One-time U.S. youth international Preston Zimmerman doesn't have a single cap for the senior U.S. national team, and while it wasn't likely that he'd be receiving his first call-up sometime soon anyway based on his current level of play and club standing, he didn't do himself any favors by using social media to voice his opinion about the current U.S. set-up.
Zimmerman, a 23-year-old Washington native currently playing for German third-division side SV Darmstadt 98, went off on Jurgen Klinsmann and the state of the U.S. program via his Twitter feed on Wednesday, centering his argument on the fact that all of the dual-nationality, German-American call-ups on the national team take away from the genuine, American aspect of the team.
In a series of consecutive tweets Zimmerman wrote:
"I thought it would be cool getting Klinsmann as US National team coach, but I think it's actually worse than when Bradley was coach….
"Requirements to get on US National team under Klinsmann: Be a fake American, be born outside the US, have one US distant relative
"I see the team is calling in guys who are really germans who know they've got no chance of playing for germany so they'll settle with the US
"Thats embarrassing when a good friend of mine says he met one of the guys @ the airport & he couldnt reply back in English as US Natl player
"I try my hardest not to tweet US soccer stuff but there are some stuff out there that drive me crazy
"Don't mistake any of my tweets for jealousy, I never expect to be called in or involved with anything and it doesn't hurt my feelings
"I would just like to see true, real Americans who would live and die for this country representing our country
"But when the olympic team holds mini-camps in Germany with all 'european players' then something is wrong
"The kids in college are just as good, if not better, than some of the kids from the reserve teams getting invited to camp
"But the college kids don't speak German and they don't have ties outside the US so they don't qualify for the US under Klinsmann
"Am I the only one here who thinks this or are there others? People have to speak up when they don't like what's going on
"If Klinsmann was winning and very successful with his approach then my words would carry no weight, but I don't see any success
"squeaking out 1-0 wins against CONCACAF villages isn't success…..
"People can bash me for whatever reason, but I hate seeing my country's national team being misused and disrespected
"I know plenty of guys who are in the MLS and know what it's like to play for their country who deserve a look for the US team
"I hope the US team wins and dominates just as much as anybody else because it's my country and I want my country to be #1 and dominate
"Don't want anybody to take my tweets negatively or as criticism to make somebody look bad, I just have passion and interest in the US team"
—————-
What do you make of Zimmerman's comments? Do you agree with him? Think he's way off base?
Share your thoughts below.
Bahahahahahaha
Just seeing this post. He should have posted that on SBI, anonymously! hahaha!! What a fool. Hope he doesn’t turn out to be good, and then has a distant relative in Ireland…
I would say he’s bitter (even though he denies being jealous), but not only because he hasn’t been called to the senior national team. He’s in the exact opposite boat as guys like Jones, Chandler, and Williams. He’s a German-American who most likely has the talent but wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt, by Germans, because he’s American. I understand where he’s coming from, but he comes off as a whiny 5 year old.
I’m a couple days behind since I’m on vacation, but way to go SBI dudes. Chapelle quotes make the world go ’round.
+1
-1
30 games is hell of alot more than MLS reserve games. What does different rules have to do with anything? So someone doesnt get to play 90 minutes big deal. I would rather have a player working on the technical and tactical aspects of the game than worring about playing 90 minutes. I like the countdown clock. Keeps the time wasting and faking injuries out of the game. I have many friends and family that play college soccer and they only take off a short winter break and are back it again practicing in the spring.
Questions
Are tweets public domain.
Ives did you get permission from Preston, required or not?
Just curious, because as an old in the tooth divorcee, explaining complicated positions in such few words is dangerous. I never use that format for anything more complicated than hello/goodbye.
So, if my buddy, who is currently fighting in Afghanistan and is stationed in Germany, has a son who happens to grow up there and become amazing in soccer some of you would have a problem with him being called up simply because he was not born in the U.S.?
So Werner Von Braun didn’t help with our missile program during the Cold war?
And he’s been the coach of that program for let’s see …
Decade = 10 years
1 year = 12 months
Jerrgen Hired in August = less than 5 months
5/120
*** IT’S OFFICIAL ***
Jeurgen Klinsman is 4% responsible for the decline of US Soccer
MLS has such good American player that HE HAS TO FIND WORK IN GERMANY’S 3rd DIVISION.
It’s Official
ZIMMERMAN could NOT make it in MLS
Preston is wrong on all counts. US Constitution writes citizenship requirements. FIFA writes eligibility requirements. Coach determines ability. That’s it. If you don’t like those laws change them. Those who want to add language, residence, patriotism, and enthusiasm, requirements scare me. I hope your wishes are never fulfilled here in the states.
He’s absolutely right and I’m glad someone brought this up. What kind of team do we really want to represent the US? These guys are all German through and through, including Jones and Chandler. They would play for Germany first. Go ahead and read the German media. All these guys have in connection to the US is that their moms were knocked up by servicemen and then left, giving them the right to a passport they never obtained until they got called up. We need to develop more people here and not be so desperate to search out these types of players. All the dual citizens playing for Germany and France live there and are part of the society. German Turks playing for Turkey also have connections to the culture. Don’t compare the dual citizens on those teams to these Germans. Preston is right to be critical and so should the rest of us. If we can’t develop our own players, we don’t deserve to make it to the world cup.
Great post. Thanks!
Sure these players are Americans because legally they are and their heroic parents did serve in the military (even if some weren’t involved in the upbringing of these kids).
The annoying part is that Jurgen is just using his ties to recruit players. Be honest to yourselves USA fans; there is no way in hell these kids are CHOOSING to represent the USA. It’s a cheap tactic to try and quick fix the US national team. Instead we should be working on the youth structure in this country so we can build players.
Personally I’d rather have an entirely Mexican team of non-citizens who have spent time in this country and worked hard to get here than a spoiled German who doesn’t know the difference between states and cities and is upset he’ll never have what it takes to make the German team.
Hes actually right.. All those players that are from Europe, mainly Germany will never have a chance to play for their countries national team. So we pretty much we get their leftovers…. We need players that have passion for this country. not some players that don’t even know the national anthem or even the capital of this country and most importantly DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH! That is a shame…..
Our team culture? Your bigotry is just disgusting.
Nice post. I agree with you 100%.
According to Preston Zimmerman’s US Nationality rules, John McCain is not a “Real American” since he was born in Panama.
Very good arguments and nice grammar. Kudos to you!
Zimmerman would never tell that to Jermaine Jones in his face. I doubt anyone in his right mind would. That guy is tough as nails.
+1 Made me laugh..
Who aren’t? the Polish? Tunisian? team we call the German team? I can list may countries and many players who use the dual-citizenship rule to the fullest, and they get results. Being an American patriot and avid soccer fan myself- I have no problem with having a foreign coach, or using this rule to the USMNT’s benefit as well.. Sounds to me like Zimmerman is getting teased too much by his German teammates and he’s venting childishly via twitter…
German Beer is very strong mate, stop drunk Tweeting…
Zimmerman is dead on…i mean Teal Bunbury…a guy who said it would be “wrong” to play for the US…can’t go argueing that
Sometimes the truth hurts. Wake up Juergen. Our national program has been going downhill for the last decade. MLS is not doing any favors by allowing rugby-like hits with no officiating. There’s no individual skill nor team fluidity development in the states, just brute force soccer. Why else do countries 1/10 our size smoke us repeatedly?
We’re seriously just going to accept as gospel the hearsay claims of some butthurt hack?
What on earth do YOU know about our “team culture”?
last point haha does this guy know that English is ENGLAND’s national language and not of the United States? If he were british the BNP would be waiting for him…
Totes_racist,
That was thoughtful and well-reasoned. You are not welcome here 😉
I’d be curious to know how many of the people who feel qualified to identify the “real Americans” were upset when players like Subotic or Rossi chose other countries over the USA. Coach Rongen was almost universally panned when it was claimed he “chased” Subotic from representing the US. If Subotic wants to represent another country then he probably wasn’t all that excited about being part of the USMNT, but it was Rongen who was pilloried for Subotic’s decision. It’s tough to know what lies in the heart and head of another man, and those claiming to know are probably doing more to lazily reveal a stance for which they have no reasonable argument to use as a defense.
They could have chosen not to accept the callups.
Would Earnie Stewart have gotten capped by Holland, or Thomas Dooley by Germany? Probably not. Anyone wanna poo-poo their contributions to “American” soccer?
Zimmerman couldn’t carry either one of those guys’ jockstraps, and his Twitter outburst will surely prove to be his most lasting contribution to soccer in this country.
This is a stupid argument. How many people would actually DIE for their country? Would Landycakes die for America?
+1
In what sense? Have you looked at a map of Europe and the Middle East? You could fit the whole of Mexico in between Germany and Turkey.
Timmy Chandler is what he thinks he is, not what you say he is.
I want to point out also that MANY other players play for other national sides. The case with out players usually includes a serviceman parent, so keep your comments on patriotism to yourselves. This goes for Preston Zimmerman as well. I love the quote that reads something about wanting players who would fight and die for the US. Funny thing, as is the case with Jones and others, his family actually DID put themselves in that scenario, whereas Preston is armchairing from a position of bitter priviledge. Go join the army, Zimmerman. You’d probably have more success there than you will as a footballer.
Your comment was pretty bad and needed to be addressed. There is plenty to disagree with in Mr. Zimmerman’s remarks without ludicrously linking his opinions about the US National soccer team setup to skinheads who have and probably still do commit real acts of violence against people they disagree with. The comparison is just non-existent.
Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard these guys talk about how they actually feel more comfortable in the US because of how our culture deals with mixed race people, particularly those with some black heritage.
In a way, although I totally understand why Ives would post this, I wish it wasn’t on this page. Who the hell is Preston Zimmerman? I feel like a guy like this who wrote so much in way of attack who isn’t trying to be “negative” and has such a small pedigree of accomplishment shouldn’t get his own article.
Now, in reference to some of the things he’s said, I would say that the only call-ups Jurgen has made that I have taken issue with are Edgar Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal, and the continued presence of Beckerman as a starter…that’s about it. Williams, Johnson, Jones, and Chandler all deserve places in the team, whether it be the bench or otherwise. I also agree with others that have posted that the supposed MLS-bias is a joke. Brek Shea is the starting LM, a young player with more upside than actual accomplishment on the pitch, who has proven his worth in the short time he has played.
Also, the “worse than under Bob Bradley” comment lends to reason that Preston here didn’t like the old system either. Boo hoo. I think Jurgen has created a competitive camp environment vs the status quot of the Bradley regime (remember when Rico Clark and J. Bornstein regularly started over others?). He wants to introduce as many new faces as possible to find the right squad before a competitive tournament where in which results will actually matter. I love the “I haven’t seen success” comments. What an idiot. If this dude doesn’t understand the basic concept of new player introduction in a friendly match environment, then once again he has proven that he is no more qualified to comment on the state of the team than he is to see the pitch for the stars and stripes, which trust me will never happen both based on skill and his comments.
I think a disconnect between the two general sides of the above arguments exists in understanding why some people are uneasy about people who skeptics believe are essentially German wearing the USA’s colors. This is subjective, but personally, I want the players that are representing the country I love and playing for the team that I love to be passionate and dedicated- not just trying to get capped somewhere, but proudly representing the colors and winning for the American fans- afterall, I think think that’s the whole point of creating national teams as opposed to club teams. I don’t know these German born dual citizens personally, but I assume growing up in Germany and being immersed in the German culture, they are more likely to be passionate and proud regarding Germany’s success, and more are more likely to join the US team as mercenaries looking to step on the field in the World Cup one day. I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT POINT IS CONJECTURE AND MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE, and that these guys might truly identify as dual citizens. If they genuinely are excited and passionate about representing the United States, (regardless of their cultural or linguistic ties), I welcome them with open arms and am excited to live in a country and support a team that is inclusive of all citizens. I just don’t want mercenaries, and I don’t think its outlandish to suggest these German born players MIGHT be more likely to fit that description. While I think there is some amount of xenophobia flying around here, I don’t think my feeling is xenophobic at all.
Lint licker.
I don’t think you understand. None of them have made that choice yet. If Germany wants ANY of them. Germany gets WHOEVER they want.
I couldn’t speak English when I arrived in this country either. Now I stand before you a man that will die for this country.
Do you think Jermaine Jones would die for America? Jermaine Jones wouldn’t even play for America if Germany wanted him. If he was good enough for them.
Yeah, American citizenship is open and inclusive. LOL.
Being born in Germany means you can’t be president of the US, it does not mean that you can’t be a left back on the USMNT. You don’t like the fact that an American, with an American serviceman as his father, born in Germany, is getting his rightful chance to earn a spot on the US Team? Tough. It’s not your call. You don’t like that English isn’t their first language? What kind of criteria is that? You can’t draw a line in the sand and say “the demarcation of ‘real americans’ starts here…” Unless we plan to field a team entirely made up of players Cherokee, Lakota, Navajo, Apache nations then we’re always going to have a team of mixed heritage from outside the US. You have to be born in the US to be President, you don’t have to be born in the US to be American. Zimmerman, by the way, should stay of Twitter while he’s drinking.
You don’t understand? It’s simple. We root for the US. When they lose a good player some of us go a little crazy, when we get a good player we’re all happy. Not difficult to understand. Is it consistant? No, but it is what it is.
Obviously written by a disgruntled (and ethnocentric)player who hasn’t lived up to his own expectations, now playing for a third-tier German team. Let’s face it: the U.S. men’s national team has yet to be consistently successful and a big part of the reason is that the team has relied on players with U.S. experience only — college or otherwise — rather than experience in countries where soccer is played with passion. The U.S. team, even when moderately successful, has been one of the most boring teams to watch. I’ll wait and see what Klinnesman puts together.
The official language proposed here in the states was actually German…the irony of it all.
PZ is a punk.
1. I’m not in the tank for Klinsi. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a good choice for USNT coach, maybe not. But he’s doing something that he promised…expanding the USNT pool. He’s giving repeated chances to guys might normally not get a second look, he’s trying to expand the use of hispanic players. He actually isn’t that reliant on German-Americans (Chandler and JJ were part of the BB regime as pointed out by others).
2. The U23 camp in Germany…uh didn’t that have to do with getting access to USNT players and talent who were overseas? Guys who…by they time they fly to the states…are jet lagged and have one full day of practice.