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Julian Green to press on with Hamburg, for now

Julian Green Hamburg 2

By ADAM TROXTELL

American youngster Julian Green appears to have settled speculation about his future at Hamburg SV, though his take on the issue was less than definitive.

Green’s future at Hamburg, where he has been on loan from Bayern Munich this season, was thrown into doubt last week when he was reportedly demoted to the U-23 side that plays in Germany’s fourth division, and then was accused of refusing to play. Though he and the club eventually denied those accusations, speculation still arose suggesting the 19-year-old’s loan deal might be cut short.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Green said he never doubted his future with the Hamburg first team; however, he also said a final decision will be made in the next couple of days following talks with coach Joe Zinnbauer and sporting director Peter Knabel.

“The conversation went in the right direction,” Green said. “I never doubted my future with the Hamburg first team. A final decision, however, will be made in the next couple of days.”

Since moving to Hamburg on loan, Green has made one start under coach Mirko Slomka before he was fired in September. Zinnbauer has brought Green off the bench four times since he was appointed as manager.

Green did make an appearance with Hamburg II, the club’s fourth division-based U-23 team, in a 13-2 scrimmage romp. Green scored a goal in the scrimmage.

Comments

  1. Haha man calm down ,people that have a different soccer background might have different opinions than u. America soccer is in a good place and why I mentioned jk earlier was hopefully that people would see that a former usmnt player says that jk is a good descion is a pretty big deal. And are you related to Landon Donavon?

    Reply
    • Yeah because what you hear in an article and in the news is always correct right? There are also many players and commentators who feel Jk is only a lot of hype. So you have to figure this one out for yourself. Unless your related to Kobi Jones? Your not are u? Cause I’d love an autograph.

      Reply
  2. Dempsey 112 caps and 40 goals, in Europe had 57 goals. Donavon 157 caps and 57 goals but 15 were pks and only 11 in Europe. Couldn’t find CD pks numbers but I kind side with forthefuture now that I look at some stats and LD gets credit for the goal against Algeria when all he did was cheery pick CD miss

    Reply
    • Oh, and do not forget Landon’s 58 USMNT assists vs Clint’s 13 (?). Landon’s 144 MLS goals to Clint’s 41 and Landon’s 136 MLS assists to Clint’s 24.

      If you are going to try and use numbers to make a point, use all the stats not just the convenient ones.

      Landon vs Clint is a useless debate. 2 of the very best to ever wear a USMNT jersey. Does it matter who is better?

      “LD gets credit for the goal against Algeria when all he did was cheery pick CD miss”

      Lucky for Dempsey that LD was there to clean up the miss after running 70 yards to make that play happen.

      Reply
  3. OK best young player of 02 Congrats that was 13 years ago and we didn’t get out of group stage in 06. I’m not bashing the guy I’m saying 5 goals total in 3 world cups come on be realistic he was good but I would take Claudio and Clint before him and all you JK haters out there y’all should read cobi Jones article on his thoughts about top 5 american soccer moments.

    Reply
    • Your original comment was

      “I am not saying anything bad about donavon ,jozy or Bradley but where have they gotten the usmnt?”

      The response was that Donovan was very instrumental in getting the USMNT to the Quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. The best finish for a USMNT in 50 years. Now you don’t like the answer and dismiss it because it happened in 2002?

      Then you dismiss that Donovan as the USMNT all time leading goal scorer in the World Cup with “only 5”? Yet, you will take “only 4” from Clint Dempsey instead?

      Then you bring in a totally unrelated subject like Jurgen Klinsmann for some reason.

      You’re all over the place trying to make a point about something, just not sure what.

      Reply
      • @ Soccer Dandi Don’t waste your time anymore you make perfect sense. But I get the feeling those guys are Jk fan boys who will defend anything Jk has said and hate anything he hates regardless of it is right or wrong. Point they hate to hear critique of Julian G a player who most people in the states would not even know about if it wasn’t for JK praising him so much so now any team who doesn’t start him must be wrong. They hate to hear any credit given to LD because JK has diminished his accomplishments and contributions publicly. So those people prior to JK arrival who acknowledged his contributions now hate him. Don’t waste your time.

  4. OK the quarters in 02 a suprise and we beat mexico to get there. we should expect to get out of knockout stage every world cup but for the first time ever we did it 2 times in arow. I not arguing they arnt good players what I am saying we need better ones. I like the fact we have young players ala Emerson hyndman at Fulham ,gedion zelahem at arsenal, boxi yomba at atlectico Madrid, hajj wright about to sign for one of Germany’s top clubs, Marc pulosi at liverpool, yedlin at Tottenham and rubio at utect. Lot of potential.

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  5. I am not saying anything bad about donavon ,jozy or Bradley but where have they gotten the usmnt. I’m just saying would u like to have your younger players developing in Europe or mls?

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    • Well, in Donovan’s case, into the quarters of the World Cup. Bradley and Jozy, into the knockout rounds. Would love to see the USMNT into the quarters again. Imagine the frenzy!

      Reply
      • Considering he was named the best young player of the 2002 World Cup and started every match, is it fair to say that he was a major contributor to the best World Cup run for the USMNT in over 50 years?

      • Of course LD was a major contributor.

        But you damn the rest of that exceptional team with faint praise.

        Reyna was named to the All Star team for the 2002 World Cup, to the best of my knowledge the only American ever to be so honored. Friedel had the best tournament performance by a US keeper in a World Cup ever.

        The US has yet to replace Claudio, JOB or McBride. It was probably the best and certainly the luckiest, US team LD ever played on.

      • Now you’re just making stuff up.

        You will never read anything from me downplaying Claudio Reyna, JOB, or McBride. The question was directly in reference to Donovan, so I answered it directly in reference to Donovan.

        If the the question was worded differently it would have been answered differently.

      • “But you damn the rest of that exceptional team with faint praise.”

        Here is my wording. I don’t need to make stuff up

      • Ask about the 2002 World Cup team and I would gladly answer about the 2002 World Cup team. Ask about a specific player and I will answer about the specific player.

        The question was:

        “I am not saying anything bad about donavon ,jozy or Bradley but where have they gotten the usmnt?”

        I do not read any question about the quality of the 2002 World Cup team. You don’t see me accusing you of minimizing the contributions of the rest of the 2014 USMNT performance because you are fixated on Julian Green’s goal do you? The performance of the 2014 World Cup team is not part of the discussion, right? Just because you don’t mention the USMNT’s 2014 performance does not mean that you are minimizing it, right? If I state that you are giving faint praise to the 2014 USMNT World Cup squad without ever asking you about it, I would be making that up, right?

        I wasn’t aware that I needed to write an essay on a topic that wasn’t part of the original discussion.

  6. Would anyone be anything less than ecstatic if Green develops into anything close to the level of player of Donovan, Jozy or Bradley?

    Yes, they did it differently (especially Donovan) but it has worked for them.

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  7. I am glad he is going to stick it out. I hate to see young players give up when they go through tough times in Europe as Donavon, jozy and Bradley have done. I like our young talent developing right now we have some very good ones coming through the ranks and hopefully getting some first team mins next season

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  8. “for one, he already did last year.”

    Lol…

    They give the kid a cup of coffee and all of a sudden you act like he was a regular in the 18, at Bayern no less. You probably consider Green a Champions League caliber player because they gave him a 5 minute stint there too…lol.

    This is what leads to all these discussions and overreactions about how good (or not good) he is. Let the kid work, stop treating him like a he’s more special than any other talented prospect and hopefully he will turn out just fine for both club and country.

    Reply
    • I thought Julian Green scored a goal against Thibaut Courtois in the knock out stage of the World Cup to become the youngest person to score a goal in the tournament.

      Reply
      • Yes, nice goal.

        Based on his resume over the past year, that one goal sure seems like the exception rather than anything close to the norm, no? How long will that one run/goal be the only semblance of quality play against professional quality competition.

        Will his situation mirror the Juan Agudelo saga? Hope not, but Green right now is better compared to Agudelo than any other deserving member of the USMNT.

        I am excited to see more from Green. I hope that playing in a league more suited for his development level will put him on track to earn time with both club and the USMNT.

      • SDinCali,

        “Green right now is better compared to Agudelo than any other deserving member of the USMNT.”

        Juan? For Julian’s sake he should hope there is no comparison. Now there is a cautionary tale for Julian. As in “Julian don’t waste the next three years”.

        Juan is 22 which, in soccer developmental terms is very different from Julian’s 19 years.

        Juan has been with NYRB, Chivas USA, The Revs, Stoke, Utrecht and now the Revs.

        Julian has been with the Bayern organization his entire career except for this loan to Hamburg.

        Juan has 100 games as a pro and 22 goals, a goal every 4.5 games. Good goal scorers usually score a goal at least every 3 games if not more frequently. So far, it would have been better if Juan were a little more productive.

        Juan has two goals for the US both in friendlies. He has 18 caps.

        Julian has one goal for the US. It came in the World Cup. He has 5 caps.

        If Juan and Julian both never play for the US again, Julian will have had a better USMNT career, which should tell you how much of a waste a talented guy like Agudelo has been to this point.

      • The only disagreement is the value anyone puts in Green’s goal/run in the World Cup.

        For some, that one play is proof that he is a world class player. For others (me), it is acknowledged as a great run/goal, but refuse to let one play define a player as great especially when there has been no sustained quality at any level above U23/4th division in the Bundesliga. No one will argue that point because there is no argument to be made, only excuses.

        Does that mean that Green will not improve? Does that mean that he will never be a quality 1st division Bundesliga player? That he will never earn his place on the USMNT? Absolutely not. I believe that Green will develop into a very good international level player. The skill set is there. Let’s just keep the comparisons of his current form within reason.

      • ” Let’s just keep the comparisons of his current form within reason.”

        Lets. Because this Hamburg business, other than likely being a bump in the road, says very little about how he will ultimately do for the USMNT.

        I’d say he has chance at a brighter future than Juan A., for example, does.
        Many of the Brazil squad have had a rocky time of it since the tournament ended. Once you start getting into picking the squad for the Gold Cup, then we will get a better idea of how the player pool is shaping up.

      • “Many of the Brazil squad have had a rocky time of it since the tournament ended.”

        You are comparing apples to oranges. Every other USMNT player has shown sustained quality over a given period of time in a league higher than the 4th division of the Bundesliga. Unfortunately, Green has not.

        With Green, we do not know if this is a World Cup “hangover” or a “bump in the road”. This could very well be an indication of his current development level.

        This isn’t a disagreement over what Green will ultimately do for the USMNT. We are probably in agreement over that.

        The disagreement is on what his form or development level is now.

      • SDinCali,

        “The disagreement is on what his form or development level is now.”

        No it isn’t.

        If the US had to win a game this Wednesday Green should not be on that team. He is out of form.

        The disagreement is that I think Green, all things considered, has done well for the USMNT to this point and looks promising for the future. And I think he deserves credit for what he has already done for the USMNT. Apparently you don’t think he deserves any credit.

      • I have always given credit for Green’s great World Cup run/goal. I love the run more than the finish, but as a whole a very nice goal.

        If there are any other examples of any quality play by Green for the USMNT I haven’t seen it. Please give me any other instance where Green has “done well”.

        Did Green do “well” versus the Czech Republic? I’ve watched that match several times. My answer would be no. Did Green do “well” in his limited time versus Columbia? Again, no. Did not play versus Ireland. Am I missing something?

        Where is it that I am not giving Green his the credit that he deserves?

        Do I need to give that one minute of the great run/goal more credit than the other 100 minutes where Green has been below average? If so, how much more? 100 minutes of below average play weighted in with 1 great minute does not equate to “done well” to me. Obviously we disagree.

      • SDinCali,

        I wrote, “The disagreement is that I think Green, all things considered, has done well for the USMNT to this point and looks promising for the future.”

        Green hasn’t done particularly well in the games after the World Cup. As I said, he is out of form.

        But I don’t think any of the veterans, of which Green is now one has particularly distinguished themselves in these last 7 games.

        But, unlike you, I don’t think that means much in the context of the big picture. For me the importance of these last seven friendlies is not how they played or the won lost record. Rather it was the emergence of Zardes and, maybe, guys like Birnbaum, Hedges, and Nguyen.

        If Green plays like this in the Gold Cup, or games leading up it then that is another thing.

        As I said “all things considered”.

        It is true that the other World Cup players who are suffering from what they call “Post World Cup hangover” have more of a USMNT track record than Green. But that roster will very likely have to undergo a major overhaul before the next World Cup anyway and guys like Zusi, Beckerman,Besler , Gonzo, Howard, Jones, Mikey, Mix, AJ, Jozy , Cameron, and non WC guys like Boyd, Agudelo etc. all are question marks for Russia just like Green is, for one reason or another.

        Why my focus on Green?

        Because no other player I can think of in the US pool has the kind of expert endorsement (not from JK but from the Bayern management) of his upside that he has.

        Did Bayern discipline him over his actions in this loan fiasco in speaking out? No they backed him. Bayern are used to players who believe in themselves speaking out. It seems to me if they did not endorse his actions they could have easily shut him up. But they didn’t did they?

        It seems he is an asset they still value in spite of SBI’s poor assessment of him.

        Do our other potential goal scorers like AJ, Rubin, Wood, Boyd, Agudelo, Zardes and all those Under 20 guys have the potential to be really good international players and scorers?

        Of course they do.

        But none of them have the endorsement of Guardiola and the Bayern system. And none of them face the quality competition he is facing to be a first team regular.

        And unlike you, I think that is something worth taking note of. If Green turns out to be what other experts, not just JK, think he will be, he will be a reliable goal scorer in the Bundesliga. Only McBride and Clint Dempsey can lay claim to similar status at a similar level. And Clint is widely despised by fans on SBI.

        Of course you are 100% right, he still has to actually produce in the coming years. But that is true for all the candidates for “USMNT goal scoring forward”.

        There have been the successful US outfield players in Europe, guys like Holden at Bolton, Gooch at Standard, McBride and Dempsey at Fulham, LD during his Everton loan, Cameron at Stoke. What do they all have in common? A club that seemed to believe in them enough to give them the chance to play. And Bayern seems to like the kid.

        Of course the competition could not be any fiercer for Green.

        Name me a club where he would face stiffer competition? He might fail to break in there but unless he proves to be a complete disaster at Hamburg chances are good he will get a shot at another high level club.

        Again, you are right; he has to do it on the field going forward.

        Green may never wear a USMNT shirt again but I like his chances to be a really good one for the USMNT, whether or not he makes it at Bayern.

      • Well, we do agree on one thing. I too believe that Green is a promising prospect and am excited to see him develop his game to a level worthy of call up’s based on form and not solely on potential.

      • >>Juan? For Julian’s sake he should hope there is no comparison. Now there is a cautionary tale for Julian. As in “Julian don’t waste the next three years”.<<

        Don't look now, he's 1/3 of the way there. Hopefully the next 2 years will show improvement.

      • 2 years is an eternity in soccer.

        A couple of months ago SBI fans had Brek Shea permanently out on the street.

        Now, who knows, but being homeless now looks less likely than it did then.

      • …and who would have predicted Agudelo’s struggles for the past few years after a promising “flash” with the USMNT as an 18 year old?

    • “This is what leads to all these discussions and overreactions about how good (or not good) he is.”

      no, it’s reactions (among others) like yours to my completely factual response that does that. jesus.

      you implied that he couldn’t ‘crack the 18’ at bayern, and i stated that he already had last year, and even gave a reasoned explanation why it might be easier for him to do that at bayern than hamburg. nowhere did i ‘act like he was a regular in the 18’; i just stated a fact.

      there’s only one person overreacting here. don’t get mad just because your assertion didn’t make sense.

      Reply
      • Nate…

        Lol…if you only made sense.

        >>no, it’s reactions (among others) like yours to my completely factual response that does that. jesus.<<

        Please correct me if I am wrong. Green's 1st team Bayern experience consists of 5 minutes in a champions League match (Cup of Coffee), & the MLS AllStar match last season (No 1st team Bayern starters started the match, although 17 year old Gianluca Gaudino did). This is your "factual response". Yes those are facts, but a really weak argument…lol.

        Am I exaggerating? Let me know if I missed something. This is what you call "breaking into the 18"? You want to parlay these 2 appearances into proclaiming that Green to be a 1st team Bayern player? Because of these 2 appearances you believe that Green would be an automatic 18 selection with Bayern?

        Bayern already has 18 year olds Sinan Kurt & Gianluca Gaudino on their first team roster. These are 2 rated prospects for Bayern Munich that did not get loaned out and who cannot get on the field for Bayern this season. Is Green superior to Kurt and Guadino? Arguable, I know, but it is a decent question, no?

      • based on your examples, it seems you think ‘cracking the 18’ means seeing the field. it doesn’t–it just means making the bench.

        so even if you want to discount his actual playing time for whatever reason, it’s still a funny argument to claim that he won’t ‘crack the 18’ for bayern when he already has, several times last season.

        so maybe just phrase your comments more carefully, i guess? it just seems like you didn’t understand what you were saying, which isn’t that bad. but to then accuse me of being the reason for overreactions seems, in itself, like a knee-jerk reaction.

      • Yes, Green has made the 18 at Bayern several times. I am aware. Unfortunately he has not gotten on the field but twice. I understand that these “unused substitute” appearances have great value to you in determining Green’s form.

        We can agree to disagree, I suppose. I have still yet to see any sustained quality from Green. That has great value to me in determining Green’s form.

        We probably both agree that he is a talented prospect who we hope will develop to be a great contributor to the USMNT.

      • “I understand that these “unused substitute” appearances have great value to you in determining Green’s form.”

        again, you’re the only one extrapolating hidden meanings from simple statements. i didn’t say anything about the value of making the 18 or green’s form.

        “We probably both agree that he is a talented prospect who we hope will develop to be a great contributor to the USMNT.”

        couldn’t have said it better myself. let’s leave it that? 🙂

  9. I can see why Bayern/Green would be upset to go down to the U-23 level. Green was already there and lit it up, 19 goals in 15 (something like that).

    But is he good to enough to crack the starting 11 for a Bundesliga 1 team? Bayern certainly thought so. Thats why they sent them there.

    I think the reason Green hasn’t played much is because the Hamburg isn’t doing well, so they’re less likely to rely on an inexperienced player at the top flight level.

    Good for Green for sticking to his guns though. I like the drive that he has shown. Hopefully, they start playing him or he goes to back to Bayern and gets some left over minutes. Not like he was playing a whole this year any way.

    Reply
    • I think Green’s behavior could also be viewed as petulant and if Hamburg thought Green was better than what they’ve got, he’d be out there. He isn’t though.

      Reply
      • slowleftarm,

        Donovan did more or less the same thing when he was at Leverkusen for more or less the same reason.

        It worked out pretty good for him.

    • If he can’t crack the 18 at Hamburg, what are the chances that he can crack the 18 at Bayern?

      The jump from U23’s to 1st division in the Bundesliga has proven to be too big of a jump. He should work his butt off for the rest of this season, be ready for his next opportunity with Hamburg, then find a different club/division next season where he can better compete and develop.

      Reply
      • “If he can’t crack the 18 at Hamburg, what are the chances that he can crack the 18 at Bayern?”

        for one, he already did last year.

        also, hamburg and bayern are completely different animals. bayern–even while dealing with enormous pressure to win everything–is probably more likely to have garbage minutes for prospects.

        for hamburg, every game is must-win at this point, and as the OP said, a struggling team isn’t as likely to throw on an inexperienced player just to see what happens.

  10. After losing 8-0 to Bayern, what more have they got to lose by throwing him in there. I understand he needs match fitness, hence playing with the U-23s, but if you lose 8-0 then there needs to be wholesale changes to the lineup, and Green is a good option as any.

    Reply
    • I’ve heard many users here on SBI using the logic, “After losing 8-0 to Bayern, what more have they got to lose by throwing him in there … there needs to be wholesale changes to the lineup.” Many of you fail to realize that you are using “fan-boy” logic that makes no sense for Hamburg. What I mean is that as USMNT fans, the majority only care about Julian Green (USMNT player) and not Hamburg the club. So these people are biased into making that argument.

      The more rational way of looking at it is that the manager sees the players every day in practice and it is to the benefit of the manager to do whatever he can to win. To win, you wan’t your best players out there. So obviously the manager thinks that the other options are better than Julian Green. Now the fact that as a team, Hamburg lost to a superior Bayern Munich 8-0 does not all of a sudden make Julian Green better than the players in front of him. It simply means that Hamburg are a bad team and had a stinker of a day.

      Maybe Julian Green is like Iverson and thinks, “we talking about practice?” Maybe if given the chance in a real game Green could show well and produce, but he’s going to have to prove it to the manager in practice. A manager in a relegation battle isn’t just going to take a flyer on him.

      Reply
      • UBG,

        “So obviously the manager thinks that the other options are better than Julian Green”

        Better for that game scheme maybe.

        Hamburg were unlikely to outplay Bayern so my guess would that they went into that game conservative hoping to limit the damage and maybe tough out a draw.. Green is a small attacking player and a new guy besides. He is unlikely to have the kind of defensive discipline and commitment Hamburg were probably looking for in a game like this. .

        “Now the fact that as a team, Hamburg lost to a superior Bayern Munich 8-0 does not all of a sudden make Julian Green better than the players in front of him. It simply means that Hamburg are a bad team and had a stinker of a day.”

        That is the dilemma for relegation threatened teams like Hamburg. Green might be able to give them the goals they really need to stay up. But, with the new guy, maybe Hamburg is not as defensively organized with the naïve Green on the field.

        And Hamburg are certainly never going to win a shootout with a team like Bayern.

  11. “Green said he never doubted his future with the Hamburg first team;”
    Does he understand that 113 minutes in 5 months is hardly playing for the first team.
    His agent said that playing for the U23’s is unacceptable, which only muddles things. Perhaps the agent is the problem and not the solution.

    Reply
  12. The kid is saying the right things at least.

    Hope he turns things around and gets on the field with either the first team or second team.

    Reply

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