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Green files one-time switch after opting to play for USMNT

Julian Green

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.

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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.

Comments

  1. From what I saw of Jozy in the Sunderland match on the weekend, and I admit it was the first time I saw him play, I was impressed with his play, even though as a team Sunderland stinks.

    I believe we will see Jozy play very well with Julian Green on the pitch with him. Just my opinion.

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  2. My bet is that JK sees Green sitting in the hole behind Altidore in the 3-1. JK has pretty much stuck to the 3-1 but he has searched for naught for a player to fill that middle spot in the 3. Torres, Mixx, Dempsey and others have not worked out with any consistency. So Altidore fronting Dempsey-Green-Donovan, MB and JJ, backed by FJ-MB-OG-GC. If Green gels (and it does remain to be seen), that is a pretty solid lineup. AJ becomes the first choice added energy/Altidore sub, Zusi comes on if Donovan is off or for Jones if we need more offense, Bedoya becomes the wide option. Williams comes on for an offensive player if we need to lock down the game. Probably everyone else sits except in an injury/unusual situation.

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  3. Was going to post one thought then, after trying to get the bottom of them all, I noticed how many post there were on this one KID. It made me think of how far soccer has come in this country since i first played the game 40 year ago! That is a lot of posts and that is all great. In fact it is incredible! But to my point. He is a kid. Highly doubtful he plays in Brazil…. this summer. But in two summers time….. Now we suddenly look a little better come the next Olympics!

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  4. It’s a shrewd move that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Bayern helped the deal along. Right now they’re one of the best 3 or 4 clubs in the world but in terms of international exposure and fans abroad, I’d bet that they’re not even in the top 10. Having a kid on your team that you’re planning on using in the future declare himself for the USA is going to boost everything for them stateside: match viewership, merchandise, website hits, huge draws for any friendlies played here, etc.

    Call it a conspiracy theory if you wish, but I think this is really good for everyone involved, especially Bayern.

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  5. Just read all the comments and I have a couple of thoughts.

    1. Slowlefty: stop calling Green a foreigner. He was born in “Merica and his father (like many fine American men/women) served in our military. To suggest otherwise is immature and shows your age, or IQ; I’m not sure which.

    2. Do you think Jurgen was like, “Allright Terrence, Julian is your new roommate. You know what to do.

    3. I’d be curious to see how much larger the Mexico game viewership is compared to regular USMNT games.

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  6. Thank you Mr. Green! You are the anti-Rossi, but more importantly thank you for wearing the red, white and blue like Aron!!! You will not regret this decision. Work hard, stay humble and focused and good things will come.

    Thank you Mr. Klinsmann for getting this done! Now, work on the starting back line and depth at all positions.

    Time to get my “Mean” Green jersey. What will be Julian Green’s jersey number?

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    • I don’t think the Freddy Adu situation is a good analogy. Freddy was hyped when he was something like 15. He had never played professionally when the hype started. Julian Green has climbed a very competitive and cut-throat ladder to break into the edge of arguably one of the top 5 team in the world.

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  7. Am I the only one that thinks Green has taken Eddie Johnson’s spot? EJ is a forward who can play the left wing if there is no other option. He is essentially our 4th striker and 3rd option at left wing.

    Green plays both of those positions, but does much better at both than Johnson.

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  8. For F’s sake, who is this guy? Cryuff? Maradona? Zidane? We’re getting all hot and bothered about someone with something like 178 seconds of meaningless first team soccer. If he is an automatic to go to Brazil, then we are in a whole lot more trouble than I thought, group of death or not. I’ll be disappointed if he’s on the plan unless he absolutely lights something up in the next 2 months. I’ll be in a minority of one, but I don’t think he’s going to Brazil.

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    • To me, whether he goes to Brazil or not, is not the point. He is young, talented soccer player who has opted to wear the red, white and blue, and this is enough to celebrate on its own. If Julian stays focused and humble and works hard, which I believe will be the case, good things will happen for him.

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      • “who has opted to wear the red, white and blue”

        Correction: “opted to wear the [hideous all-white with a tiny bit of red trim designed for its versatility as a golf uniform or an English national team costume.]”

        That’s patriotism.

    • He’s an 18 year old cracking the first team of the reigning Bundesliga and Champions League champions under the coaching of the best coach in the world.

      That means the best coach in the world thought he was talented enough to practice (and even play in the final minutes of a UCL match) against players like Ribery, Robben, Schweinsteiger.

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    • Hard to imagine a lineup that doesn’t include Donovan. As things stand currently I’d be okay with dropping Jozy, putting Aron in the middle and having Donovan out wide. Alternatively, just doing a straight swap, Donovan for Dempsey.

      (I’m not saying this for a World Cup game lineup, just for one of the tuneups, that’s why I have Green in over one of the Dempsey/Donovan/Jozy group–I’d like to see what he contributes. Obviously right now he’s done nothing to guarantee a starting spot.)

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    • I really like this line up! I would just change up 2 spots, having Donovan play where you have placed Dempsey, then moving Dempsey up to replace Altidore.

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    • I think he needs to come off the bench in a couple friendlies to show what he had before we bench Donovan in his favor. There are about 7 other players I’d bench before Donovan if Green did force his way into the lineup.

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  9. JK: “he, he, he, yah, my master plan eeez almoust complete! vee veel beet Germany veez Germans!”:

    Boyd
    Green-Williams-Hurzeler-Jones-Zimmerman ( hee eez German, no?)
    FJ-Brooks-Morales-Chandler
    Goalie-that guy who played in 2011, David somesing like sat?

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  10. My excitement is tempered by the fact that Spector and Kirovaski where once on the books at Man U and didn’t translate to anything special

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  11. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be getting serious first-team minutes with Bayern once they wrap up the league with 2 wins. That should be a tremendous help in his development, and could earn him a spot on the WC roster. I’ve watched him play numerous times with the reserves, and the first team, and he looks to be the real deal. A legit star in the making, if he can start getting more consistent first team minutes, he’s going to be a star for years to come.

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    • Since you have theoretically seen him play many times, how fast is he really? Compared to Ribery and Robben, is his pace there or somewhat short of that. In FIFA 14 the video game they have him rated as a 79 in speed. Roughly the speed of Altidore and Jermaine Jones, quite a bit slower than Donovan.

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    • Bayern probably wants an American “star” on their team. Bundeslinga is now available in the USA and you can bet viewership of Bayern games are gonna skyrocket looking for Green to play. That coupled with the league in the bag equals lots of Green playing time in the near future

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      • America has its share of front-runners who follow the game, and they need no excuse to follow a team that pretty much owns its domestic league and regularly competes for the Champions League title. How many posters here follow Liverpool, ManU, Chelsea, etc? It might boost some jersey sales. FCB probably doesn’t care much about American TV ratings.

        I just have this suspicion that now that he’s no longer a promising prospect for Germany, his coaches at the greatest proving ground in German club football might start seeing more flaws in his game, or might notice some other players standing out over him. We’ll see. Hoping for the best.

      • Bayern is not going to get any more followers in Germany. But the USA is a new market for Bayern to attack. I think Bayern will care deeply about USA viewers. Its why all the big teams come to the USA during their preseason. There is big money to make here, and everyone loves money. Green could have a huge role in that money for Bayern, especially if Green goes to the World Cup and does something big (like score a goal as a 85 min sub to beat Ghana/Portugal/Germany) that catches the eye of new USA soccer fans. Hypothetical, but by no means impossible.

      • Coaches want players that believe in themselves and by picking the US instead of fighting for a spot with Germany Green is showing lack of character.

      • What That_Guy said.

        If Bayern aren’t interested in cracking the US soccer audience why are they setting up a new office in the US, doing a summer tour of the US, playing in the MLS all-star game? They are going all in one trying to tap into the US market!

        And yes, people do follow the front runners but look how much exposure teams such as Fulham and Sunderland get because of the Americans (or former Americans). FCB knows that eyeballs and media attention will be focused more on them because of Green.

      • What you and That Guy said… they aren’t dumb… doesn’t take a genius to figure out what an impact the PL has had on TV since Fox Soccer Channel started getting picked up by all the cable networks. With the viewership explosion the last 5 years… they absolutely want a larger footprint in the US… The coach and team May not care much.. the front office and league love this

      • I disagree with your logic. I do not watch foreign soccer unless a US player is playing for a team. Based on the fact that there are a ton of USMNT followers but not nearly as many MLS followers my guess is many American soccer fans love the national team first and foremost over any domestic club which would put them in the same position as me. If I knew Green was playing I’d watch a game to see his talent level but otherwise I couldn’t care less about them.

      • Okay Brett, I say u are very wrong about Julian, and about most everything you have an opion on, but let’s stay with Julian. I say Bayern keeps Julian and he gets some starts this season, not with the reserves, but with other starters. How ’bout you and me have a bet?

        Come on Brett, draw down boy!

      • Betting is a silly way for unimportant people to try and glomb onto others’ successes. You can have opinions and I can have opinions and they can be bore by events with firm and clear results. We will see how he features for FCB in the near and distant future.

    • Pep Guardiola lived in NYC for a year, managed a school in the state of Puebla, Mexico and played for fun for a couple of months for the Dorados….if there is anybody in Europe that is not going to automatically look down on players from North America, it is him.

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      • I didn’t know that! Maybe in a few more cycles (once the U.S. is THE PREMIER SOCCER NATION IN THE WORLD) he’ll give us a cycle’s worth of his time as manager.

  12. What’s just as exciting is in a few weeks we’re going to have a USMNT player starting for Bayern Munich once they wrap up the Budesliga and rest players for the Champions League.

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  13. Yes!!! Best news I’ve heard today. Can’t wait to transfer him over to the Nats on Fifa14! Oh yeah, it should be fun to watch him in Brazil as well. 🙂

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      • Last time, the original release only featured players who played on the qualifiers due to Licensing.

        I remember some uproar because Chicharito wasn’t in until the updates.

  14. Wow, people are still going on about the dual national thing? News flash: that’s the player’s decision to play for a team, not yours. But on to more important matters… get him on the field against Mexico. I want to see what he does on the international level. It’s also time to get some young players in and build for the future.

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  15. I hope he doesn’t play against Mexico. I’m sure they’d love to spoil our new toy. Or mere Murphy’s law, like Nigeria’s German-based Balogun who got injured less than ten minutes in his debut against Mexico.

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  16. I wonder if this leaves Dempsey on the bench. Klinsman seems to like Zusi and he is a hustle guy, Donovan isn’t going anywhere, AJ is looking like a 50/50 shot to start either behind or up front with Jozy, but if Green snags a starting spot I assume that it would force Donovan into the AJ role I listed above… meaning that Dempsey is in a dogfight with maybe Zusi for a starting spot.

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    • I should clarify that I have no idea whether he is good enough or not, just that he may have been promised a spot to Brasil and Klinsman seems to favor German-Americans.

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      • I think this is jumping the gun. First Julian will need to earn a spot on the plane. Most of feel like he will succeed there. Cracking the starting 11 is different. I tend to believe he will be a sub.
        If we are starting Zusi over Bedoya (which I believe is 50/50) then your starting attack is:
        Altidore
        Donovan, Dempsey, Zusi
        Jones Bradley
        I don’t think Green is grabbing one of those starting roles. AJ will have a hard time breaking into that starting lineup too.

    • I think Clint, as team captain and improving in form, is relatively safe. To be sure, though, the mix of Dempsey/Donovan, Bedoya, AJ/Zusi and possibly Green will be an interesting thing to watch shake out. I’ve listed those in order of my perceived likelihood of starting, but I am not a famous German striker.

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      • If the World Cup started tomorrow, I would not want him starting.
        He was horrible for Tottenham and Seattle last year, and was nothing special for us. That’s not an irrational bias and I don’t think it’s counting him out prematurely. He’s been awful over the last 15 months.

      • He was fine for Tottenham, he had the 3rd most goals on the team, important ones against ManU and City, also he was scoring for the US while there. it’s really just the last 6 months he’s been awful.

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