When American-born and raised striker Giuseppe Rossi made the decision to play for Italy instead of the United States last February, he did so with the hope of eventually becoming a part of the Italian senior national team.
That dream is closer to coming true after Rossi earned his first Italian senior national team call-up on Sunday, for Italy’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Montenegro.
The Villarreal forward and one-time Manchester United player impressed Italy coach Marcelo Lippi with his play in last summer’s Olympic games and earned the call ahead of legendary striker Alessandro Del Piero.
Born and raised in New Jersey, where he lived until he was 13, Rossi has established himself as one of the best young strikers in Europe, having helped Parma avoid relegation in 2007, and starring for Villarreal during its impressive 2007-2008 campaign.
What do you think of this news? Happy to see an American get a call for one of the world’s best national teams? Angry that he isn’t playing for the United States?
Share your thoughts below.
good for him. man, it would have been really nice to have a player of his caliber…
JLH — I’ve heard that Giuseppe Meazza, Luiga Riva, Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola, Roberto Bettega, Paolo Rossi, Antonio Schillaci, Roberto Baggio, Gianfranco Zola, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, and Luca Toni all tried to find loopholes so that they didn’t have to play for a national team that wasn’t so overly defensive.
Too bad they all failed, eh? You obviously know very little about the Italian national team and all of the great attacking players that it churns out to this very day.
Clearly Bush’s final act as president will be to have Rossi executed for treason.
Traitor.
Now that he’s officially an Italian, can we stop posting about him. After all, now he’s nothing but another international player in the same way that Messi is an international player or Wayne Rooney is an international. Maybe we can read more posts about Messi or Rooney and just forget Rossi altogether.
Although…it boggles the mind why somebody would want to play forward for a team that is known for defending. This will do nothing to change the fact that Italy’s scoreline every game reads 1-0.
Good for him.
I, for one, will continue to follow him, since he is the brightest star in my favorite league…
I hope Lil’ Mike Bradley breaks his leg at the South Africa World Cup in a Semi-final, lol.
And whats this crap about Thomas Dooley? Was he ever going to get a real chance with Germany?
I have a deep ambivalence…
Freddy Addu was 9 when he came to the US from Ghana. Rossi went to Italy at 13. Neither is a traitor!
It would be nice if he played for us but he is not. This is not the first time a kid switches allegiance and it wont be the last. I for one hope he has a splendid career and stubs his toe when Italy plays against the US.
So does this officially end the Rossi connection with U.S. fans? Can we just quit talking about him now? He’s gone. Let’s uit folling him now.
I’m happy for the kid–he took a big risk by waiting on an Italy callup when the US was pretty much a sure thing, and it paid off.
Many children of immigrants share their parents’ love for the old country, so I don’t see this as a betrayal at all. Kudos, kiddo–now go get ’em.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that he was born here. He’s not wearing the right red white and blue, to me, so for all I care he’s Italian, not American.
And he wants us to think that. So whatever. I’m tired of reading about Italy.
He’s kind of like an ex-girlfriend. He broke up with us, we’ve got to stop crying whenever we see him around, we’ve got to just forget him.
American born? Far as I care, he’s Italian born. That’s what he’s telling us when he’d say he’d rather play for Italy. Fine. Whatever. Like I said, he’ll never be fully accepted until he plays for an Italian giant, until then he’ll keep seeing some time here and there in obscure qualifiers like this one.
At Bulgaria isn’t a game to mess around with, Italy can easily slip up there. But home to Montenegro? I’d be shocked if he didn’t get in.
Betinho — I wouldn’t class Rossi as a product of American soccer… Parma made him into what he is today. Incidentally, he also played with several of his Italian U21 teammates on that Parma primavera team.
Seriously though, can’t we still point to him as an American soccer success story? I think the anger, frustration and hate is a bit misguided. Maybe hitting the gym will realese some of the pent up emotion being sent towards this kid. I for one am happy a product of soccer in America is doing so well. I think despite his playing for Italy he should be promoted by the US soccer press to show kids how successful they can be at the game. If yout think he’s a tool…let’s use him as a tool to grow the sport!
The most damning part of the Rossi saga, for me, is his recognition that the youth soccer system in the US wasn’t his best path, and leaving at 13.
I’ve never really held it against him, and am in the camp that says it’s different since he never played for any of our national teams. I hope for his sake he gets some games, it would be a waste for him to capped just to lock him in, and then never able to establish himself against the other great Italian forwards.
Now… come on, Jozy, kick his a$$ and take his job!
The best American born soccer player ever! And of course he chooses to play elsewhere. If he truly felt more Italian then American then you can’t blame him. However someone who was born in the USA and grew up here, it hurts to see him spurn us.
“Do some of you guys honestly not understand that he might feel Italian too? His family moved back when he was 13 years old, an age at which identity is still forming. Couple that with the modus operandi of many Italian Americans (We’re Italian, we’re Italian…) and it’s no wonder that Rossi, by blood and by choice, is an Italian. It’s simple: which would you choose? The decidedly average national team of a country that you left as a middle – schooler or one of the great footballing powers, the land of Baggio and Baresi that your blood and ultimately your love of football comes from? I’m thinking Rossi didn’t lose much sleep on this one.”
repped.
You could basically make that into a good template, just replace the name and country of origin and you’re set.
Also, grateful for America comment? It’s just a sport and his profession. It’s not like he’s burning the American flag and become the spokeman for Al-Queda.
I mean…its Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Right guys? There wasn’t an international soccer footnote last time I checked.
He probably dreamt as a kid of wearing the blue shirt in front of a packed crowd at the San Siro facing the Germans, Dutch, English and etc and scoring the winning goal to become a national hero and household name forever.
Sparse crowds in Giants stadium facing CONCACAF minnows and 3 and out world cups and a marginalized footnote in the sporting and cultural landscape? Kinda hard to compete with the Azurri.
Personally I’d stick with the US, but then I’m a combination of an idealist/masochist. I sorta blame the Cubs. But it’s wonderful preparation for being an USMNT fan.
Good for him. I hope he does great in these next two games and gets bought in January by Inter, AC ot Juve so Jozy can at least dress for Villareal!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Rossi is no more American than Hangeland, J. Jones, Castillo or Paul Rachubka. Why anyone besides family friends or North Jersey Italian-Americans cares about this guy is utterly beyond me.
To be honest, I would not mind the Rossi situation as much if it didn’t keep getting thrown in my face every couple weeks on this blog. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if a good player born in another country played for the US team, so I don’t have a problem with him playing for Italy per se, but he is always reported on in this blog and it is starting to get annoying.
Or is it just the discussion that is annoying… (I know, I’m now part of the problem)
He followed his dream, just like Eduardo. I hope he realizes the same fate. Seriously, FIFA 09 is gonna cause some heavy X button smashing when I play that kid’s team. Paulie Walnuts says, “Oh!”
Tom….WOW. You understand that international soccer isn’t about winning World Cups. Or it shouldn’t be or it ruins what is so great about them. If one’s decision is to play for a country based on the quality of their play, then he shouldn’t be playing international soccer.
It is about representing your country. Period end of discussion.
Oh wait. Rossi is a traitor!!
Well, his huge gamble played off, that’s for sure. When he made that choice he knew somewhere in his head that there was a chance he would never be called up for Italy, basically meaning he wouldn’t have a national team career. It was unlikely but that possibility did exist. So I guess it’s good for him that he’s getting his call up while he’s still so young. Let’s see if he gets a cap.
William,
Patriotism- love for or devotion to one’s country
You’re right Rossi choosing Italy over US has nothing to do with any form of Patriotism at all.
Home is where the heart is?
agreed this sucks. Anyone who wants soccer to grow in the US should be pissed at the whole Rossi situation. Fantastic his dad was born in Italy, but last I checked Rossi was not born in Italy and is AMERICAN! What does that say about Americans attitude towards US soccer. I feel like this decision has as much to do with his dad being Italian as the US not being at the same soccer level as the Italians. Rossi is a slap in the face to US soccer, as is Subotic dragging this thing out and trying to play for Germany (at least he lived there though). I realize the hypocrisy that players like Freddy Adu and others represent with these comments, but I’m a little biased obviously.
I honestly feel that Rossi should play for the U.S. but if he feels like Italy is his team, respect that decision. lets just hope that the Nats make Rossi regret his decision. His decision might have been just as hard as Torres but i guess he knew at a younger age he want to be apart of the Azzuri. Hopefully the U.S. will be able to snatch up a Rossi-type at a earlier age.
Playing for the Italian national team has nothing to do with patriotism. It’s not like he’s enlisting in the Italian army and renouncing his US citizenship.
Brant, you should be far more peeved by Subotic. Rossi NEVER played for a US youth team. He was always going to choose Italy or not have an international career at all. Neven Subotic, on the other hand, pledged his international future to the United States and now is trying as hard as he can to find a loophole to play for Germany now that he knows he might actually be good enough to play for Germany. Rossi never took a real American’s spot on an American youth team and he never “benefitted” from training at Bradenton either. Instead, he was off playing with his future Italian U21 teammates at Parma.
Finally he has achieved his dreams since he was a little boy…and good for him. I wish he would play for the red white and blue, but he made his descision and he stuck by it and hopefully he will score a bunch of goals for them….not against the USA though
Do some of you guys honestly not understand that he might feel Italian too? His family moved back when he was 13 years old, an age at which identity is still forming. Couple that with the modus operandi of many Italian Americans (We’re Italian, we’re Italian…) and it’s no wonder that Rossi, by blood and by choice, is an Italian. It’s simple: which would you choose? The decidedly average national team of a country that you left as a middle – schooler or one of the great footballing powers, the land of Baggio and Baresi that your blood and ultimately your love of football comes from? I’m thinking Rossi didn’t lose much sleep on this one.
While I think it’s pretty cool that an American kid is good enough to play for a world power, and I hope that he changes the perception of American players, I’m still pissed he chose not to play for the nation of his birth. I’m just as miffed at Padilla, and all the others that were born in the US and playing for other nations.
I’m far, far more peeved about Rossi than I’d ever be about Subotic.
pandering? This is, originally at least, a jersey soccer blog. I bet Rossi is the first person born in jersey to suit up for a top-5 team. That’s still news.
And frankly, who can really blame Rossi? The us national team remains fairly anonymous and obscure in this country, in Italy they are princes. The us can legitimally be happy making the second round in south Africa. A second round loss by the Azzuri leads to mass protests and firings. Whyever would you pick the US?
i can’t believe some of the xenophobic comments above. with “fans” like this it’s no wonder rossi chose to play for italy. i wonder if people angry with rossi also though thomas dooley was a “traitor”.
I don’t care to read about Rossi. I don’t know the guy, and he does not play for a team I follow. It is his life–and good for him, but I am not interested in it. Move on to other players and topics, unless he plays against the US or something.
My ultimate soccer fantasy is now this:
The United States defeats Italy in a high profile game that includes Rossi out on the pitch. One, many or all of our players walk up to Rossi and kiss the crest on their shirts. He was, afterall, too good for them.
Todd, I like to call him the American Owen Hargreaves.
He is the Benedict Arnold of American Soccer
I hope he flourishes, I’m still holding out hope for the poetic justice of having his leg snapped like a twig vs. the US in South Africa.
I think it’s a good accomplishment on his part, and I’m happy for the kid. I’d much rather see him playing for the U.S.
But am I happy to see an American playing for one of the world’s best national teams? No. It’s not like he’s playing in a top league gaining experience and will be called in to play for the U.S. National team. I could almost go so far as to say what does this say about the U.S. National Team that an American would rather play for another national team. In reality it doesn’t say very much except maybe this kid didn’t appreciate America much, or at the very least as he’s shown he had no interest in playing for his own national team.
Fortunately there is a player like Jose Francisco Torres who went a similiar route and decided he’d rather play for the U.S. I am now more interested in seeing his career progress and following him as a player than I am about following Rossi’s career.
With Rossi about about to be cap tied to the Italian team do we still need to read about him as an American abroad?
Got this bad taste in my mouth.
Could care less what he does at this point…
I’m happy that all the silly speculation will FINALLY end!
Pander to your readers much?
This Rossi thing has been hashed over so many times, it’s almost annoying to see people say the same thing topic after topic.
Who cares? Just move on already.
Happy for him. The best he’ll ever do for them is ride the pine at the World Cup. Marco Boriello can’t even catch a plane of grass.
Ives,
I am very happy to see an American playing on the Italian National Team.
Oh wait….
I’m glad he’s living his dream. Can’t be mad at him for wanting to play for the reigning world cup champions rather than the US, especially after this news, seems he made a good decision on his part. Good for him, unfortunate for the U.S., good news for him.
Traitor