Andy Najar is one of the most exciting young players in Major League Soccer, and a strong MLS Rookie of the Year, but the teenager is still so new to the American soccer scene that he can still go completely unnoticed standing in a sea of soccer fans.
This was the case last month when Najar took in the USA-Brazil friendly at Giants Stadium. It was interesting to watch U.S. national team fans walk by him oblivious to the fact that he just might be wearing a U.S. national team uniform one day.
Okay, so that possibility is still only a bit of wishful thinking for American fans considering Najar has never publicly stated any intentions of playing for the United States, but the fact is Najar is a promising talent who has yet to decide on his national team future. His native Honduras is pressing hard for a commitment, but the longer he puts off a decision the closer he will get to becoming an American citizen (Najar is currently a green card holder), which would give him the option of playing for the United States.
Najar isn't ready to make his national team decision just yet. He's focused on his first season in MLS and making the drastic adjustment from high school kid to professional athlete.
He has already made a smooth transition on the field, with his fearless style paying dividends in year one. Najar has established himself as one of the more dangerous wingers in the league. That's no small task playing on the worst team in the league.
I had a chance to interview Najar recently. You can read my Fox Soccer story on him here.
What do you think of Najar? Would you like to see him play for the United States? Think he should play for Honduras? Where do you think he ranks among this year's rookies?
Share your thoughts below.
I have sympathy for a guy like Najar with a motherland and another that gave him everything. His comments would lead me to believe that he wants to play for USA. Sounds like he’s walking the fine line “just in case”. I have seen very little of MLS the past few years so I cannot comment on Najar as a player but he sounds like a skilled young player. Hope he takes his time and follows the path his heart takes him on. I would have no beef at all if he opts for Hondouras.
What Honduras roots? The kid loves McD’s,Xbox live,drives a Chevy,Love Hip-Hop, and attends U.S soccer matches!LOL I think being in the U.S since the age of 13 makes you pretty much American.:) You could cheerish your roots and all that good stuff, but a career at playing against the best, and having a bit more intereste from Europe, come first. Primero ay que comer, PAPA! The USMNT would provide more chances for him like they have been ever since arriving in the states. If he wants to go far in a NT, then playing for the USMNT is the way to go. The Hondureno federation is a joke. His family knows it, that’s why he is holding back.
I think he will get citizenship in the U.S, then he will make up his mind.
I ignore white,black,latino,etc… at soccer games. I have my U.S jersey on and can care less for anyone else!:)
Viva el futbol!
Besides, he would not fit into Bob Bradley’s system.
I wish we spent more time talking soccer and less time talking about immigration law. If he comes onto the U.S. team, great. If not, it won’t be the end of the world. He’s a talented player and may be able to help the UNMNT one day, but he’s not Ronaldo or Rooney.
let us not forget that Perkins, who was around for Adu and for Najar, has stated that Najar has the greater potential.
“american highschool coach”… the american is to describe the Highschool, not the coach (not sure what ethnicity, nor does it matter)
poaching?? he would have gone completely ignored by both federations if his american high school coach didnt ask him to come play one season (making DCU’s academy the next).
If the HS coach didnt bother to ask, there would be no Najar conversation to be had. Its not as if we brought over some Honduran phenom and then brainwashed him that he’d find greater success joining the US.
Najar will make up his own mind. And there is nothing you nor any other fan of either country can do to convince him. He’ll discuss his options with his family. My guess is he’s holding off to make his decision. No reason to cut off options by participating in a FIFA sanctioned U20 game like the up coming quals. If Najar continues to develop, Honduras will continue to call.
I live around where Najar used to leave. I always go to the local park to play pick up games and he’s always there with his old buddies chilling. From what I can see, he is very close to his hondurian roots, I think his going to end up with Honduras.
@ ac,
You gave me a chuckle. Thanks.
Of course you can leave the country during any time.
Even if you are in the U.S. and have applied for a green card, you can still leave the U.S. with a travel document.
Super clueless comment award goes to… ac!
I think he’s talking about in the crowd. Re-read the 2nd paragraph
Wow, this is really long. I may find time to read it sometime next week. Thanks!
lol
that’s because if you are applying to be a citizen of the United States you aren’t allowed to leave the country during that time. (unless there are EXTRAORDINARY circumstances and I mean ‘I wanna play a soccer game’ isn’t on the list of EXTRAORDINARY circumstances.
Everything to me indicates that he is trying to become a citizen of the US and get on the USMNT. I mean, Hondouras isn’t exactly a perennial World Cup qualifier…they have made the World Cup a grand total of 2 times. If that isn’t weighing on the mind of Najar, he just isn’t paying attention.
I’d bet he’s waiting to see how next season goes and to see if he continues to progress and then wait to see if the USSF contacts him about their interest in seeing him in uniform when he becomes a citizen. (which they better do if they haven’t already)
He could be a special player and would already be better than many of our options.
I am not comparing Adu to Najar; I am comparing the response. Both players had proven themselves on one level or another. The similarity is in the hyperbole.
Sports fans have an insatiable appetite for stories about players who are very young and show promise, a weird fascination with prodigies. In the soccer world, they are a huge commodity. Look at how fans of Honduras and the USMNT are already bickering . . .
You appear to have won the clueless comment award! Good job!
usa needs help in the middle of the park and najar would suffice. Bradley is overrated and barely starts for a cellar dwellar bundesliga team. we also saw how mediocre edu and clark were in the WC. Holden is also overrated and should be playing on a scrub scotland team.
Wow–a lot of disinformation and uninformed comments here.
1. No comparison to Freddy Adu. Najar is faster than Adu ever was. He’s a better 2-way player who works hard at defense (his first position for the first team was…right back. Yeah…a defender. He fights for loose balls and 50-50 balls. Adu has amazing technical ability and is very unselfish. But no-one has ever praised this athleticism, his game off the ball, his work on defense. And Najar gets kudos all the time for those things. I won’t argue Najar is the next Pele or the next “big thing.” But to argue he’s a result of hype is just plain silly and uninformed. Besides being a fine athletic who works hard off the ball and taking coaching well and playing whatever role is asked of him, he isn’t intimidated in games and is generally the “go-to” guy for DC United in tough times or when the team is pressing for a goal (or 2 or 3 or 4). I’m not trying to say he’s a god or he’ll be in the Premiership in 2 years. But judged solely by MLS standards, he’s a superb attacking player with great skills who can create chances with the ball, is excellent at serving up the ball in creative ways, behaves like a much older and mature player when it comes to attacking and taking responsibility, behaves very maturely on the field. And he does special things with the ball.
I’m okay with arguments that maybe someone else deserves ROTY. The reality is that a 17 y.o. who has never played on a U17, U20 NT, who never had college soccer, probably isn’t going to be as consistent as someone who has played U-NT soccer and some college. But I have no problem arguing that Najar will likely be a significantly better player 3 years from now than any of the other ROTY candidates primarily being mentioned (Ream, etc.) and that’s not an insult on those players. Najar is a raw talent. Maybe he’ll never be an international star but realistically most young talent never reaches that level. But by MLS standards, Najar shows a touch, technical ability and mentality as an attacker that is rare, not just for a rookie but any MLS attacker.
2. Yeah, he’ll likely end up with Honduras–at least the odds favor that. But what people forget is that Honduras is one of the more screwed up FA’s in our very screwed up CONCACAF association. This is the association that “banned team captain Guevara for life” b/c he served as a spokesman for team players who felt they’d been cheated on bonuses. This is the association who had their Olympic team waiting at the airport, unsure if they’d be going to the qualification tournament b/c the FA couldn’t make up their minds until the day of the departure flight about if their travel would be paid for. But until he takes the field for the Catrachos, it’s naive to assume it’s a done deal. Trust Honduras to find a way to screw it up somehow.
3. If he isn’t selected for Honduras, it will almost have nothing to do with his ability. As I mentioned, the Honduran FA is a screwed up organization. You often see the NT dominated by players from one or two teams. Or the FA doesn’t bother to scout players outside of Honduras (or doesn’t have the resources to do so). And as for holding up one’s nose at Honduran players, I would have welcomed Suazo or Reyes or about a half dozen others of they guys when they were in their prime.
Najar has better statistics than Adu did as a 17 year old for DC United, and Najar hasn’t been featured on ESPN yet.
Uh, they put it in eyesight of Qwest Field…ya know, so that Sounders fans would see it.
Yeah I think if they both played for their respective countries, it would be better for CONCACAF in the long run. Not saying that 1 player (per team) can make the confederation any better, but it would certainly set the stage for big things.
We do hype young players too much(in all sports not just soccer) but nothing is like how Adu was hyped.
Would be very difficult to call the US an also-ran if Najar played for Honduras. It would be like calling Italy an also-ran if Rossi played for the US. He’s in no way obligated or expected to play for the US. He would, of course, be welcomed with open arms.
To be honest I rather Najar play for Hondaurus and I hope Bunbury plays for Canada they need them way mmore than US. But I would root for them if they played for US.
Could they only afford to put it in the run down industrial part of town?
Well put, smashfish. Not saying Adu wasn’t/isn’t talented, but his hype was just that – hype. Najar, on the other hand, has earned his hype by playing well. Unlike Adu, not many people had heard of Najar before he stepped on the field for DC.
I don’t care where the kid decides to play. He’s a good prospect, and maybe he’ll have a fine career, but he isn’t a world beater, and the US has plenty of options in midfield.
That being said: first, and no disrespect to Honduras, but if they don’t “come calling” there’s no way the US would. Again, no disrespect, but if a player can’t cut it with Honduras, he has no shot with the US. Second, you seem to be implying that a player should only be able to play for the country in which he was born. I find this absurd. If Najar decides to become an American citizen he will be every bit the same as Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, or Freddy Adu.
Off subject, I know, but you just gotta love this:
http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2010/09/timbers_raise_stakes_in_rivalr.html
riiiight, that’s why everyone in seattle is crazy about that nate sturgis guy while they completely ignore fre.. fredy.. monte.. screw it I can’t even remember the guy’s name.
No comparison to Adu. For one, Adu started getting accolades years before playing professionally. Najar is gaining accolades for being a very talented professional at a young age. Not saying he’ll be an international superstar, but comparing the hype machine is preposterous.
I heard that! Well said. I’m half Honduran, and half American. And Honduras needs this kid a lot more than the USA does.
That’s a very safe bet for any young talent.
Do you really not see the difference?
Truth. Especially not in the USA, a land founded on a notion of immigrants coming here with hopes of a new start and opportunity.
US Soccer fans always ignore Latinos at soccer games. Even Latino US Soccer fans ignore other Latinos. LOL!
Or play for the country that gave you and your family an opportunity to have a vastly better life…
I won’t begrudge his decision, but who are you to judge what he view’s as “his” country…
this type of green card doesn’t exist. You are either a resident card holder of not.
thanks! that was a helpful explanation.
As long as his green card is valid and he hasn’t committed any crimes for which he was arrested there is no reason that he would not be able to come and go as he pleases. However, if he decides to transfer to a club elsewhere that will make it difficult for him to retain his card.
Why am I having flashbacks to the Freddy Adu hype machine?
Soccer/sports journalists absolutely love young, talented players. Can’t get enough of the “starlets.” I saw SI profiled a five year-old the other week.
Hope Najar turns out but spare me the hype.
PLAY FOR YOUR COUNTRY : HONDURAS!
If they come calling go play.
If they dont then theres the USA.
I dont want to read any stupid comparisons. This is called poaching players from there country of origins.
Playing for the Honduras U-20 team would eliminate his chances of playing for the US. A player can only switch to country A if they were eligible for country A when they played on the youth team of country B. Right now he’s not eligible for the US National team, so if he played on an Honduras youth team, he’d never be eligible for the US team. This exact situation just came up with Mikel Arteta playing for England. He played for Spanish youth teams before he was eligible to play for England, so now he can never play for England.
Well in the interview to the Honduras U-20 coach, it was quoted from the coach himself that Andy at the present time CANNOT leave the states and go to Honduras. Yes he has a Green Card, but most likely he has some sort of special provision for that based on his quick rise to a professional athlete, lets face it is very promising for a 16 year old kid applying for permanent residence to say “Oh yeah I’ll be making about 60-100K as a pro soccer player my 1st few seasons, and I’ll probably earn and generate more for my club when I’m say… 20”
If was here under some sort of Asylum which is very probably or temporary visa and all of the sudden had this opportunity rise to work for a living despite barely being able to do so legally, is not surprising he’s restricted, it will be interesting if come January of 2012 he still doesn’t have permission to travel to Honduras and hasn’t made any comments or statements about the decision of national team play, by then it will be intriguing and realistic!
Lots of promising 17-year-olds don’t go on to have great careers but Najar is a very exciting prospect, maybe the best u18 player in the US right now.
I’m not sure what he’ll decide about which country to represent on the field. I hope he picks the US but will still root for him if he picks Honduras.
If he has a green card then I think he should be able to travel back and forth out of the US, unlike what the Honduran u20 coach said in yesterday’s article. I don’t think playing for a Honduran youth Nat team would jeopardize any application for US citizenship.
Does anyone knowledgeable about US immigration law know whether a green card holder can enter and leave the US w/o problems and/or whether playing for Honduras would hurt his US citizenship chances?
While I agree it’s more than likely Najar will play for Honduras, it is curious that he continues to say he hasn’t made any decision, etc. etc. Curious because strictly speaking he: doesn’t have a decision to make (as he’s not a citizen) and because no one would’ve blinked an eye had he said, “Oh yeah, I’ll play for Honduras.” The fact that he refuses to make a commitment is interesting, given these facts, isn’t it?
bet he doesnt even develop into a star at the international level.
I’d love to have him on the team, but have to agree that it seems more likely that he’ll be on the field for Honduras. US just seems to be an also-ran everytime one of these exciting prospects with multiple options comes up. Good luck to the lad, though.
Not much of a story here, IMO. He’s great for MLS and I fully expect him to join Honduras. If it’s a year from now and/or he starts dropping hints about joining the US National Team set up, I’ll start paying attention.