up. I think Pep and Green would see that as the preferred outcome. Preferred for Pep because he seems to see Green as a personal project and preferred for Green because when a manager like Pep acts like he has your back, the best career move is to as stay as close to him as possible.

        My guess is Green will be all in to show Pep he belongs.

        “This sink or swim philosophy you seem to have with our American players is detrimental to gradual progress. If he’s ready to play on the first team, then alright, great for him. If he can’t get in and he’s informed he would do best with a loan to a team that sees him as a contributor, just as great”

        I can’t take credit for that philosophy; it’s actually just the way it is in European football. It’s one reason the best of those guys are such vicious competitors. Many of them literally have nothing to fall back on.

        USMNT fans seem to think clubs work for them. As it turns out Bayern pays Green his money not the USMNT or Die Mannschaft. Pep has this quaint notion that he’s developing guys like Green for Bayern, not the US or Germany. Imagine the nerve of that guy.

        But guess what? It turns out that Pep is also paid by Bayern and paid to work with Bayern players for the benefit of Bayern, not anyone else. A club like Bayern, like all these big clubs, are happy to accommodate national teams as long as they don’t get in the way.

  3. Pretty impressive stuff for such a young player. Guardiola is not afraid to give opportunities to young players, but Green will still have to earn his spot with Bayern’s first team, which is not an easy task.

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