By RYAN TOLMICH
HARRISON, N.J. — The last time Giuseppe Rossi played in his home state of New Jersey, the forward was just a 12-year-old prodigy, bound for a career abroad. Now a 28-year-old Italian international, Rossi returned Tuesday night, capping his homecoming with a special moment in front of friends and family.
Born and raised in Teaneck, just over 30 minutes from Tuesday’s site of Red Bull Arena, Rossi returned home with a penalty kick goal, sending the stadium into a frenzy as Fiorentina fell to Paris Saint-Germain, 4-2, in Tuesday night’s International Champions Cup clash.
For Rossi, the moment was a special one. With dozens of family in attendance to watch him play at home for the first time in 16 years, Rossi stayed on the field for more than 30 minutes after the game to meet and talk with fans. However, the forward’s goal was about so much more, as it signaled the forward’s return after yet another long-term battle with injury.
“It’s awesome. I really thank the fans that were out there, that were supporting,” Rossi said. “This is my second game back from a year off with injuries. I’m just trying to stay fit and play the best I can.”
Rossi’s emotional return was made all the more special given what the Fiorentina star has had to go through in the past year. The 28-year-old underwent a fourth knee operation back in September, sidelining him as yet another club season fell by the wayside just months after injuries once again derailed a potential World Cup call-up.
Now refocused on reintegrating himself on the club level, Rossi is just two games into a return that is nearly a year in the making. The forward says that he is beginning to feel full fitness once again, allowing him to turn his gaze towards helping improve a Fiorentina team that finished fourth in Serie A last season and is now bound for the Europa League.
“It was nice to have the chance to get a goal in my hometown with my family and my friends watching,” Rossi said, “but I think the most important thing was the team performance in the second half.
“I think we showed real personality. We were able to score a couple of goals. It’s still preseason. We’ve only been together for 10 days. We played a tough opponent, so we’re happy but I think we could get better.”
For Rossi, that is what this upcoming season is all about: getting better, with both his fitness and his play.
Scorer of 16 league goals in his last full season in 2013-14, Rossi has proven to be one of Italy’s most feared goalscorers. Now, with a stop in his home state as one of the first building blocks, Rossi is hoping to get back into the game, helping to push himself and his club to a level not yet reached.
“It was nice to be here playing in front of my family in friends, to be back home in New Jersey,” Rossi said. “Too bad with the result, but I think we showed we could play with certain teams.”
I used to laugh everytime the Italian World Cup roster would come out and he would be injured or one of the last cuts. He could have had 4 World Cup appearances by now. Oh well.
Hopefully he at least comes home after his playing career to help train a new generation.
Rossi never led anyone on, unlike some other guys. USSF always knew from day 1 that Rossi was not interested in playing for the USMNT. The guy was going after his dream of playing in the country of his father, like so many of our players do.
I wish he was ours, but I respect him for not leading us on and changing his mind at the last minute.
agree in the “let it go” sentiment, although its a could have been.
He would have been a pretty big US and local star if he would have just suited up for the US (his real country where he grew up, culturally, etc., or so he says) instead of meaningless games for Italy, he would have been given higher status for the US with his injuries (more opportunity to come back on the team quick and play, etc.).
Its just a shame a local kid who grew up here chose another country, he could have been something big around here and quite famous, no one really cares now for him…
I hope for heaven’s sake Redbull New York will get in touch with him after euro 2016 and ” Bring him home!”
Nah, his “home” is Italy. Let him stay there.
As a fellow NJ native, this clown can take a hike. Like Najar, Fagundez, Subotic, he turned his back on his country chasing glory elsewhere. Good riddance.
But he is playing in Italy! You need to swoon.
i feel like we’ve been over this already, so maybe this will fall on deaf ears, but:
najar spent the vast majority of his life in another country. he didn’t move here until he was a teenager, and then moved away when he was 20. now i wouldn’t have any problem with him representing us (seems like you’ve got that role on lock), but i totally understand if he feels like playing for honduras instead.
Obviously I don’t have any problem with Najar playing for us, in fact I think he should have. That said, at least with Honduras he can get knocked out of tournaments super early and get back to riding the pine at Anderlecht.
Since when is starting in champions league games riding the pine?
yeah, the aforementioned “role” was you being the self-appointed international eligibility police, just in general.
and shoot, i forgot you’re a nyrb fan (take it as a compliment, i guess). let it go, man; he hasn’t played for dc for years now.
It has nothing to do with him playing for DC. I’m not a club over country guy. Once DC players pull on the national team shirt, they have my support just as much as anyone else.
On the other hand, when guys who’ve been brought up in the US Soccer system decide to represent some other country, I hope they flop spectacularly.
Subotic didn’t turn his back on the US. He just isn’t a very good player.
Wrong again Tommy Boy!
You are the only clown here. Najar and Fagundez aren’t even eligible to represent the US right now. Subotic had a falling out with Rongen.
I hope this is just a sad attempt to troll.
All these guys grew up here. I agree Subotic was treated shabbily and I’m not fan of Rongen but Rongen is long gone and Subotic could’ve played in the last two world cups with the USMNT. Instead, he chose Serbia and hasn’t been to a major competition.
Is Fagundez actually cap-tied to Uruguay?
Yes
Najar? He was only just a permanent resident, if that. He didn’t have a US passport and wasn’t going to be getting one for a while. He would have been in his mid twenties before he would have been eligible to play for the USMNT, and he didn’t want to wait that long for NT exposure. I can’t really blame him.
Right so he chose expediency over representing the US.
He chose to represent his country and the only passport he holds. Which is not the US.
Represent the team that taught him everything he knows about football?!!! The nerve of the guy!!!!!
As usual, your comment makes no sense.
“As a fellow NJ native, this clown can take a hike. Like Najar, Fagundez, Subotic, he turned his back on his country chasing glory elsewhere. Good riddance.”
You were so decent for so long, but now you have fallen back into the same,old idiotic pattern. Sometimes you twist your definition to meet your own desires. You say someone is American if they grew up here and/or were trained here. Rossi left the US at 12. If leave a country at 12, you were neither trained here or grew up here. He spent 60% of his life abroad. As someone from the metro NY area, I am surprised you don’t know more dual citizens especially those with strong attachments to the US and another country. I know a lot in and outside the soccer community and they feel comfortable cheering for both countries.
Subotic is not traitor, He also spent most his life outside the US. His parents only came here because they could not stay in Germany. He actually considered playing for Germany until he realized that he could not after playing for a US youth team in an official match.While he is an American citizen through naturalization (and I would have accepted him), I view him as more Serbian/Germany and product of his father (his primary trainer in the US), the French, German & US system (about 2/3 years).He only spent 7 years of his life in the US.
Najar and Fagundez are NOT US citizens. How are they traitors???? Najar only lived full time in the US from 2006- 2013 (barely 7 years from 13 to 20). He is only a permanent resident. HE IS HONDURAN. He has spent more time in Honduras than the US Fagundez is not a citizen partially (and probably) because his family were here illegally otherwise he would have gained citizenship in his 15 yeas here. He obviously feels very Uruguayan and American, but he is not American (even though he is product of the non-national youth soccer setup & homegrown MLS). Sometimes people just make a choice because it is available to them and still doesn’t mean they turn their backs.
Right, sometimes guys make a choice to not represent the US and I have made the choice to hope they fail.
You were so decent for so long, but now you have fallen back into the same, old idiotic pattern. Sometimes you twist your definition to meet your own desires. You say someone is American if they grew up here and/or were trained here. Rossi left the US at 12. If you leave a country at 12, you were neither trained here or grew up here. He left the US when he was 12 and trained primarily in Italy (partially in England). He spent 60% of his life abroad (primarily Italy and was born to ITALIAN-BORN parents). If you are going to claim Rossi because he was born and raised here until he was 12, then you cannot claim Najar who was born and raised in Honduras until he was 13.
As someone from the metro NY area, I am surprised you don’t know more dual citizens especially those with strong attachments to the US and another country. I know a lot in and outside the soccer community and they feel comfortable cheering for both countries.
It is like dealing with a thick 10 year old!
Yet, Najar and Fagundez were not (and still aren’t) US citizens. You can’t blame them for not waiting a very long time in soccer terms (and possibly passing up lucrative contracts).
Focus on the battle you can win.
I think you’re breaking your own absurd “American enough” vows with the player list you just mentioned and your general jilted lover disdain for their reasoning or lack of options.
You never fail to look ridiculous when it comes to this topic, slowleftfarm.
I was at the game. It was kind of hilarious as it almost seemed scripted. Ibra scores one of the laziest goals ever and is immediately subbed (The sub was literally sitting on a cooler waiting to come on as though they were waiting for him to score). A few minutes later Rossi comes on. Gets handed a free kick outside the box which he takes. The ref promptly calls a hand ball when it is blocked and Rossi steps up for the penalty. It was almost as if the 2 of them scoring was contractually obligated. Anyway, it was a funny set of coincidences. It was an enjoyable game. Lots of goals, and Ibra seemed to be pulling the strings offensively from a fairly deep position while he was out there.
It’s a shame the crowd didn’t boo Benedict Arnold 2.0
we’ve been fine without him. it was his personal choice based on family. we’ve done well recruiting other multi-nationals.
nbd. let it go.
I certainly agree with the “let it go” sentiment, but “we’ve been fine without him”?
Last I saw, we’ve never had a forward of his caliber.
I’ll take Jozy over a guy who has four knee operations and can’t stay on the field.
Rossi makes Stuart Holden look like an ironman.
Hey… I also get injured a lot!
What would it be like when we play in Germany or Mexico or Iceland or England or……