Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com
Andy Najar will apparently end the mystery Tuesday afternoon.
D.C. United has scheduled a press conference for 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday during which Najar will discuss his national team future and presumably pick which country he will represent, either his native Honduras or the United States.
Najar, 18, burst onto the scene as an unheralded rookie when he signed with D.C. United as a Homegrown Player and started the first game of the 2010 season. The speedy winger created havoc on opposing defenses and was a very bright spot in an otherwise dismal campaign for D.C. last year, earning MLS Rookie of the Year honors. His national-team choice has been a point of contention for some time.
Should Najar choose Hondruas, he could go directly into the senior squad for this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup (or the U-20 team for the World Cup should Honduras qualify). Should he chose the United States, he would have to wait out the citizenship process before playing for the U.S. national team.
Where do you think Najar will take his talents, USA or Honduras?
Share your thoughts below.
Let’s get that boy an American wife!!!!!!!!!!
WHich is why he’s not going to pick the USA> It’s a couple of years at least until he’s even eligible to play for the USA and it’s a crapshoot as to whether he’s going to figure in a lot of USMNT camps, much less actually feature for the team.
Perhaps if he was so undeniably awesome that playing for the USMNT was a given in his future, he might come out differently, but he has to go with Honduras now — to give Euro scouts a chance to see hi at the Gold Cup.
Except it’s the reverse of Rossi Here’s a kid who’s clearly Honduran, except that he’s come of age as a soccer player in the USA. Rossi was the reverse — a kid who’s clearly American in every sense of the word, except that he came of age as a soccer player abroad…
Anyone who criticized or resented Rossi’s decision would be 100% hypocritical to criticize or resent Najar’s presumed choice of HOnduras.
My point was just that it’s different for different people for a variety of reasons. There’s no one-size-fits-all sort of rule or answer (as suggested by some responses here).
if his case a lot has to do with who is the NATS coach going to be? am I going to get a fair chance? where is best chance to make it?
so, I would say he is going Honduras on has, unless he is going to tell us that he got his citizenship certificate in his hand.
why wife’s process was about a year to get her green card, and after 2 years of residency she can begin to apply for her citizenship which takes about 3 more years to complete which adds up to 5 years total.
I don’t think that was the reason for Najar winning ROTY. I’m thinking it was more because they didn’t want to give a third consecutive ROTY award to a center back. (Franklin won it playing CB.)
It’s different if you’re married to a citizen.
if he picks US, i will throw up with excitement…if he picks honduras, screw him. we dont want him anyway
to be fair, he didn’t grow up in the Italian system either. He moved there at 13, and only spent 3 years there. But you’re right, we do need to get over him, he’s only 1 player.
It would be beyond amazing if he announced “I am going to play for the US…in 3+ years.”
Good luck to him–I would have loved to have him, but this is the logical choice and you can’t hold it against him.
But it’s not as simple as that. Other factors may be brought into play, including other (non-spouse) family members. Doesn’t he have some? Financial status (his and/or his sponsor’s) would be looked at, as well.
But anyway, it doesn’t seem like it will matter, as he’s probably declaring for Honduras…
Recent articles have suggested that both Najar and his immediate family (parents) would prefer him to play for the US. They feel like Americans and appreciated the opportunity this country has provided them. Unfortunately they are not US citizens, so what can they do? Soccer people are trying to get Senator Durbin to push something through granting him US citizenship, but other politicians are not going to get behind that. So because of our immigration and naturalization policies, we lose an extremely talented player who lives here, plays professionally here, and wants to play for our national team. That sucks, for us and for him.
Qatar?
Yea, young kid’s going to want to (and should) play now. U.S. citizenship seems like a murkier proposition.
Congrats to Honduras…given the timing of the press conference, (i.e. eligible for Honduras now for Gold Cup 2011 vs. maybe making the US team in 3-5 years), the announcement must be that he will be playing for Honduras. I wish him the best.
well, you’re married, right? and you are a citizen? completely different path. the waiting time for a non-citizen married to a US citizen is three years, as you say. for a green card holder not married to a citizen, it is five. there’s your difference
Putting someone nominally as an outside defender in an Open Cup game only to have them attack does NOT make them a defender. He might be fine in the middle of the field as a withdrawn forward though. I agree with Goff on that.
From my understanding we can’t promise the “A” team because teams are only obligated to release players for our confederation championship. I think we would be asking a bit much from some clubs to lose their players fro the duration of the Gold Cup and Copa America.
Wow you are dumb. Perhaps he just wants to represent the country he was born in and spent a good portion of his childhood in.
Thanks for recommending a great article! (no sarcasm)
If he keeps playing like he has for DC this year he’d be B-C team for the US at best. I think he had a decent first game in MLS this year, but has looked rough the past two games.
In my opinion, DCU has two other players, US citizens today, that would fare better than Najar in the pecking order by the time that Najar would even be eligible to play for the U.S. Dax McCarty and Charlie Davies.
Well that sort of timeline clearly isn’t set in stone, as it’s been much shorter for my wife (who is Mexican), as I was noting above. Residency was immediate and she’ll be applying for citizenship in less than 3 years. There’s a lot of variation depending on a lot of factors, and I would take folks’ comments along these lines with a few grains of salt.
Maybe immigration law has changed? Because that’s not at all what my wife (who is from Mexico) received: 10 years, no restrictions on coming/going or staying out of the country, apply for citizenship after a wait of 2 years + 9 months…
Why have a press conference with an american club if you’re not picking the usa?
BUT
Why have a press conference if you cant play for the usa now?
I won’t be upset if he chooses Honduras. But I would like to have him in our talent pool.
He will pick Honduras I think. Then again if he picks USA I will not be surprised. Why are they giving him a special I know he is good, but he is just a MLS player. I can see if he was playing for Arsenal and Chelsea and getting starts then give him a special,but why do we have to wait until a special. I would not be surprised if he picked USA because if he wanted to pick Honduras he would already be capped only youth or youth and senior both by now.
How do you know this? Pure BS. No fight or heart, yet he straps it on for DC United and Ben Olsen? Please don’t crap on my plate and call it a meal.
Come dancin’, come on Najar, have yourself a ball, don’t be afraid to come dancin’, it’s only natural…
OMG, get over Rossi he did not even grow up in the US professional soccer system. I can see if he grew up in it like Subotic did, but he did not. So end of story.
He will choose to never sniff a world cup and third place gold cup finishes will be his morale victories.
He will be cal tied to a crap natl team inaddition to his current crap club
By picking Honduras it shows that he doesn’t have that “American thing” winners mentality
And his content playing…
No American fight or heart we don’t need him then.
after you receive your green card you establish consistent residency (can’t leave country for more than 6 months at a time) and wait 5 years. Take the test, citizenship.
+2
Well if I was him I’d just wait, reason why is he plays for the U.S., he’s got a better WC shot. Besides, if he stays in the MLS he can develop for a few more years then move to Europe in his early 20’s once he gets his citizenship.
It seems pretty crazy that he would announce he’s picking the US with a several year wait guaranteed, unless it’s just to silence talk. But makes me think Honduras.
I also think that team Honduras have a decent future, Palacios is gong through a tough spell but is one of the most gifted midfielders in our region (and still only 26), and I think a lot of US fans would be happy to have Maynor Figueroa to throw into the mix at LB. They have pieces.
And Suazo (Inter), Bernadez(Anderlecht), and Alvarez(Bari. Not bad.
the timing of this screams “I’m going to play for Honduras” so the only shock will be if he does pick the US.
On Honduras he is probably a starter for the next 15 years whether he progresses another bit or not. He MAYBE makes 1 WC. (to the Honduran fan above who was indignant that Honduras made the last WC so will make the next one, spare me your castigation. Central American teams have a long history of not stringing together WC appearances)
On the USMNT he probably makes the bench at the very least for all matches for 12 of the next 15 years and will almost guaranteed make it to at least 3 WC’s in his career IF he keeps up his progress.
So it is pretty much up to him if he wants a guaranteed spot with Honduras or if he wants to wait two years and fight like hell for a spot on a far superior USMNT. Either choice has its pluses and minuses.
He is young but the longer he waits…the more players he has to contend with IF he choses US.
Although a good player with a proven record in a physical league like MLS, I don’t think he is the type of player that BB is waiting with open arms. I wish him the best either way he goes.
if he is 3 years out that means he just started the process. I think you start the process after 2 years of having your green card, which he had it for a long time.
he already has a green card. he needs citizenship.
So if he chooses Honduras does that mean his “rookie of the year” award from last year will be taken back and given to the true winner… Tim Ream?
I thought the kid was good but I felt that Ream deserved it much more. The choice of Najar just felt like an attempt to motivate him to choose the US by saying “See we love you here, why don’t you come and play for our team?”
Winning the Gold Cup is more important. Win that and we are in the 2013 Confederations CUp in Brazil. We won’t get invited to COpa America because we won’t send the A team
Yup. No reason to do it now unless he’s picking Honduras
Heart says USA…Head says Honduras 🙁
There was an article in the Washingtonian that gives this decision a little more context, and to be honest, helps fans realize how incredible a story Najar is . . . I am obviously hoping US, but very excited for him either way
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/sports/18735.html
Whichever flag he wears, I wish him the best of luck. Except if he plays against the USA. Then I wish him a brace and the US a double hat-trick. (Kid’s got every indication so far of being a good egg, and I hope he nets for DCU a bunch).
No Torres, no Gomez, no Acuna (he said bump it and went to Mexico..hahaha), No Benny, No Adu, No Bedoya, No castillo should tell Najar that his style of play is not warranted on Coach Bradley’s team. If he picks the US he’ll be like torres and Feilhaber…tried only a few times with the A-team and being dropped for “run, pass, shoot, defensive” players. Honduras will be a better fit for him.
I think you’re forgetting Wilson Palacios (Tottenham).
Najar should pick Honduras to keep some competitive balance going in CONCACAF.
If Honduras can have another strong qualification run, and Canada picks up the slack world cup qualifying might be a little more interesting.
Mother Scrunchers? Thank you for that, I will definitely be using that in places where my tongue has to be bitten. Thank you sir.