There are few things that get American sports fans more worked up than state pride.
Whether you're a Jersey boy or Cali dude, chances are you won't miss a chance to debate the merits of your state's best soccer players.
With this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to ask readers to name their Best XI from players born and/or bred in your state (old school SBI Mafia members will remember the last time I did this). The criteria is simple. If a player was born AND lived at least five years in a state before he turned 18, then he qualifies for that state. Also, a player has to have lived five years in a state or played club ball in a state for five years BEFORE the age of 18. Simply being born in a state isn't enough, so no Brede Hangeland for Texas (sorry folks, he lived there for less than two years as an infant before moving to his family's native Norway).
Since it wasn't clear to some of you, this team is for current ACTIVE players, not an All-Time Best XI, though that could be a good exercise for another day.
I will get things started with Team New Jersey, which is a pretty good squad and would be among the favorites in a hypothetical tournament of states (California would have to be the favorite). Here is the Garden State's Best XI:
——Jemal Johnson —–Jozy Altidore———–Giuseppe Rossi–
Eddie Gaven——————————————–Nick Labrocca
——————-Danny Szetela—–Michael Bradley—————-
Jossimar Sanchez——Gregg Berhalter———-Jason Hernandez
—————————–Tim Howard———————————
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
——————————————
About the selections: I'm sure folks in Florida will object to Altidore being on Team New Jersey, but he was born in Jersey and lived in Jersey the required five years between his early years as a toddler and his two plus years playing for the Red Bulls. This doesn't mean Altidore can't be included in a Team Florida.
The same applies to Michael Bradley, who has actually called himself a Jersey Boy to me in the past, but who lived a good portion of his younge life in Illinois.
Those wondering about Jemal Johnson. He was born and raised in Paterson until he was five, before moving to England. He's the one player on the list who didn't spend any of his formative years in Jersey. If you think he's too much of a reach then you could also look to Alecko Eskandarian, who is the first player off the Team New Jersey bench. Others in the running include Stephen King and Vincenzo Bernardo. Someone asked about Gabriel Ferrari. While he did play high school soccer at St. Benedict's, he is a New Yorker.
The only non-pro on this team is U.S. Under-18 defender Jossimar Sanchez, who helps fill the void at New Jersey's biggest weakness, defense. Sanchez is the real deal, easily the best high school defender I've ever seen and a future star with a bright future. If someone has an established pro they want to recommend for the spot, I am definitely open to making the change.
Now it's your turn. Try and name your State's Best XI of active players (pros and youth national team players are eligible). California, Illinois, Florida and Texas are just some of the states I can see boasting some quality lineups.
Let's hear them. Who makes your state's Best XI?