First there was Giuseppe Rossi. Then there was Edgar Castillo. Could Neven Subotic be the next player eligible for the U.S. national team to pass up the USA for another country?
As I told you a while back, Subotic wasn’t planning to address his future and national team decision until later this year at the earliest. ESPN colleague Jeff Carlisle secured an interview with Subotic and delivered a very interesting story on him and his potential decision, which Subotic says now won’t be made until after the 2008/2009 Bundesliga season.
"Right now, with my move to Dortmund, it looks like I will first make any kind of decision regarding national teams after my first season here," Subotic told ESPN.com. "It’s already tough enough to fight for a starting spot here, and I don’t need any extra baggage at this early point in my career."
That’s the part that is easy to forget about Subotic. He is still just 19 (and won’t be 20 until December). It’s easier to get caught up in the fact that he’s a 6-foot-4 center back who just made a $5.4 million move to German Bundesliga force Borussia Dortmund.
If you read the ESPN.com story you can’t help but feel as if Subotic is waiting to see what comes from his potential eligibility for Germany. As i wrote a few months back, Subotic could wind up gaining eligibility for Germany based on the nine years he spent living in Germany before moving to the United States. You can rest assured that lawyers are working on this case as we speak and the Germany Federation would be foolish not to be working on his behalf to help secure his services.
In fairness to Subotic, you have a player with strong ties to Serbia who also lived in Germany for a longer time than he lived in the United States. It can’t be an easy decision and he must surely appreciate the role the United States played in his development as a player. Consider he has until his 21st birthday to make a final decision, you can’t really blame him if he wants to take his time.
For now we are left with the question. Will Subotic play for the United States? It’s a question that’s been asked for a while now, and it looks like we will have to wait another year to find out.
What do you think about the Subotic situation? What do you think he will do? Share your thoughts below.
I just say, who cares, we don’t need Subotic
I hope he doesn’t. He doesn’t seem at all proud to put on the US jersey. Really, why are we getting so worked up about a 19 year old kid? If it wasn’t his Mainz coaching buying him at Dortmund, would anyone else have paid this price?
brett,
he’s on the fence!
let’s go out and get him!
simple as that.
great clubs go after good players.
the do it mercilessly and relentlessly.
the great national teams will do the same.
get with it man.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought Castillo chose Mexico because the US never called. That’s a big difference compared to Rossi or Subotic who are/were clearly targets for the USMNT.
Mighty,
I respect your point, but I thank you have a really static, and antiquated notion of culture. “Our ways” are multiple and always in flux, especially when one considers our history as MikeK has noted. And to suggest that there is some mythical amount of time that it would take to acquire a vague “Americanness” is really strange…
4now
Who in the hell says he’s a lock to be called up for the US? Whatever he decides to do, I hope he’s very happy with the decision. It’s a non issue to me.
4now- i dont think i fit into your post, but personally i wouldnt want our national team represented by players who dont want to represent our nation…. id rather stick it out with mediocre and some quality players before begging for the services of a player “between” countries…
if he wants to play for Germany or Serbia then the best of luck, but if he plays for the US id rather it be b/c he wants to represent the US then aiding his career…
“But Subotic rejected those advances, claiming he was unfit to play, and later asked that he not be invited to anymore camps, stating that he preferred to focus on his club commitments.”
sorry, but after this comment, i wouldnt have pressed the issue anymore…. if the kid wishes to play for the US then he knows who to contact….
as a player, i would appriciate a national head coach calling me into camps…. even if i dont/cant attend them, its pointing out that you are still on the radar… i dont think i would tell an organization off like that… that quote tells me that he’s trying to play for Germany, then if he can he’ll go to Serbia…
personally i think we Yanks need to look at the youth players in our program who are actually willing to play for us…
sorry Thom, maybe you’re right. based on some of these posts it would appear that thick-head ed nationalism is still alive and well.
“patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
: )
Well the US shouldn’t be in a position to beg for someone to play for the US. If he wants to play here for the USA then go ahead and so be it. If not that is fine, not pissed in anyway. I prefer to have players who want to wear the Red/White/Blue not players who may have their full heart into the program and we feel like we have to beg to wear the Red/White/Blue.
As far as Thomas Rongen goes, that is another matter (It is a bit unprofessional no matter who the kid is or was). But really the US Soccer Federation should not have to beg anyone to play for the US and represent the US team. It is an honor to play for the US team not a privelege. If he feels otherwise that is fine no harm no foul.
Rongen’s “hasn’t developed enough” comment was pretty mild. It’s said all the time.
For the kid to turn his back on a program where he developed during his core teen years because of a very mildly critical comment sounds immature on Neven’s part. Sounds like the kid is going to have a tough time dealing with adversity if such an incident bothers him for years. He’s young but he’s a pro and he needs to grow up.
I don’t want our coaches to humilate players (and Rongen didn’t) and I don’t want them to have to kiss ass either to stop them from jumping ship.
Betinho – does anyone think they would?? would be impossible now….
Jason – yes, those teams (mexico and italy and germany) have histories… but rather then get lost in it, Rossi (and company) stand/stood a chance at creating history…. IF Rossi gets goals for italy he’ll be lost to a whole list of names… But if he excelled and scored tons of goals for the US, he’d be going down in history as one of the firsts…. i mean our leading scorer is a right mid (who happens to play forward from time to time)…
but i say, let them choose who they want to play for… i just dont want to have players who look at the US as a Silver or Bronze Medal… i want players who WANT to don the Red/White/Blue
If he chooses to not play for the US, I won’t be as upset as Castillo and Rossi not playing for us. Castillo and Rossi were home grown players, that were born here and played in our youth system. Subotic’s situation is much different and much more complicated.
4 now,
I understand your point, but this kid didn’t even live in the US long enough to able to learn and understand our ways. Do you want someone to play for us, that really doesn’t understand what it is to be and American. My point was that Rossie should of knows this, he was born and raised in Jersey, so it hurts more in his case. This kid could go and play for Germany, i and understand him, he really does not know what he is gong to miss out.
Great. Thx Thomas Rongen, even though I met your wife and son, and they were nice people.
It’s personnel decisions like this that make me shake my head in frustration.
We had to witness Nathan Sturgis take on that big Austrian striker and he was completely pwn3d in the process.
DonJuego has a good point…are our coaches suppose to suck players with dual citizenship’s a**es until they are 21 or play for the senior side. This is a joke. The kid should have his loyalties with the US. Where would he be w/o US Soccer? He needs to grow up and get over himself.
Newsflash: Rossi and Castillo are not playing for the US and will never be doing so. Get over it and move on.
If we want this kid, we’ve got to start playing soccer politics. We’ve got to get Bradley out in the press singing this kid praise when he has a good game out in Deutcheland. We’ve got to get him thinking that we love him here, and have hope for him.
For those saying “Well, if he doesn’t want us we don’t want him”… That seems foolish to me. We are the land of immigrants and multi-nationality. We want to field the best team possible, right? Well, if we want to field the best team possible, which I do, and this kid would be a solid rock at center back, better than what we have now, I want this kid.
If he hasn’t committed to the USMNT by now, I don’t want him. I would rather have all starting 11 WANTING to play for the stars-and-stripes as opposed to a player that just picked this team because it was his best chance to play in a WC. It should be an honor to put on the US jersey – not just meet some goal of playing in the WC with whatever team will guarantee you a spot. I think he should go play for whatever team for which he allegiance to the country – if it’s not the US, then good riddance no matter how talented he is.
Donjuego
Legally, you can not force a kid into a contract. It can be broken at any time until they are 18.
Topher
Good point. If he is a good Footballer, the general population in Germany would have more respect for him the majority of Americans who could give 2 craps about USMNT.
He probably fits in more in Germany than here.
1 thing that separates Subotic from Rossi & Castillo… Neven played for the US youth teams. The latter 2 did not.
Dunno if this matters in the long run, but hopefully the kid sticks with us.
Let him go to Germany for their NT. Let’s see if he can beat all the Brazilian, Polish, and… I mean, other “Germans” for PT.
Our Olympic team coulda been
Rossi – Jozy
Adu
Rogers-Sacha/Holden
Bradley
Castillo-Subotic-Parkhurst-wynne
Guzan
bob- you lay it out pretty objectively there. i follow most of it, and that is exactly how i would decide. but, i’m sure he probably feels the least connection with the US. ya, he played for our youth national team. But he spent the least amount of time here. He probably feels more of a connection to serbian and/or germany. And that’s gotta be factoring in.
Is it unrealistic or impossible to require young players that train in our youth program to sign documents requiring them to play for the US and US only at the adult level? If not that, require some financial compensation at least.
Why are we developing players for other countries? We should not have to worry about Rongen saying the wrong thing to someone for whom USSF funded development.
I disagree Mighty, while Rossi would have been a prize, with Altidore, Cooper, Adu, and Dempsey still young I’m actually not very worried about our attacking options. Altidore and Adu might even turn out to be superior players in time.
Our central defense options are much bleaker.
Add me to the list of people who thinks Rongen messed up here.
However, at the end of the day, it’s Neven Subotic’s decision to make. Why should one let a coach, who sucked so badly as an MLS coach, decide one’s future? I’m fine with any decision the kid makes because he should play with the country he feels most strongly about and for.
Ok…no one really answered the question, what did Rongen do to humiliate him?
great points h4 and Ted.
thom, dunno if some of the sentiment is nationalism run rampant. i think this is just, at least for me, fandom. I support the nats – just because. And in the pomo world we live in where national identities and boundaries are so blurred, then federations need to make recruitment a top priority. and as for detesting rossi, I don’t think its as black and white as you think – it doesn’t have to do with nationalism, just being a fan. And its fun to demonize someone like rossi when you are a fan. Its good to have villains, plain and simple.
First the kid is good, but we are talking like he is going to be the next Maldini. If we loose him it wont hurt as much as how we lost Rossie.
What hurts most is that these kids are not going to be superstars in their chosen national teams. If they would of stuck with us, they would of have the opportunity to go increase their international careers
Oh well…………
Lets focus on the kids we got home, so this dose not happen again.
It does sound like Rongen made a mis-step, but who cares if he doesn’t want to play for the US. I think down the line there will be more and more of these talented players who are eligible who will want to play for the US. I must say, though, that the kid sounds pretty mature in the interview. I wish I were as mature when I was 19!
I highly doubt he’ll pick USA. Based on the interview, it appears he has very little emotional attachment to America (which I’m not surprised). Even though he was spotted by Americans and spent some years here, I don’t get the sense that he has ever called himself an American at any point of his life. If that is the case, only a guaranteed spot in the starting XI would probably secure his allegiance.
Overall, I don’t blame Rossi or Castillo for choosing other countries either. From a purely soccer perspective, suiting up for either Mexico or Italy which have longer histories and prestige than America would be far more attractive. I’d rather have guys like Freddy Adu who desperately want to make it on our team than a player with a wealth of talent who’s desire to wear Red White and Blue is somewhat divided.
Can you imagine how good the USMNT would be right now if these 3 players were on the team?
Posted by:Johnny | July 31, 2008 at 02:25 PM
Add those three to our Olympic team, along with Spector, and take a look at that team on paper.
I’m just saying… Ofori Sarkodi, Tim Ward and Julian Valentin made the roster over Subotic. Tim Ward fellas. Tim Ward.
You need to consider how hard it is to play for the U.S. from Europe. Flying to Atlanta, then to Guatemala City, then a bus ride to play at 9,000 feet. Instead, he could take a short flight to Serbia for home matches.
He owes the U.S. nothing nor does Rossi in terms of soccer. As much as I would like them both to play for us we live in a world where borders become more gray and obscure every day. These 2 kids owe their allegiance to their families and those who support them day in, day out and not to a nations borders.
There is no one to blame here. Maybe Rongen stuck his foot in it but if that is the deal breaker then the kid doesn’t have thick enough skin for international football. I mean- imagine what the Serbian or German press will do to him after 2 consecutive bad games in key qualification stage or tournament?
Besides- guys remember there are 2 sides to this Rongen story and we are only hearing one half.
I get tired of all the high mighty nationalism posted on this board every time Ives mentions Rossi’s name or a situation like this arises. We have plenty of U.S. Nationals who could be playing for other countries so let’s try not to be so damm hypocritical. If a player is really good he goes with the best quality choice of country and if he is a loyal servant type he goes where they will have him.
Can you imagine how good the USMNT would be right now if these 3 players were on the team?
Nobody else thinks Subotic is being a baby? Get over it. What happens when his development plateaus or he pulls a Feilhaber and his head gets too big? How’s he going to react to critism then? Time to grow up kid.
What Rongen said about Subotic was pretty mild. Subotic needs to get over it. US Soccer doesn’t need to beg anyone to play for the US. He will decide, in time, what he wants to do and if he decides to play for another country, best wishes to him.
good points bob, also with people that don’t know Rongen’s track record will see this and want him fired. Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes it bites you in the ass sometimes it doesn’t.
What exactly happened between Rongen and Subotic? I’m a bit out of the loop on this one.
Jrnail23- although shooting him may be a bit much, I agree with your sentiment regarding Rongen. I think US Soccer needs to take the soft-sell approach with this kid. Be there to offer him support when he needs it. Send him birthday and holiday cards so he knows he is important to the USA. But don’t try to pressure him into making a decision. I think come WC2010, he will want to be playing, and will play for whatever country makes him feel the most welcome (assuming all other things being equal). However, if by 2010 he could see greatly increased playing time for one country over another, he will probably go in that direction (presumably, he would have the best chance of starting if he chooses the US). That being the case, I would have to say that the US has the edge- but only if they spend the next 1.5 years making Neven feel valued and important. Don’t drop the ball on this one Sunil!
Hackworth seems to still have a good relationship with Neven. It’s too bad he feels badly burned by Rongen — and really, who wouldn’t?. Because Rongen has the type of coaching mind and skills that could really help US Soccer and the USMNT, now and in the future. He will likely get promoted up the system soon. And I don’t think Neven would ever want to play for Rongen.
Lets see, one he can pick serbia, get lots of play time, but most likely never see a WC.
Two, play for Germany, see very little play time and most likely never play in a WC.(not that germany won’t make it, but they have a pool of talent.)
Play for the US. Get lots of play time and will play in a WC.
Seem like a no brainer for me.
Same with Rossi, he won’t ever make the Itailian natioinal team, and if he does he won’t start as often as if he was on the US team.
jrnail23’s comment above is the exact response I thought would happen after reading that Subotic story.
Despite Rongen’s outstanding ability to coach and meld players into an exciting system that works on the field, he’s going to get blasted because of what happened with Neven Subotic.
I’m not going to back Rongen’s decision of leaving Subotic off the team. No way in this side of hell.
He picked 2-3 other defenders who were debacles over Subotic, who looks to be a burgeoning star.
It’s just too bad one pretty big mistake will make one pretty darn good coach a lamb for the slaughter.
Here’s hoping Neven chooses the stars and stripes.
jrnail23–
I concur. That’s definitely the sense you get from the interview, and it makes my head want to explode. What I don’t get is why Rongen would do that in the first place. I can’t help but believe there MUST be some sort of backstory we’re not getting publicly. Whatever it is, I hope Rongen is prepared to do some very earnest mea culpas and full-on butt kissing.
This is much more critical than Rossi. And BB and USSoccer should make this a top priority. Not securing a commitment would mark a major, major blunder for the federation.
Exactly, if anyone is to blame for Subotic possibly not playing for the US, it would have to be Rongen. Also Subotic doesn’t seem to sugarcoat his feelings, especially when he states that Rongen had some “discouraging and false” things to say about him.
Absolutely agree jrnail. He was shown up by a coach, and as a player that hurts the pride. No kid deserves to be talked about publicly like Rongen did to him. I think he is now saying, look I wasn’t good enough for you then, you slapped me in the face and now I have options. USA needs to do some type of apology and work to build back his trust.
In any case, Thomas Rongen ought to be shot for his handling of this kid. It sounds like the kid was ready to commit to the USA before Rongen publicly embarrassed him.