By FRANCO PANIZO
Jurgen Klinsmann’s M.O. since being appointed the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2011 has been to try and get as many dual nationals to play for the U.S. setup so as to not risking losing “the next Giuseppe Rossi.”
Klinsmann has fared well in that regard, and on Tuesday he claimed another victory by getting a player with immense potential to commit to the American cause.
Klinsmann revealed via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that teenage phenom Julian Green has chosen to play for the U.S. ahead of an upcoming friendly against Mexico. Green, an 18-year-old winger who made his Bayern Munich debut earlier this season, has filed his one-time switch and U.S. Soccer expects the process to be completed in the coming weeks.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Julian has chosen to be a part of the U.S. National Team Programs,” said Klinsmann in a statement. “As we have said, he is a very special talent. We wanted him to feel comfortable with our program and listen to his heart when making this decision. I personally want to thank Kalle Rummenigge and everyone at Bayern Munich for their support through this process. He is an exciting player with a tremendously bright future.”
Born in Tampa, Fla., to an American father and German mother, Green had been heavily pursued by Klinsmann and U.S. Soccer in recent months and took part in his first training camp with the full national team earlier this month.
Green made his professional debut under highly-respected Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola with a two-minute substitute appearance in UEFA Champions League play in November, but has not played for the German giants’ first team since.
“Obviously this was a big decision, and I spent a long time discussing it with my family,” said Green in the same statement. “I was born in Florida and my father still lives there, so I have deep roots in the U.S. I’m very proud to be representing the United States.
“A big part of the decision was the experience I had in Frankfurt. All the players were super nice and welcomed me from the beginning. Clint Dempsey gave me a jersey with my name on it, and the way they supported me gave me a lot of belief. The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, and now I hope to do everything I can to earn a spot on the World Cup roster.”
Green had recently played for Germany’s Under-19 team in a European Championship qualifier and was provisionally cap-tied to Die Mannschaft as a result, but there is now a chance he could make his U.S. debut in the April 2 friendly versus Mexico in Phoenix, Ariz., and represent the Americans at the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
He joins a growing list of dual nationals that have chosen to represent the U.S. in recent years, a list that includes Aron Johannsson, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona and German-Americans like Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Terrence Boyd and Danny Williams.
—–
How happy are you with Green’s decision? Expecting to see Green get a healthy shift in the upcoming friendly versus Mexico? Do you see him making it onto the World Cup roster?
Share your thoughts below.
Its funny how many people are declaring who is now not going to the World Cup. While at the same time no one really seems all that sure what position Green plays, much less where Klinsmann plans on using him.
Ruh Roh.
This is all great I guess. Considering I’ve never seen the guy play…I’m not excited. I guess I’ll have to trust Klinsmann. What position does this guy even play? And I wonder how Klinsmann convinces these guys. How many is that now? 4-5?
Klinsmann was a World Cup hero for Germany. Don’t forget that he also coached the German team in the 2006 World Cup. If JK goes to a German player and wants to talk to him, that player is going to listen. You have to understand JK’s background. That’s why many of us were excited that he became the US coach. He brings a wealth of experience and contacts around the world that is matched by very few, certainly by no one else in the US.
+1
Yep. JK is a legendary player and it will be interesting to see his role with US Soccer once he is no longer the coach. I hope he still helps recruit some of these dual nationals!
absolutely spot on GP. USMNT, finally got the cook in the kitchen in JK.
Sweeeeeet.
HOLY FREAKING CRAP
Oh man, do you remember how effective the speed of Davies was with Jozy? Could Green bring back the good ol’ days?
Nobody knows since the only playing time he gets is against 15 year olds in the German 4th division
Not to mention training with arjen robben, ribery, phillip lahm, schweinsteiger, and having pep guardiola guide you
Will Green as winger see the field against slow defender and German captain Philip Lam?
NICE. give the kid a roster spot. I’m cool with that. The potential of j green coming on in the 70th minute is soooo much more exciting than the breckster
What’s potentially huge about this news is that it gives us a quality winger….which in turn solves two problems at once since that would allow us to move Fabian back to D and sure up one of the fullback spots. Great news!
Great point.. my guess is JK will take only 3 pure forwards, Jozy AJ and one more… and Green potentially opens up a lot of options (assuming he is as advertised)
The most important being FabJo at LB…
Bring Beas as your backup, dump Evans and make FabJo Cameron’s backup at RB
In Green ‘s statement he says “The training with the team was a big factor, everyone was so nice to me. Clint Dempsey gave me a usmnt shirt with my name on it”
I don’t think we see David Regis 2.0…..
Bac,
Regis did not bust up that team. Your horndog boy,, the John Terry before there was a John Terry, the Prell model did that. And Sampson’s weird tactical changes did not help.
The team Sampson took to the WC was a lot different from the team that went through qualifying. He destroyed the team continuity and chemistry by bringing in a bunch of new players. Regis was the poster boy for that failed attempt, but he was a symbol, not a cause.
exactly…throw in the 3-6-1 formation and we have a trifecta!
GW, Gary, you’re both right…. and Regis was the easy target for an excuse.. but certainly wasn’t the reason for that awful display…
I was just pointing out the positive vibes I read… but yes Sampson & Harkes did 1000 times more damage than adding Regis….
In fact, when this has come up on espnfc, I think Twellman severely overstates the point..saying he “blew the locker room up”…. BS
I think it’s unfair to expect a guy with a Harkes-level mullet to turn down sex.
This is the best comment I’ve read on here in awhile.
Does the rest of the world care that we develop their basketball players? Does Canada care if their hockey players play in the NHL? No.
+1000
It’s not even about athletes. American colleges and universities have large numbers of foreign students.
So everyone who is against this, do you think we should only allow players born in America to 2 American parents and have never played or trained abroad, to represent the US? Because that’s the alternative in the global world we live in now.
Not to be nitpicky, but the National Hockey League was started as the National Hockey League of CANADA, not the United States.
Also Canada develops all of their hockey players, and international development of basketball players is comparable to that of the US.
I wouldn’t say international development of basketball players is comparable to the USA — it’s not really true. In fact, basketball is probably the closest analogue to soccer in terms of player development. There are a handful of countries with top leagues, with the U.S. being the leader (by far), and countries from all over the world send their best players to those leagues at various point in their development. This is true even of countries that have very good national teams. When Argentina won the Olympic gold medal in 2004, for example, they were led by 2 players (Ginobli and Scola) who were playing in Spain. Spain’s national team, meanwhile, has had the Gasols playing in the NBA since their early 20’s (they’ve since added Ibaka, who’s improved by leaps and bounds as an NBA player, and Rubio should become more well-rounded in the NBA as well, assuming his body holds up). Further down the ladder, several respectable teams have outsourced the finishing off of their best players to the NBA, or failing that, Spain or one of a few European leagues (think of Brazil with Splitter, Barbosa, and Verajao). Some even pull in dual nationals once they make it to the NBA (Chris Kaman and Germany).
Having watched the growth of the international game in basketball for years (longer than I’ve followed international soccer, in fact), the development structures of world basketball is one of the reasons I don’t sweat the whole “the U.S. doesn’t develop it’s own players” argument that much. Sure, it would be great if we improved domestic player development, but their is nothing inherently wrong with recognizing that certain clubs and leagues have a comparative advantage in this area and exploiting it.
P4E, thank you, well spoken.
Ginobli was with the Spurs in 2004. He started there in 2002.
1. This is a huge get for the usmnt
2. Anyone who is upset about losing that 23rd roster spot to Green ( assuming he’s on the plane) has nobody to blame but themselves. JK has given plenty of opportunities to fringe players to earn their spot, he’s pushed people out of their comfort zones and challenged them by:
– not guaranteeing spots
– playing people in multiple positions to give em a chance to prove themselves
-upping the level of accountability to the team and to themselves
You may not agree with all of JKs decisions or tactics, but after 2+ years if you haven’t LOCKED your spot down, you can’t say you didn’t have a shot
3. Just because Green hasn’t played more with Bayern isn’t just about where they are in the season, but don’t forget with all that talent Pep also has to keep people hungry and happy who could start on 99%of the teams in the world…. he’s gotta find time for everyone
4. This dual National argument is over and done as far as I’m concerned.
Shoot if you’re an Olympic athlete you can represent a country, medal, and four years later represent another country and nobody makes a big deal or says crap about it…
Great news for us, now I hope he earns his way into some significant playing time…
+1
To be fair, I did complain about the Olympics. I’d like them to use rules closer to FIFA’s.
Fair point and I’m sure a lot of people agree, but after enough time passes nobody pays attention…of the two major international sports competitions, FIFAs rules are much tougher… (more corrupt, but tougher)
Nice Bac, insightful. + 10 for Pele!
Yaaaaaaaahooooooooooooooooooowooooooo!!!!!!!!
So what position does he play? Is he kind of like a Landon who can play any attacking role?
From what I’ve heard and seen, that is a fair statement. He is too small to be a true target player (similar to Donovan), but has the speed to play outside, the finishing to play up top in a striker pairing and the skill and creativity to play the CF spot too. He is young and hasn’t completely settle on a spot. Maybe he will be a forward like Jermaine Defoe, but heck, I will take that.
Fast, two footed, fast, can play all along the front line, fast, goal scorer, fast, probably the best comparison is the 2002 Donovan. Fast.
Maybe the US will bring back the counter attack.
I miss the 2002 Donovan. That guy was fearless.
Along with the other two replies above, that’s also the role I see him fulfilling. Imagine having two Donovans on the field at the same time. Giddying!
Ah yes. That question. Don’t worry about it… I’ve tried asking. For now, he’s fast. Somebody’s drinking buddy in Europe said so and besides just look at him! Gotta be fast right?
There is some suggestion he is left-sided, as well.
But I’m glad this part is done. At least he’s in the pool. I hope the kid is amazing.
He is quick in short spaces and fast in the open field, technically good on the ball, functionally two-footed, and calm in front of goal. On raw talent he might be the best attacker in the pool right now.
He can play forward on either side, and I don’t doubt he’s comfortable out wide. I think Jurgen uses him as one of the side attacking midfielders in his 4-2-3-1. Jozy fights with Dempsey for the target spot, but both should not play together.
If given the chance The American Kaiser would have bagged that Judas Giuseppe Rossi too.
And Ibisevic and Najar and Movsisyan and Subotic and Gotoku Sakai and even Oswaldo Alonso!!
He still needs to get Shawn Parker though.
America, F*** Yeah!
YES MOVEMENT! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
LMAO. The American Neymar!
I hope he has all the talent with more class.
Don’t see how this isn’t good for what SlowArm wants as well.
USMNT success and star power = greater support and visibility for domestic league soccer = more kids into soccer programs = more money for clubs = more investment for scouting and academies.
Wanting a ‘true scotsman’ team would only hinder the game here.
On the day after St. Patrick’s Day, USMNT gets GREEN!
DING DING DING! We have a winner.
and can I just randomly say….I’M RUNNING AROUND THE ROOM IN FAST MOTION LIKE A BENNY HILL SKIT!! So amped with this news.
YYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
Ireland did this too in the 90’s. So desperate for success they came to USA 94 with a team full of Englishmen. Didn’t do much for soccer in that country though did it?
They only beat Italy in that WC
Is that all?
Italy just barely lost to Brazil on penalties in the final that year…. My favorite player Baggio skied his PK for the loss as I recall.
maybe you could go to Dublin and whine about it. You can’t bring us down here! We are too pumped, go USA!
Hey man, the Irish didn’t cross the border. The border crossed them in 1649……..
Meh, they wouldn’t have been much better domestically. Just too small.
Dude, they beat Italy and made it to the second round finishing ahead of Norway and Italy in their group.
They were wildly successful.
I understand where you’re coming from. The idea of dual nationality creates difficulties in conceptualizing nationality. Is it a dichotomy or a continuum? I would say the most convincing evidence in this debate is individual choice. While speculation at the motivation behind those choices might be enticing, it is by nature only speculation.
Were Green draping himself in American flag and belting out “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, would you be more convinced of his worthiness to represent America? I think it would be awesome, but I am primarily concerned with his decisions. He has chosen to represent the USA, so I will support him. Period. Whether he is a German-American or an American German, it’s the American part that matters.
+1
slowleftarm,
There’s probably a few reasons that the ’94 Irish team “didn’t do much for soccer in that country.” One reason I’d venture to guess, based on the “history” between England and Ireland, is that the Irish public may not have been as open to the idea of being represented by dual national Englishman as the American public likely is to being represented by sons of US service members and men that were born in this country.
I believe there are more Irishmen in the EPL than there are Americans and it has probably been that way for the last 20 years.
they are still doing it…shane o’neill was invited to camp, as was ryan meara and even conor doyle….trappatoni said that Ireland needed to embark on a campaign to find all the dual irish…..
Apples and Oranges. Ireland is vastly smaller country (smaller player pool) and doesn’t have the same level of competition for the national consciousness. US Soccer has College Football/NFL, NBA, MLB, regional sports like the NHL and NASCAR to compete with. Ireland does. Success and Money will bred generations who want increasingly to be soccer players. That’s not a problem in Ireland.
“Ireland did this too in the 90′s. So desperate for success they came to USA 94 with a team full of Englishmen.”
Well that’s obviously wrong.
This is a major coup for the program. Green could be a fixture on the Nats for the the next decade or more. As for the next few months, the questions to be answered are (1) Who loses their plane ticket? and (2) Does anyone lose their starting spot?
(1) Nobody consequential: shea or davis or sacha. Maybe if jk had been considering williams AND beckerman he leaves one of them off. Or maybe green won’t pan out and doesn’t make the final list. Unlikely but possible.
(2) If green is as good as expat thinks he is, beasley probably loses his spot as fabian moves to left back.
No way on earth Beasley loses his spot if he is healthy and in form. That is just crazy talk. You keep all the good left footed players you can. Fab Johnson and Beasley will not be cut if healthy and playing well. I could see some of the fringe players at DM or on the right side being cut though as there are a lot of guys that can fill those roles.
Beasley loses his starting spot, not his roster spot. That’s IF green is good enough to start.
I just don’t know about that. I think Beas is penciled in at LB not LM or LF. I don’t think Green would affect him. I think Fab J could take his LB spot, but I still see Beas starting at LB for now considering his experience. I could see Green maybe making subs, but it’s asking too much for him to start in the WC. WAAAAY too much to put on his shoulders. He may have great potential, but he doesn’t have game experience. Could be fun to see light a spark off the bench though.
Brek Shea has some serious stepping up to do moving forward. Love having competition on the team. Julian has great potential, and is young enough to provide that competition for a long time going forward.
And how much did Shea getting recalled from his loan have to do with convincing Green to make the switch?
Probably not as much as training right next to him…
Guess he figured he’s not good enough to play for Germany.
Or he feels connected to the U.S. when he visits twice a year, I believe and probably likes the feeling of national team. What are you going to say when that kid at barca plays for the U.S.? He has been there since he was about six.Since he wasn’t developed here does that not make him American enough? We are far behind other countries in developing soccer players as a whole.
Right, we’re far behind other countries so we just find a bunch of foreigners to play for us because that proves something I guess.
Stop demeaning these American citizens because they don’t pass your purity test. He isn’t a foreigner. Now you’re just being offensive.
Agreed. There’s no call for that and no room for it here.
Let me ask what I asked another. Green is a US citizen born in this country. I think all German American players in the US pool are US citizens under the law. Why don’t you want the US to have its citizens play for its team? How long does a US citizen have to live in the US to meet your purity test? Spector went into the English system when he was 16. Now we have Pelosi at Liverpool since 16 or so. Do they meet your purity test? Should Messi not be allowed to play for
Argentina? Your attitude is nonsensical.
But it’s not even really an issue of us being behind, it’s an issue of a select number of big clubs in other countries being ahead — not just of us, but of pretty much the whole world.
Teams like Bayern, Barca, and the like take players from everywhere. Any national team program would be happy to take out a flyer on a kid who developed at a big club like Bayern, and doing so is not a reflection of a country’s weakness so much as a reflection of how far out ahead of EVERYONE certain clubs are in terms of scouting and developing players.
We may not be at the top of the heap in terms of player development, but we’ve had a hand in growing several of our own very good players. Among our likely World Cup starters, Howard, Cameron, Dempsey, Bradley, and Altidore all started their careers stateside before heading across the pond. Donovan played nearly all of his meaningful games in MLS. Besler has never played porofessionally outside the U.S., and thus far, has been decent on the international level. The fact that we are now adding a player who is in Bayern’s system isn’t a reflection of our weakness — it’s a reflection of the fact that some clubs are simply hubs for world-class players, and we, like any number of countries (including some of the best in international play), are tapping into one of them in hopes of landing a star.
Ignoring the fact he was born in the US, yes that is exactly what we do and have always done in every aspect of civilization. Our nukes and NASA owed a lot to German immigrants. Many of our troops in the Revolutionary War were trained by a Prussian. Google and Yahoo were both founded by immigrants. I could go on and on and on. We excel because we let people in and let them do what they do best for us instead of their native country.
Really the best thing that could happen to US Soccer is if this kid turns into a world class player then settles down in the US after his career because of all our fantastic support and helps train a new generation based on the knowledge he gained playing at the highest levels.
Possibly…But I and many others look forward to seeing him play against Die Mannschaft on 6/26.
Definitely.
He’s in Bayern first team at 18 years old, and he’s a fixture of the German youth teams. What are you and slow smoking? I would love to sample it, because it must be powerful.
There is something to be said about a player that doesn’t believe in himself enough to fight for a spot in a truly contending national team.
I guess he’ll be moving to MLS next where he can get some actual playing time.
Loser mentality for sure.
So you think that a person would naturally prefer playing for and living in Germany over the US? Don’t you find the US an attractive place to be in and from? Why do you hate our country so much?
Anybody who’s earned a spot on a bayern matchday roster by the age of 18 definitely has a loser mentality. Probably been taking the easy way out his whole life.
yeah, everyone knows our country sucks! there’s no way our crappy nation would ever be anyone’s first choice!
damn, slowleftarm, i can see your self-loathing from way over here.
What’s the over/under on moronic comments about comparing Green to Adu?
Please explain why a comparison between Adu and Green would be “moronic”?
I believe this is huge news! I think this kid, from the praise he gets from Bayern, could have played for Germany one day if he kept developing. At the very least, the potential is there. I think him choosing U.S., over Germany might be a step for others as well and bring more competition, which is always better. I think the draw of playing in a world cup is a draw, but I don’t think the brotherhood of the U.S. team should be down played as well. Its a bunch of good guys it seems like. I’m really excited to see what is going to happen in this world cup and the next cycle as well.
Punch his ticket to Brazil.
Someone find slowleftarm. He needs medical attention.
Haha, look above you. He’s not happy.
I’m here. This type of stuff is a joke but I’ll still cheer when he scores. Deep down though, we all know this is a form of cheating. Sure, everyone does it. Even Spain. But that doesn’t make it right.
Er, no. Not cheating.
US Citizen.
You know scouring the globe for passport citizens isn’t what international competition is supposed to be about.
Plenty of Olympians would beg to differ..
Mr. leftarm,
“You know scouring the globe for passport citizens isn’t what international competition is supposed to be about”
Says who?
You did not invent international competition and it is very presumptuous of you to define international competition for the USMNT or the rest of us. A glance at the rule books that define international competition tells us that you are wrong.
Green has a valid US passport.
I am assuming you were born in the US, forgive me if I am wrong, so you may not understand how incredibly difficult it is for foreigners, to become a US citizen and get a US passport. Especially in the time frame they would like. The US has very stringent laws in that regard.
The point is Green was never a foreigner. He was born here and is a valid US passport holder, something that not just anyone, even a big time soccer star, can easily attain if they weren’t born into it. Ask Yuri Movsisyan about it sometime.
Green has a legal right to represent the US and you want to deny him that right, which means you want to deny him his civil rights. That is wrong.
Fantastic Comment, spot on.
Very well put. Thank you. What Slowleftarm wrote smacks of a type of bigotry, although I’m sure that’s not how he meant it.
Besides the fact he was BORN IN THE USA.
Face the facts, slowleftarm is a dunderhead. He argues like a pre-teen girl does. He stomps his foot too.
slowleftarm: I hear you. I disagree, but I still hear your.
For you, international competition should be a showcase of the talent developed within a country—a reflection of the overall quality of the sport in one nation.
For others, international competition should be a showcase of the talented citizenry of a country wherever they happened to develop—a reflection of the…well, what? I don’t know. Genetics? Perhaps some kind of patriotism?
(For me, I don’t really care. I like watching international soccer because it’s entertaining, but I recognize it as a business pure and simple. But I don’t “get” fandom either.)
It’s about letting the players represent a country of people on the global stage. It’s about supporting a game that brings people together. It’s certainly not about pumping up this nationalistic sense of border-pride, or domestic developmental superiority. The best teams have players who face many different styles of play. Why do you think England never impresses? All their players develop domestically and their football suffers. Then look at a team like Argentina, Spain, Germany, Holland, or Brazil, who all send players to, or snatch up dual nationals in, every major league in Europe.
I spent the first 8 years of my life abroad, moving from base to base, and in every country I went to I was regarded by myself and others as American and nothing else. Ironically, I never felt as outcast overseas as I did when we got to Hawaii. Geography isn’t identity.
Brett, very well said, +10 for Pele!.
Slowleftarm, there are no “passport citizens” under the U.S. law. There are two main categories of citizens:(1) by birthright and (2) naturalized (i.e., by application). “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Julian Green is the U.S. citizen by the birthright.
You are entitled to your own opinion. Let others be entitled to their own. I’m not saying I’m with you nor against you (I’ll keep my Green opinions to myself). I just don’t think you should make it your mission to have everyone think like you do.
Right. Just having fun.
Expat, on the other hand, will need to consult a doctor in 4 hours…
+1
I wouldn’t call it cheating, but I do agree it is disappointing that he isn’t a product of say Real Salt Lake. We would all like our domestic system that strong.
Increase,
I can’t agree that Green’s excellence is some sort of indictment of US development programs.
If Julian becomes as excellent as all the hype suggests how you do know he would not have been that good if he had stayed in the US? Perhaps he is just one of those exceptional players.
USMNT fans have an inherent inferiority complex and as far as I’m concerned, Green still has to prove he is better than Landon was at the same age. And if I recall correctly Landon spent his developmental years in the US and some in Germany so the two have a lot in common.
And I can’t think of another player as good as Donovan that the US has produced since he came up.
I’d love to have Arena attend a few US training sessions and then honestly compare the two. He would know. And I am certainly looking forward to seeing LD and Green together.
They can be Keane/Donovan 2.0
We really will miss Donovan when he is gone. He has a special calm focused edge few players have. I agree that Green doesn’t need to be Ribery, if he can somehow help us fill a Donovan shaped whole that will be enough for me.
But no Green doesn’t mean our Programs are bad. They just lack the polish that comes from decades of time and Tens of millions of dollars.
Form of cheating? How so? The kid is American. What is the problem?
Obviously it’s allowed by the rules but it certainly violates the spirit of international competition. Although, like I’ve said, other countries do it, so maybe we just need to keep up. Even Spain with Diego Costa for example.
Look man, I hear you, but it’s still not as you claim. The “spirit of international competition.” What is that exactly? To me, it’s USA winning and developing into a top rate soccer country.
You’re right that we aren’t that country yet, and you’re right that acquiring players developed in other countries implicates our development here. But (a) we already know that development here is lagging (kinda wasn’t a popular sport here for, I dunno, about a century, give or take) and (b) what would you say to someone who pulls a Messi (leaves their country of birth at 6, develops at La Masia, becomes eligible for US and Spain, and then declares for the US)? Will you be so sad then too?
In any event, it’s just weird that this doesn’t excite you. You’re missin out man!
“Obviously it’s allowed by the rules but it certainly violates the spirit of international competition:”
Hogwash.
I think we doing a better job of developing youth in the US than we think we are. Have we arrived no… but consider that the two best youth the US have developed are Zalalem and Fagundez and neither of them can represent the US. Zalalem is most likely going to be representing…wait for it….. wait for it… Germany.
I am aware that Messi started out with Newell’s Old Boys’ youth setup but he left Argentina at a VERY young age. He is basically a product of the Barcelona system. I don’t see you getting all amped up about him not playing for the Spanish national team.
Yes, Messi is a Spanish citizen.
The United States Men’s National Team is my favorite team of all time in any sport. I have followed them with religious fervor for about 14 years. This coach and his lust to capture dual nationals is making me lose respect for the whole process and my interest is actually waning pretty quickly. The fact that he is under contract for another four years points to my feelings not improving. For those of you fully pumped about this (and F Johnson, Boyd, Diskerud, et al), can you honestly tell me you feel fully okay with all of this? Not angry here, just looking for some other opinions. Cheers.
Totally not angry. I’ll dictate what makes a US citizen “american enough.”
Dual nationals are often considered outsiders by both the countries’ they’re affiliated with. It quite obviously happens here (see slowleftarm’s stance), and it happens in the country they reside in as well (see jermaine jones’ accounts of being isolated).
whoops: I’ll NEVER dictate…
+1
A lot of people that are on the fence of race/nationality deal with not being accepted by either group. My family is black/white, and American/German like many of the “Germericans”. It can be tough to fit in to any one group when you belong to them all.
I can honestly say I am okay with this.
Given the globalization that has happened over the last 20 or so years, you are going to increasingly see more and more of these “dual nationals” that may not have spent extensive time in a country that they are eligible to represent (or eventually represent).
I know plenty of people who have lived their entire life on US soil who show less patriotism than Terrance Boyd does. Ultimately, many of these dual nationals didn’t have control over where they live (parents split or moved for jobs).
As long as they are proud to represent the United States and give their all on the field, I don’t feel like it’s my job to decide “how American” someone is.
Having said that, I’d like to see the US “produce” most of the players on the national team, but I wonder when people say they only want “American produced” players to play for hte national team, if they would accept Luis Gil had he accepted Arsenals’ offer and joined their academy –thereby being produced by an English club..
Agreed!
This is just stupid. Almost all of the players you decry are American citizens and have been since birth. Other countries use naturalized players who weren’t even their citizens at birth. There is nothing wrong with either. Why is it wrong to get US citizens to play for the US? I guess you were happy when Rossi and Subotic chose to play for other countries.
Mr. McBrewed,
or would you prefer “Baked”?
If you study history you will realize that bringing in foreigners to help bring the US up to snuff on something has been an American tradition since at least the Revolutionary war.
George Washington had zero problem asking for such help:
“Perhaps the most well-known German to support the Patriot cause was Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben from Prussia, who came to America independently, through France, and served under George Washington as inspector general. General von Steuben is credited with training the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and he later wrote the first drill manual for the United States Army. “
And I would rate Washington as being at least as American as slowleftarm though Mr. arm might not think so ( no US passport).
More recently after a 1990 World Cup the USMNT clearly had to do something so they brought in Bora Milutinovic to manager the team to lead the USMNT to a respectable display in our own 1994 World Cup.
I have zero problem with the rise of dual national player because these things run in cycles. If the MLS guys are bummed by it then they need to raise their game and prove they are better which can only result in better players all around. Even the most violent anti JK people amongst you admit that JK has given MLS players a fair shot at the roster.
The thing is Americans are inherently impatient and the USMNT as a top level soccer project is very young yet only about 24 years in the making. In the soccer world that is nothing.
Perfectly and fully OK, yes. Americans are Americans and it’s not an issue of who is supposedly “American enough” to represent the country. In fact it’s easy to argue that that sort of thinking is quite un-American.
But anyway, for folks who dislike the state of things in international football, and who don’t want to broaden their views along those lines, well just watch the club side of the game and leave it at that. Pretty simple.
I want the best players eligible to play for my USMNT. That means I welcome dual nationals wholeheartedly. Would it be nice to have more American developed talent at the top end of our talent pool? Certainly because it would mean we would have far more stability, however considering modern professional soccer is only 19 years old in the US that would be a tall order. Given how young soccer is I’m actually pretty amazed how strong our domestically trained options are already. I feel like you’re being a bit pessimistic about our development system and its progress in such a short time.
If its that you just don’t want to root for anyone who wasn’t born and raised in the US then I really have a problem with that though. We’re a nation of immigrants and that is what makes us so strong. We accept people and ideas from everywhere faster and easier than most which keeps us ahead of the curve in most things. If we succumb to the temptation of nativism we’ll stagnate in many areas not just soccer.
Just want to note I know Green was born in the US. Brain’s post seems to paint him more as a foreigner/immigrant so I responded to that POV in my second paragraph.
I am ecstatic. I have followed US Soccer with the same fervor since 1994. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived outside the borders, but I happen to like cultural diversity and a global approach to the sport. America became a great nation by allowing colonists and immigrants to settle and coexist. With each new wave there were people like you and slowleftarm who fought against it, but eventually we become brothers under a new banner.
Welcome your fellow countrymen.
He was born in Tampa, Florida and his father is American. He is a natural born US citizen under any defintion of the term and is following clearly defined FIFA rules. That’s not “cheating.” There is no need to misrepresent the factual situation to make your point. As for that point, I think its pretty irrelevant in the modern world. There have been a number of high profile natural born Brasilians who have switched to other nations (Deco, Costa, etc). On the other side, Messi basically grew up in Barcelona. France has drawn on its far-off islands to fill its team. The US is simply recognizing modern reality — the same way so many Olympians train in the US at US colleges but represent their birth nations. Its a big world and families move around it. Green has chosen to defend the shirt of the place of his birth. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I never thought of the Olympian angle. I totally agree. I wonder if other people get mad when their countrymen train develop here in America? I doubt it. People from all over the world come here to train for Olympic aspirations. It doesn’t mean the US gets the medal when they compete.
Adam M. wells said, + pus 10 for Pele!.
Hmmm. I’m not a lawyer or an English professor, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I am pretty sure that when you are quite literally following the exact guidelines that were written to address and define in detail a specific situation by the laws and rules of all governing bodies involved, that…. you are in fact, doing the exact opposite of cheating.
I want to know *exactly* what criteria you would apply to determine who can play for which country, and how those criteria would apply in all of the many situations. Country of birth? Residence? People move around all the time, their parents move, they go back and forth. Tell us exactly what criteria would ensure that no one is “cheating”.
I don’t know that. Statement disproved.
+1
Hey, I get where slowleftarm comes from. However, I like winning just as much. Pragmatism pretty much.
Klinsmann has paid big dividends as USMNT coach! Great news. Looks like Wondolowski might be watching World Cup from San Jose.
Thank God
Do we really have to do the whle, looks like_______ isn’t going now? Some how about 15 different players would have gone if not for Green. We have no idea how Klinsmann even plans on using him, whats even his best position. Who might get injured or show well in the 30 player camp. Still have a few months to see how things play out.
how good is he?
Is this OVER-HYPE or is he the real deal? Playing on the Bayern Munich reserve squad doesn’t tell enough info IMO
also is he going to Brazil?
does he have a German mom or was he just an American who moves to Germany?
how come we don’t have any players with Dutch moms or Italian moms? we have had soldiers in the Netherlands and Italy for decades. come on
He trains for the Bayern first team now.
He was on their roster for the club world cup and a bunch of first team friendlies. He broke into the gameday roster for a second leg in the UCL where he played some minutes at the end.
He’s at the edge of the gameday roster for the league right now.
Who knows, just got to hope for the best now
I know seriously what’s up with the US servicemen in Holland and Italy. Joking aside I think it is a simple numbers game, there were way more servicemen in Germany than Italy or Holland.
German women love african american service men. My mom is German, and my dad is retired military. I now serve in the US military, and all I can say is i love having the “Germericans” on the team. I get that people are mad that the US doesn’t develop a lot of great talent yet. We just aren’t there yet. So what? How many countries out of roughly 200 are? We are getting there.
And to those that think these guys are not American enough? I say any child of an American serviceman is plenty American. Who are you to label somebody un-American when their parent(s) defended your freedom?
Again, I understand the desire to have a team of players completely developed in the US as a way to validate that we have arrived as a soccer nation. But guess what? We haven’t arrived yet. The attacks against these American’s “citizenship street cred” needs to stop.
Fellow service member myself! I love meeting other USMNT supporters in the military. There aren’t very many where I’m stationed at.
What service?…Oh, wait. OPSEC. My badz.
There is actually a lot written about post WWII “brown babies” in Germany. Google: “Germany’s ‘Brown Babies’: The Difficult Identities of Post-War Black Children of GIs”. There are books written about it too. It definitely sheds a little light on the subject and how these guys may feel more accepted on the USMNT. I don’t think in the past the German’s made these kids feel all that accepted, even though they grew up in Germany.
Thanks for sharing. I suspected this may have been the case, and presumed that may be why the USMNT is attractive to some of these players. Had no idea there were actual studies/books. If these guys view us as being more accepting and diverse then that makes me proud to be an American.
These studies deal with the problems “brown babies” faced from 1946 to the early 60s. Using them to “understand” someone like Green is rubbish.
You could even argue that Germany was a lot more liberal to blacks during that time than many US states.
First, I wasn’t trying to understand Green. I was just showing that there is a lot of history with African American servicemen in Germany since StinkyPete was wondering what was up with all that.
Also, as someone who has an African American father, retired from the military, and a German mother I feel slightly qualified to talk about this subject from a personal point of view. In addition, I graduated high school in Germany in the 90’s.
And while you are correct that Germany was “more liberal” towards these children than America was at the time, it doesn’t mean that these kids were/are socially accepted as fully being German either. Individual experiences obviously vary.
I am not denying anything you say. But jb made a connection between those studies you`ve referred to and those German-Americans who have chosen to play for the USMNT recetnly. And I was just trying to explain that there is a difference between post-war Germany and present-day Germany.
You are certainly more qualified than me as far as bi-racial German-Americans are concerned. But I do at least know a bit about the topic and wanted to throw in my opinion.
If only experts were allowed to post comments about Julian Green , I might actually be more qualified than others. After all, I was watching him at the stadium against Buchbach two days ago.
Those brown babies didn`t feel accepted when they moved to the US either.
Agreed. A lot of mixed children born here in America don’t feel accepted having been born and raised here either. It’s rough. I was just trying to shed light on the German/American issues that arose in Germany after the war.
that`s okay. It`s a very complex issue.
It’s cool Daniel. I’m not mad at you or your points.
I only get mad when people claim “military brats” aren’t American enough for them.
I understand your point completely. And I don`t see how anyone can be against playing for the US. He is American (and German).
against “him” playing
Oh my, I thought those taught English in Germany were taught the possessive pronoun.
Which would be: “against his playing”. But if I am wrong about English studies in Germany Daniel. please correct me.
Unfortunately, I don`t need English language skills in my particular field. That`s why I try to practice it in comment sections like this.
Secondly, I am not sure what`s wrong with the sentence “I don`t see how anyone can be against him (JG) playing for the US”. I haven`t had English classes in 5 years, English is my third language and I know my grammar sucks – but do I really have to use a possessive pronoun here?
Daniel, eine Frage bitte. At what point during the Bayern II gagen Buchbach match was the attendance announced?
Mitte/Ende der 2.Halbzeit. Warum fragst du?
I am not sure I believe you. In fact, I am leaning on the side of not believing you.
Daniel, noch eine Frage bitte. The first thing you said after the match was that you were one of the 743? Why was that so important?
I just wanted to express my gratitude of beloning to the selective few who saw JG play that day.
Btw, where do you live at the moment? Frankfurt,Berlin,the Ruhrpott?
I moved back to the USA from Bayern a few months ago.
Bayern? Cool. I`m Bavarian myself, as I`ve already told you.
In der Nähe Deggendorf?
They gave us Earnie Stewart. No complaints there.
Ernie is Dutch(Netherlands)-American, not Deutsche(Germany)-American. Similar, but different.
If he played for the German national U-19 team, that makes him better than probably 90% of all youth players.
The US soccer gods have heard our prayers. May the prayers of him becoming a goal scorer also be heard.
I don’t do the running man, followed by the sprinkler, very often, but when I do, it’s because we snaked a top prospect away from Germany.
Welcome to the Yanks, Green.
Haha top notch celebration there
At first I read this in the voice of the Dos Equis man and thought it was awesome. But then I read it in Klinsi’s voice and liked it even better.
+1
I hadn’t tried it using Klinsi’s voice. Very nice.
Hope that if he does/has submitted the paperwork he gets to play vs mexico. What better way to get your first cap than vs your rival? How many others have debuted vs mexico?
Word. So can they officially announce the away jerseys now so I can buy one. That rumored red white and blue jersey is sweet
YES! YEEEEEEES!! YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!
Every time one of this German player declares for the US it’s another reminder of how we can’t develop players worth a dam
Hopefully he’s half as good as people here think he is.
The US has developed plenty of good players. But when you have a kid training with the best team in the world, you are allowed to get excited
Please. Don’t feed the T.R.O.L.L.S
I don’t think it’s a troll. what is it been like 13 yrs since it’s inception and the MLS style of kick and run has failed to produce many Stars excluding goalies. Dempsey Landon and Maybe Holden that’s it.
Can’t complain about brining in German Americans cause if our stateside players were good enough the Germans wouldn’t make the team
He’s American bro as per the US Constitution and international law.
No one is arguing that. It is just worrying that almost all of our most technical players were raised in Germany.
At least someone agrees with me. Everyone else apparently will gladly cheer on 11 Germans wearing USMNT team shirts.
I also agree with you.
slowleftarm,
America got to the moon before Russia because our Germans were better than their Germans.
HA!!!! that has to be the greatest answer to a post I have ever read!!!
Atomic bomb/ nuclear energy, all kinds of advancement in science not to mention all the Germans (and other WWII immigrant pioneers) who raised the level of art and design in the US.
sadly, this fussball sort of thing is what makes me proud to be a german-american, more than the rest.
Much props to you for that historical reference. Bravo!
well done, GW
Exactly. What does that say about the US education system?
The US still has more Nobel Prize winners than any other two countries. Top US grad schools consistently rank high in world rankings. Don’t believe all the b.s. stuff about our system failing. The problems in US education have to do with English as a Second Language students and poverty. Much research on this; I was a teacher for a while.
It’s possible to agree with Arnold AND disagree with slow.
It’s true we CAN’T develop players as well as bayern yet. But it’s also a GOOD thing when elite dual nationals choose the usmnt.
Logic!
I disagree because I think the US has plenty of athletic talent but that talent goes into other sports. I think that if the US uses dual nationals to take the next step, then the following step just might be a bunch of homegrown talent. So, I am not concerned as you are.
Landon Klinsmann, let me ask you one thing. Is reason for the gap between USMNT and the current World Cup holders, Spain, that Spain is more athletic than US (i.e., bigger, stronger, faster players) or the difference in the technical and tactical development?
I agree 110%. If the MLS continues it’s rise, and kids continue to watch Euro soccer on TV, our young athletes, (who are some of the best in the world), will be some of the best in the world. Klinsy needs to take care of the technical development part, which I think he is…the technical component is the key. Our athletes are just as fast, strong, and talented as the rest of the world. Not worried for the future.
Once the American football head injury awareness percolates down to the youth level and parents start forbidding kids to play American football, the talent pool will be altered considerably and youth prospects will improve.
What slowleftarm doesn’t understand, and wouldn’t see if you put it in front of his nose, he is a dunderhead after all, is what this means for not only the USMNT but for soccer in America. Firstly, the National Team is immediately improved and secondly, and much more important to my way of thinking that American kids can now have a soccer hero.
You dunderheads wanting America to raise our own great footballers, just wait and see what Julian will mean to soccer in the USA. Yes, we will finally be able to do it.
I am so happy for the young kids in my country that I have tears in my eyes. What a great day.
Expat: I also disagree with slowleftarm on a specific aspect of this topic (viz., qualifications for international teams), but you’re way off calling him “dunderhead”—or any form of ignorant or uneducated.
slowleftarm decided on a specific definition for “American” that is different from yours (and most others here), but guess what? we all choose the definitions, etc. that form our opinions. slowleftarm has always shown himself capable of articulating his opinion. You can disagree (like I do) without resorting to inaccurate name-calling.
Okay, I agree KingG, I am sorry, I got carried away. I will no longer use the term Dunderhead. I should of said something like bull-headed instead.
While you’re sitting there pouting in the corner, I’ll be cheering on 11 AMERICANS. You see, he was born in the US, to an American father. Plenty of AMERICANS receive training outside of the US to fulfill potential.
AND, a lot has changed in 15 years since this kid would have gone through our development programs. Give it time.
Unless you are Native American, you are descended from immigrants and so is 90+% of the population. Green was born here and is a natural born American citizen. He could even run for president.
…and take the oath of office in his first language, German.
So? I’m third-gen German-American myself. My grandparents didn’t speak a word of English, and they bailed on Germany in the ’30’s because they were labor unionists…and about fourth on Hitler’s list, just behind the Jews, Gypsies, and Communists, and saw which way the wind was blowing and decided to git while the gitting was good.
Obviously Green doesn’t have a pack of Nazis chasing him, but there’s still social pressures in Germany (and Europe) that are markedly different than the ones in the USA, and…how do I put this, there’s still…stuff…underlying the German culture, just as there’s still lingering pockets of Fascism lurking in Italy that still publicly pop up among supporter groups there. In a lot of Europe (Eastern Europe especially), it’s not even sort of submerged.
There’s a lot of reasons besides opportunism I could see Green choosing the USA (where he happened to be born, by the way!)…and so, I put it to you, at what point does Green become a “real” American in the eyes of some?
America’s greatest strength has always been its open doors. We change that, we might as well put a NO VACANCY sign up on the Statue of Liberty.
amen brother!
“but there’s still social pressures in Germany (and Europe) that are markedly different than the ones in the USA, and…how do I put this, there’s still…stuff…underlying the German culture, just as there’s still lingering pockets of Fascism lurking in Italy ”
Well, 1 in 3 blacks born in the US is going to spend some time in jail. There is no reason to point the finger at Europe.
It’s different. Germany is different. Italy is different. You’d have to live there or have close contact with relatives there to understand.
Germans, by and large, aren’t bad people, but they also aren’t Americans. The analogy I’d make is, they’re like pit bulls…probably in the 80th or 90th percentile as far as friendliness goes, but willful, strong, proud, industrious, and with a pristine ruthless edge on them that can leave you blinking. And Americans re-invent themselves every ten years and forget anything that happened past 20 years; European collective memory is…much longer, and they just are not programmed to add strangers to the tribe and call them family like the US does.
I know both – the German and American justice system. And while there is some truth in your broad generalization of Germans, there is also a different angle to it.
Germans might be more reluctant to add strangers to the tribe – but at the same time they care for the poor and weak within their society. Americans, on the other hand, admire those who are successful and ignore those who live at the bottom of society.
Gary Page, well said. + 10 for Pele the conqueror!.
Hey SlowLefty and company cheer up.
you are not seeing the whole picture.
Zelalem raised in US, Palmer-Brown(wanted by Juventus), Arriola, Xolos,
and Subotic got away.
could name a few others but you get the point.
Look on the bright side, we got “Money” baby!.
We carried a substantial contingent of foreign born players who spent the majority of their lives overseas for the 1950 squad, including Gaetjens. Do we vacate our Miracle on Grass victory? Or how about more recently where contributors like Earnie Stewart have played on our modern squads. Do we vacate the 2002 run to the final eight? Where is your cutoff point?
As a third generation German-American I ask what is wrong with this?
Arnold D, I understand the frustration with the US being unable to develop top level talent. I also understand that the recruitment of dual nationals puts a “face” on this problem.
However, the reality is that the US is deficient in developing top level talent. In the short term, the dual nationals help broaden our talent pool. A broader talent pool leads to a better team. A better team leads to better results. Better results leads to more national interest in the sport in this country. More interest in the sport in this country leads to more viewers. More viewers leads to more money. More money leads to more resources being used to develop players. At least, that’s how I view it.
The way I see it, the recruitment/use of dual nationals helps us achieve our ultimate goal, which is the development of world class players in the United States.
Well stated counselor
Summary Judgment Granted
I tried to say it, but you said it better than I can. Thank you Colin in MT
Here is something to consider (and full-disclosure I am a German-American so I am pumped about Julian) when we talk about youth development of soccer in this country. The two best recent youth to be developed in the US are probably Zelalem and Fagundez and both of them are not eligible to play for the US. It is highly unlikely that either will ever wear the USMNT jersey. In fact if Zelalem accepts the call up to the Germany U-19 team then he will never be able to play for the US (this is according to Ives). We may have gained one of Germany’s best future products but we are in all likelihood going to loose one of best products to Germany. The only chance that Fagundez plays for the US is if he stays in the MLS until he gains citizenship which given is talent is unlikely.
ack, what a terrible scenario! surely someone at US Soccer is working on getting Fagundez signed up?
No shock here. Its true… no entity in the US develops players remotely as well as Bayern Munich. Same can be said for most clubs/countries. Acknowledging that truth is healthy motivation/ a real life measure as to how high the standard to meet is. Ignoring it is to our detriment.
Yeah,
I’m sick of the US developing young, talented players like Gedion Zelalem and then Germany comes along and poaches him.
No wait. The other way around.
I’m sick and tired of Germany developing players like Zalalem and Arsenal comes along…
What was the question?
Gedion is not eligible to play for the US. So Germany did not poach anything.
I think John knows that Monty.
Was going to post this. Gedion Zelalem was unquestionably developed in the US soccer system–the same one that is incapable of developing skilled players.
Is that surprising? MLS is barely older than this kid is. And the academies aren’t even close to being his age. Our development system is a ton of catching up to do and it would be astounding if we were already churning out talent on par with nations that have had soccer as their #1 sport for a century+. I think we’ll get there but its going to be a decade or two yet at least.
Zelalem is getting first team playing time with Arsenal and he played in the US from when he was 9 till last year when he was 16.
BOOOM!!!!!!!!
WOAH.
Now I can’t focus on work and I have a paper for school due tomorrow… all I can say is Wooo-Hooo!
lol. You write papers and have responsibilities so you can enjoy the exciting moments in life. Maybe it is a little sad that I consider this one, but I’m pumped. Go outside do a dance, then you can go back in and write your paper.
This kid will help shore up the LM, if he is what most of us think he can be, he will force FJ back to the left back position. This is excellent news.
Donovan already pushes Fabian to left mid
from left mid*
You would think, but JK has never tipped his hand on that decision, in fact, he has chosen FJ to be the LM not LD. I think is going to boil down to who plays the LM better between those 3. If is FJ, then be it whomever is going to play LB. If is either LD or Green then FJ goes to LB.
Apparently, Green is fast, two footed and can play anywhere up front.
I hope the one-time switch goes through fast enough to let him play and get a taste of the USA MEX rivalry!
Was about to write the exact same thing, and I’m hoping he gets plenty of playing time. I’m guessing he’ll start getting more minutes at Bayern now too, since they are about to secure the title mathematically.
I think after playing in a US-MEX rivalry game, he will not regret his decision….
Holla!
Nice! Very nice!
USA USA USA!
Guaranteed spot on World Cup roster influence his decision?
I think it is safe to assume that. One of the earlier quotes said something about him having to consider it for a chance to play at the world cup when he was 18. Not sure it would have been couched as a “guarantee” but have to assume he was told if Jurgen was picking today he’d take Green. Have to think there would be no sense in doing this now if he didn’t think he had more than just a good chance of playing.
I think he can likely already outplay whomever was going to be in the 23rd spot; everything’s fine.
Pat,
Don’t worry, if he plays against Mexico and sucks, then JK can drop him and it’s back to square one. No problem. No harm, no foul except to Green who you don’t know and don’t care about anyway. And the US can take Wondo,Magee, Davis or Shea instead to Brazil.
If JK denies he promised him what can Green say? He has filed a one time switch and he is stuck with the USMNT forever. He has no leverage now
And if he scores a hat trick against Mexico you will be the first on the band wagon cheering him on..
Klinsi gave a guaranteed spot to him? No not at all. However, his play in Frankfurt showed everyone, including Julian himself, that not only was his spot on the team was a given, but his starting position in Brazil was too.
Would you care to explain how you got your inside information?
It’s too long of a story Good J, But if you like, you can pull up my posts for the last 4 weeks.
But I can tell u this, the deal was made in mid-February. Ask yourself this, why would Klinsi bring Julian to train with the USMNT in Frankfurt for only 2 days with everyone knowing Julian couldn’t play in Cyprus?
You have no inside information. You just have an inflated self worth
You can’t tell anybody anything because you had zero talks with anyone involved. He was brought to that camp to court him, hence the quote from Green saying Demosey gave him a jersey with his name. Make him feel comfortable. Nothing more and even Green made that clear.
Further, Green himself said he has to work hard to make the team. Personally I think he is now a lock, but he is NOT starting. Not a chance. LD will start at LM with FJ at LB. He will play off the bench but no way he starts.
You deserve credit for having 100% faith this would happen, but your comments make it sound like you were a part of the discussion. I still think you are way off base to say Bayern Munich had a say in his choosing of international team. They may have not been against it, but no way, until you prove otherwise, they told him to play for the USA.
bryan,ok, u so sure I don’t know anything, have no inside information, everything I have said is wrong and……….you say “he is NOT starting”. Okay
Let’s make a bet. If Julian goes to Brazil and starts at least 2 games I win the bet. If Julian goes to Brazil and………………wait for it ’cause you said he won’t start, only starts one game, then you win. Whoever loses the bet must post on every thread here that has over 20 comments, for one week, the following: I lost the bet, I know nothing about football (soccer). I am sorry I shot my dumb mouth off.
What do you say dunderhead, you ready to man up?
So butt hurt because I think you are wrong for thinking Green, an 18 year old with one senior team appearance for Bayern ( prior to clinching the title) will start over LD or FJ at LM. I think Green is a massive pick up and I love this move, I just think he is a bench option this go around, it really shouldn’t be such a sensitive subject.
You’re on, “dunderhead.” I will “man up” and copy/paste some useless comment if he starts at least two games.
Oh my. I got me a taker.
Okay! Brian, you have agreed to the terms of the wager. If I win, you must post on every thread here for one week the following:
“I lost the bet. I know nothing about soccer. I am sorry I shot my dumb mouth off”. And if I lose I must do it.
If Julian only starts one game of the first 3 in Brazil you win. If he starts more, I win.
Sorry, every thread that has 20 comments or more.
When you use the term “butt hurt” in your follow up posts,it reveals a lot about your mentality and fears. May you find peace.
Sure Edgar, if you say so. You choose to focus on two words instead of the context of five paragraphs.
And why would Klinsi want to screw a young talented player, who committed to the USMNT and pretty much create a really bad precedent to consider for any future dual nationals that are thinking about committing to the US? Barring an injury, Green is going to Brazil, his talent warrants it.
And why would the Germans, Bayern and the Bundesliga and all those having anything to do with pro-football (who want to promote their brand) take this step, to give Julian Green to the USMNT, without due diligence. The do know their football, they aren’t stupid.
This is too important to them, they can’t give us just a good young player, they have to give us a great young player.
Bayern wants in to the US market, that’s why. They just established an office in New York. They probably figure Germany can afford to lose him, but not necessarily because he’s not that good–at this stage, no one really knows how good he’ll be, but it’s probably a safe bet that they have other young forwards as good as he is. The US, however, may not.
You make it sound like Julian Green and his father had no part in the decision. If you will recall, his father has reportedly been pushing him to join the US for quite some time.
I didn’t mean to imply that–I was just addressing the question of why Bayern and the Bundesliga didn’t stand in the way of this happening. I’m guessing they could have been a lot more obstructionist if they’d wanted to. But I’m just speculating. Once Green made the choice to play for the US, it would have happened eventually. regardless.
How far do these Klinsmann promises go? Isn’t it disconcerting that he constantly says that everyone is still in the mix when he really only wants to pit one against the other. The types of promises made will come to haunt Klinsi, and they will likely be a divisive force if he keeps on delaying the naming of the players who can really make a difference. Julian Green has not really played in any teams that are better than the current level of MLS other than that short stint as a substitute in Russia. So, isn’t a bit more caution advisable?
Well it may have been something Green showed in Frankfurt that is motivating JK to include him. Beyond LD/Zusi/Bedoya no one IMO has really stepped up to earn a wing spot.
So, have the defenders and the spine “earned” their spots? I am really worried that our spine is too slow considering how I saw Tijuana roll over the Galaxy yesterday. The defense was pathetic. If our spine is lacking in scoring and our defense is as leaky as that I am not confident about us going very far.
The spine does seem slow, also not totally sold on Gonzo. Perhaps his knee? and so close to world cup some people especially with past issues are going a little soft.
conceivably it will not carry over into the World Cup.
at the highest level about what we are talking.
You have to go all out all the time.
People are going down and people are going to be on the ground,
stopping shots clearing the ball, blocking etc.
If you do not see that when numbers are in the box, and a goal is scored, players are not doing their job and going 100%.
The same mentality can be applied to the offensive side of the ball as well.
Goal opportunities are few and far between, you must capitalize and take advantage of every single one, at the international level in order to excel.
Birgit, regarding your contrary or dissenting opinion,
I do respect your right to say what you wish,
I also appreciate your sentiments if they are truly genuine and sincere.
However,
“pitting one against another is the very epitome of sport”.
Also your queries are from a place of ignorance, unless it is entirely intentional?.
I mean ignorance in the sense that if one saw a
jalopy and a sports car you could not tell the difference.
What is frustrating is that you and some others are continually asking people to suspend their belief.
to not know what we know.
Green passes the eyeball test among many other things.
You know it when you see it. (cross analysis and comparative studies)
If you know or can not see the difference between a player who can dribble at pace skillfully under control versus some one who cannot, imbued with good field sense and vision, and graced with the ability to make those around them better.
I just ask and challenge you to learn and know the difference.
now go witness,
see Green running down the field with the likes of the Bayern, 1st team and the USMNT,
completely at ease, in control, and in place.
PS There is a long history of naturalized citizens or dual nationals playing for just about every team which has ever competed in a FIFA world.
that argument is beyond archaic and is ignorant to the history and landscape of competitive international soccer
Don’t get me wrong, I think Julian Green is great. However, the “Vorschusslorbeeren” that he gets are excessive. There is too much hoopla, in the same way that there was too much hoopla around Freddy Adu. I think things need to be less grandiose and more deliberate.
Hello The Garrincha. Boy did I miss your thoughtful and informed comments yesterday. Good to see you.
The news broke yesterday,
we already knew what we knew
funny Expat, I had a real feeling JG was going to make that announcement this week.
His declaring is big, perhaps even bigger than people think. It open the eyes and minds of the collective soccer world.
particularly how they envision and think about soccer in America.
maybe it even gives inspiration and the proper encouragement to others(Zelalem citi” etc). who are on the fence or did not see as promising a future.
it’s like in Basketball when the Zen master comes back to New York, players/winners want to be a part of that, or when one all pro signs on to play with other all stars.
PS The USMNT is now officially a preferred destination.
& Birgit, no worries good to have you around.
.
For sure The G, you and I certainly did know what we knew.
I was very sure Julian would declare in time to play in the 3 send-off friendlies. But now that you mention it I also got a feeling on the weekend. I started checking about 8 newspapers in Germany every morning.
What I am most pleased about is what this means for soccer in America. Our young kids may now have a true soccer hero they can look up to. And besides Julian’s being a super talent, he is a good-looking young man and carries himself very well. I believe he will be a great roll model.
Jurgen the recruiting meister strikes again!
Be careful, I believe it was Bayern’s and the Bundesliga idea to do this.
For sure Bayern had a hand in this. Just another piece of their strategy to expand the brand into America. Great move by Bayern.
As a 3rd generation German-American I support this.
Expat, you are a moron
How pleasant…
Bayern sees the dollar signs, for sure. Or I guess I should say that they see the green.
+1
Maybe they approve and gave their blessing, but I doubt they’d have been able to get Green to do it without him wanting to himself.
For sure Shyam. Julian had to play a very big part in this idea by Bayern and the Bundesliga.
Clint Dempsey gets some credit for being willing to give Green a US jersey with his name on it but was this his idea alone? I can only guess Klinsi and his staff already had this arranged BUT if it was all Duece then he deserves props for doing one of the little thing that has made it easy for Green to go red white and blue.
The staff did it, Dempsey was given the honors since he is the captain.
wait what now? when was this?
Green mentioned this in an article.
If you are bringing a recruit in you give him stuff like this. This and easy women. Every team does this sort of stuff.
Interesting side point. In the US the recruiting engine is in high gear with the college system.. but has green or other european raised products ever actually recuited? An earlier story had him sitting and waiting for bayern. I get some schrewd recuirting actually goes further with these kids.
So he has officially submitted the paperwork? Because that’s the headline of the article but all that’s mentioned in the piece is klinsmann’s twitter post.
Good catch there, I posted without reading. Now I want to know. Though, multiple media outlets are saying he has agreed to represent the U.S. hopefully he is not being hyped up too much.
I’m just thinking back to when he was called up the first time, then decided to stay with his club instead.
Would hate to fall off this even bigger roller coaster.
I agree but it would be pretty dumb for US Soccer to jump the gun twice on the same player. Like after EJ you can’t enter a MLS special player draft or lottery without a salary commitment. Surely they didn’t make the same mistake twice.
he’s not going to publicly announce that without the paperwork being done
Appears you’re right as myriad other sources now reporting that paperwork has been filed.
According to US soccer he has
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1755661/julian-green-bayern-munich-picks-us-germany?cc=5901
USSF has confirmed that he has submitted his paperwork already.
yeah. pics or it didn’t happen!
The Julian Green quote was telling I think
Wow, did not see that coming so soon.
Making our senior NT for Brazil is time sensitive. I’m sure we told him act now and we’ll camp/roster him. If his goal is a World Cup we can make it easy and quick and he has leverage. If he waits he has to prove to us or Germany he deserves a call, and I’m sure Germany won’t fast track him like us.
FWIW, I’d rather see some high ceiling player at the end of the 23 than Wondo or someone else we know is not up to that level (but is just the next guy up), particularly if it secures the player long term.
depends on your approach to the national team. If you are looking short term, you bring everyone who you think can provide the absolute best results at the moment. If you want to attempt to expand the pool as much as possible and have some thought to the future, you make a few trade offs and bring in some younger players (which I agree probably better to do).
If you want to attempt to expand the pool as much as possible and have some thought to the future, you make a few trade offs and bring in some younger players (which I agree probably better to do).
That is the thinking that a coach who had an extension of his USMNT contract signed *before* the World Cup (not after) might think of.
The folks at US Soccer might not be totally stupid….
I want those guys at the end of the roster to be the type that won’t complain when they don’t get to play. That’s not Eddie Johnson.
It all depends on how Green shows in camps / games (assuming fifa give him the green light in time for the Mexico friendly). Klinsman has seen enough and obviously thinks Green has the chops to make his WC team.
Also Green could easily displace a fourth striker like Boyd or even Eddie J. It doesn’t have to be Bedoya or Diskerud.
Hell Yeah!
Boy is slowleftarm going to be p.ssed off.
Slowleftarm must have banged his right hand against his keyboard giving him a slow left arm and a gimpy right hand. He must be working on a response but it’s taking a lonnggggg time
Glad I wasn’t drinking my coffee when I read that.
Huge news … right before Mexico. Timing couldn’t be better!
YEAH BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
I just did a huge fist pump in my office while saying something very similar. What a great piece of news to start the morning off with!
I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU SO!
For the record, you didn’t tell me squat until you tell me anything specific about how he strengths and how he will be used. On paper, he is still Boyd until he (or Boyd) shows me something I can evaluate.
But whatever, I am happy too and it’s a good day for the good guys. If you’re looking for somebody who hopes he is as good as you seem to know he is, count me in 1000%.
We do need something right now, and the events of the past few days tell me that he is now odds-on to be in the group. If there is a silver lining in the fact that we don’t really know much about his game, it’s that our oppenents don’t either. Perhaps Germany, but if the players really rate his talent, they would also wonder how Jogi let him slip away.
I guess we’lll see how it unfolds soon enough. But on one level or another, today was a win. And that was something we all needed. Haven’t had a good LET”S GO YANKS!!! in a while.
Not directed specifically at your post, but don’t want to go all the way to the bottom of so many. People, let’s not get too excited here. Some people already have him starting in Brazil. That’s utterly ridiculous. This is all about 2018. I think there is an excellent chance that he never gets off the bench in 2014. I think JK promised him Brazil in order to get him to sign the switch. He has very little experience, certainly none if big games. I am reminded of the time England brought Theo Wolcott to the World Cup when he, too, was a callow youth. They did it because they saw him as the future and wanted him to get the experience of what a WC is like; he never played a minute. In 2018 we will have Altidore, Johannsson, Boyd, Agudelo, Green, maybe MacInerny, maybe McBean, who knows who else. We could have an awesome attacking force for that WC. This is what JK is looking at; remember his contract runs through the 2018 WC and he thinks long term.
Yedlin as well in 2018. Looks like he loves playing in Seattle but cant help but think he’s on the up and up too
Whether he stays in seattle or goes, he’s improving
I echo these sentiments – I’m not even crazy about the idea of bringing him to Brazil. The kid just barely made the first team at Bayern….
Plus, I’m jaded with all the up-and-coming superstar strikers that were going to tear it up for the USMNT, that have ever panned out.
I remember all the excitement about Boyd a couple of years ago, and he’s never been anything more than a chicken running around with his head cut off out there during his international appearances. Maybe he’ll pan out – but for now he’s young, unrealized potential – which seems to be the two main requirements to get some USMNT fans excited.
Very good points Gary Page and I agree largely — the Walcott comparison is an obvious comp that is highly valid. I certainly remember very vividly (I am a dual US/UK, who had not yet thrown his England shirts in the trash on account of the unrelenting self-hatred of Engalnd supporters). And I remember thinking during extra time — even though England was a man down after Rooney was sent off– why don’t they send on this kid? Everybody on the pitch is exhausted… why is he even here if he doesn’t go on now?
Obviously that was never answered, but Sven and JK have very different squad selection principles (Thankfully… If we thought Ukraine was a wasted game, know that Brooks and Onyewu would have come on halftime as wingers in a Sven friendly, while the cameras focused entirely on a visibly disappointed Joey Barton). I am coming to believe that JK is too good of a man-manager, and too aware of the respect than runs among the larger group of guys who have worn the shirt over the last few years, to blow a spot on Green if he was not special — not only in his own eyes but in the eyes of those potentially going Brazil as teammates.
If Green is indeed “in”, it’s logical that somebody will miss out. We can all guess about who it is, but the reality is there will be 3-5 “bubble” guys who all have good reason to think it was them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pure forward, a left-sided attacker or Kyle Beckerman. Any would be entitled to wonder what would have happened if Green didn’t exist. I’m learning to believe that if JK is thinking of doing this, these camps are a way of gaining the indispensible buy-in of the main group. When the captain presents him with a jersey (as Deuce apparently did), it’s a suggestion this may be real… when I hear a guy like Donovan/Bradley/Howard provide concurring validation to the effect of, say “we need Julian there now”, I will know for sure.
Threre is one point you made that I don’t necessarily share — I am having a hard time with the idea that there was an explicit promise to Green that he would make Brazil if he committed now. This just doesn’t sound consistent with Klinsmann.
Competition and a lack of guarantees are the absolute core of of the whole philosophy he espouses (very consistently in my view… some may disagree). This may have been communicated indirectly through a long but credible series of backchannels, but a German legend throwing around cheap promises to a teenaged kid? For now I may have to lie to myself, which is a core comptency of any true fan of American soccer.
Which brings me to my close (and ideally call to action amongst the fellowship of geeked-out USMNT junkies who hang out at the SBI methadone clinic 24/7/365) I’m checking out on the tribal bickering until the Czech friendly in September. I’m on a negativity purge through July, starting today. If Jules Rimet wants his trophy in our case, he can ask politely or suffer the consequences. If you walk up to me on the street, punch me in the shoulder and scream “Roy Lassiter!!!” in my face I will hi-five you and slam a beer right there in the crosswalk with you.
Some good points being made here. But somewhat off topic, Kyle Beckerman is most certainly not a “bubble” guy
About 3 weeks ago I said I believed that Julian Green would definitely make the one-time switch and join the USMNT soon, before Brazil. I listed many reasons why I came to that conclusion, Most everyone said I was wrong, many naysayers were quite angry.
I said I would stop talking about but if, and when he does, I reserve the right to say: “I told you so”.
Yeah! Good for you! You were the only person predicting this!
For once, we agree. This is huge!!!
Ha +1
Wow. Didn’t think JK would get him.
The US should name a military base and hospital after Klinsmann that is located in Germany, to make sure that his legacy continues to recruit.
I actually love that idea. Or how about we build a soccer field on every base and name them all after him
So funny cause its true.
YEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!
I think Bedoya will be dropped…
No way. If he makes the world cup squad and thats still a big if, he’d take a spot of someone on the fringe. I’d say Mix would be left off.
Actually, Stu Holden vacated Green’s spot.
Green can play many attacking positions, I don’t think that Bedoya would be kicked.
The sporting director of Bayern told Süddeutschland Zeitung in his annual winter break interview: ” Julian can play every position in attack”.
OMG they’re gonna drop BOTH Bedoya and Mix 😛
And Altidore, Dempsey and Donovan too! B/c Julian can play “every” position. We’re going to play a 10-1! You heard it hear first.
Please reread. It was every position “in attack”.
My guess is that he goes to LM, which displaces Fabian to LB, which pushes DMB to the backup, which pushes DMB’s out the door and onto the runway……if Julian is as good as everybody says he is.
Doubtful. Because of the versatility of Geoff Cameron and Fabian Johnson, I think the USA only carries seven defenders into the World Cup, and because Donovan and Dempsey can also play up top (and may actually be better, at this stage, playing up top), I personally think the USA only carries three “pure” strikers – Altidore, Johanssen, and either Wondo or Eddie Johnson.
Run DMB will be on the plane…either as the starting LB, or at worst the #2 left back behind Fabian Johnson. I think Cameron starts at RB, with Brad Evans as #2 (not crazy about this, but I think Klinsmann’s going to take him with Cherundolo/Chandler/Lichaj all battling injuries and Yedlin clearly not yet ready.) I think the USA only carries three pure CB’s because Cameron can cover there – Gonzalez, Besler, and right now, Goodson.
That allows Jurgen to load up his midfield with as many as 10 guys, which I think he will do. I think it’s Bradley/Jones/Diskeruud/Beckerman at CM, and Dempsey/Donovan/Zusi/Bedoya for sure at winger. (Do NOT see Bedoya missing the plane, not the way Klinsmann has repeatedly gone back to him, and not with the form he’s in for Nantes.)
After that there’s two slots open…and it gets interesting. Is it Brad Davis for his dead-ball ability? Joe Corona for his ability to cover CM and RM? Julian Green? Brek Shea for the wild-card potential he brings? Or could Klinsmann take a look at numbers and decide he actually does need more cover on the backline, and take a guy like Orozco-Fiscal who can play at both CB and RB?
Dunno. But I do think the first 20-21 spots are pretty much set unless injury hits…and I do think Run DMB, Bedoya, and Mixx are 99% locks to be on the plane if they’re healthy.
Lovely analysis. I agree completely. Only a handful of slots are really up in the air but it depends on JK’s whims who fills those last couple. I’d say Boyd is very much in the mix for one of those last spots as a backup to Jozy though. He’s always called in, he’s the best 1 for 1 replacement for Jozy, and JK likes his 4-2-3-1 which favors more of a target/hold-up kind of striker so replacing Jozy with AJ or Agudelo doesn’t make sense.
+1, but i think green is more than likely on the plane.
I ike what you said here (maybe because it’s a longer in depth analysis of what I tried to say?)….
I think Green and Orozco get last 2 spots, specifically for the reasons u listed
El Garrincho, loves the color Green.
Green is on the plane.
You are most likely 100% right. I can see you understand JK better than most. He has been playing guys seemingly out of position in order to create depth and versatility. We have any number of players who can now play 2 or even 3 different positions.
Funny Gary, goes back to what we were saying about a month or two ago.. and how interesting it woulda been with a healthy Stu which could have opened up so many other options… it’s basically the exact same conversation now with Green… different player but opens up new options and shows why JK pushed people out of their comfort zones etc…
As soon as his USA number is assigned, I will be ordering jerseys for my kids. Very excited!!
Me too.
bye bye brekken
Pencil him in for Brazil:
Howard Guzan RImando
Cameron Evans
Gonzalez Goodson
Besler
Johnson Beasley
Bedoya Zusi
Jones Williams
Bradley Diskerud
Donovan GREEN
Dempsey Johannsson
Altidore Johnson Boyd
Boyd and Green over Wondo…Please, no
Why would it matter, none of the three will ever touch the field in ’14. Wondo won’t be a factor in ’18.