The first 12 years of Giuseppe Rossi’s professional career have been spent in Europe, but a report is linking the Italian-American forward with a return to his birth country.
Univision Deportes reported on Monday that the New York Red Bulls have contacted Rossi regarding a possible move to the club. Currently, Rossi is under contract with Serie A club Fiorentina, but spent the second half of last season on loan with Spanish side Levante, who was relegated following an unsuccessful campaign.
However, any move to MLS currently features major hurdles. Rossi has one more season remaining on his deal with Fiorentina and, with the MLS transfer window closed, the Italian star would need to be released from that contract to be free to sign with the Red Bulls before the September 15 roster freeze.
Currently, the Red Bulls rely heavily on Bradley Wright-Phillips at the striker position, and were reportedly in the market for reinforcements all through the transfer window. Omer Damari was brought in from sister club RB Leipzig in the window’s closing moments, and the Israeli international will occupy a Designated Player spot alongside Sacha Kljestan and Gonzalo Veron. Ahead of the 2015 season, Wright-Phillips was also named a Designated Player, but is not currently listed as one by the league, meaning the club has used allocation money to buy down the forward’s deal.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Rossi joined Italian club Parma in 2000 before being signed by Manchester United in 2004. Just five first team appearances followed alongside loans to Newcastle United and Parma throughout his three-year stay. A permanent move to Villarreal produced the most consistent spell of Rossi’s career, as the forward made 136 appearances and scored 54 goals at the Spanish club before returning to Italy in 2014 with Fiorentina.
Internationally, Rossi has played for Italy 30 times while scoring seven goals, but injuries robbed Rossi of the opportunity to play in several major tournaments with the national team.
What do you think of the possibility of Rossi joining the Red Bulls? How would Rossi fare in MLS?
Share your thoughts below.
After that confederations game, I wrote here that he was dead to me. Still is and should be for anyone who calls themselves a true USMNT fan. Just to compare to a similar situation: Podolski, polish parents raised in Germany He scored both goals at the 2008 Euros in 2-0 victory against Poland. He avoided celebrating his goals, however, to show respect for his country of birth. Google, Rossi’s goal against us at the meaningless confederations cup (in comparison to the euros) He died then, and will always be dead.
“Still is and should be for anyone who calls themselves a true USMNT fan.”
Sorry to disappoint, but no. Of course not.
Thanks for a great example of what I was referring to above, though!
I’d treat him like the prodigal son. We all make mistakes that we have to learn to live with, and I’m sure Rossi has plenty of regrets. If he comes to play in Jersey, good for him.
Gotta love all the USMNT noobs here. Let me tell you something kiddies, back in the day when we would give our left lung for ANYONE who was halfway decent this Rossi had a real opportunity to make ours a better team. He chose Italy – fine but what a lost opportunity.
Then he plays for Italy against us in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, subsequently scores against us and celebrates like he just won the World Cup with that goal. What a *#$(.
Then he trashes MLS like someone mentioned a few years back. Then his agent senses opportunity and sticks an olive branch out (a plastic, off-color one mind you) and it’s all good right?
I say, sure. Stick him on any MLS B or C team, but please God almighty not the Red Bulls. Thanks, that is all.
THIS …
“Then he plays for Italy against us in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, subsequently scores against us and celebrates like he just won the World Cup with that goal. What a *#$(. ”
Fu … -get this guy!
I will never forgive that Confed Cup celebration. Kiss the badge??? Have some class you grease ball.
I will go to Houston games just to mess with this guy … in my Azurri jersy!
Rossi has to be the topic here that generates the highest proportion of ridiculous, even brainless comments.
I think Freddie Adu is the winner on brainless comments. Thank God we haven’t seen anything on him in forever.
Of course, he will only play on natural grass surfaces. Instead, He can join the Italian NT coaching staff…they owe him that much!!
“Benedict Arnold”!
You people are crazy. He’s a professional athlete, and he chose a nation with a rich soccer history over one that barely had a professional league. Let it go.
Further, in Arnold’s defense, it seemed much more likely that England would go further in world competition than the U.S. (Concacaf was MUCH weaker then). Plus England could pay.
He should go to England, that’s where the last Bendict Arnold went.
Hahaha! You win…
No thanks. I thought this dude was a true Italian – how can be coming home to Jersey?
Like “not being American” stops other impact players from coming to MLS.
Cry me a river….
I truly hope this doesn’t happen. I’m still figuring out why RB let Lloyd Sam go…
Allocation money was part of the Lloyd Sam deal, which might be what they used to pay down BWP’s salary to take him off the DP list opening up the DP spot for Rossi.
He’s still pretty good. Don’t know if any critics have watched him last season at Levante, but he was an impact player for them anytime he touched the ball, and that was La Liga, so in MLS I would bet he could be at the level of Giovinco given the level of talent supplying him with scoring opportunities. Look at Villa as an example.
NYRB have pretty good attacking players that could help Rossi easily score more than 15 goals a season (BWP, Kljestan, Grella, Veron, etc) since he’s a deadly finisher like Villa but also an excellent link up player.
Throw in Muyl and that would be pretty fun to watch.
“I’ll admit that had we known in hindsight how things would have gone [with Italy], maybe we would have opted for the United States instead of Italy,” Rossi’s agent, Andrea Pastorello
It all makes sense now. Many of us called that statement an attempt or a step towards an MLS deal back in May.
So… This guy could have been the greatest American striker we’ve ever had. He tells folks he’s an American but denies to play for our team and chooses Italy instead. He later says to media that MLS is a garbage league and would hurt his career if he had played there (not entirely untrue of course). Now his career is going downhill and he wants to come back to NY and get a big fat DP payday. I say F<< that. Let him rot in some meaningless European league. He could've been bigger than LD and CD but he turned his back on all of us for his career and now he wants forgiveness and a payday. I say no. What say you.
I’d boo him
I like this move for both sides. I think he will do well in MLS. Maybe not quite Giovinco level, but I think he will do well. Based on how his club and international career have went, I’m more or less over being mad at him and generally wish him the best. I think he would be a good addition to the league.
“Maybe not quite Giovinco level”… You think? There’s nothing in his last couple of seasons to suggest that he is at Giovinco’s level. This seems like a play to cash in on some tenuous Jersey connections that grew stale years ago. I don’t care about NYRB but I hope, for their sake, that they don’t waste their money on a washed up player.
I have no beef with his decision to represent Italy, I just don’t think this is the kind of player MLS should be going after.
He’s only 29 and has played for some big clubs in Europe. Obviously, it will depend on what they are going to pay him, but they could be buying while the price is low and hoping he returns to good form. It is a moneyball strategy that won’t significantly hurt RBNY (again, depending on price) if he doesn’t work out but could return huge dividends if he regains his top form. It is a relatively low risk, high reward situation.
HEALTHY* that’s the cavet. IF he can stay healthy, he’ll def help the league and NY. If not, no big deal. I doubt he’s going to want to come though, as long as he has European options, just from following his history.
Wait. Don’t American fans hate Rossi?
It likely depends on which American fan you talk to. At first, I was a bit perturbed by both him and Subotic playing for other nations, but now, I am pretty well over it. These guys have to take a lot of factors into making these decisions, and I doubt it is easy for them; holding a long term grudge is just not worth, at least for me.
I was hoping that Atlanta would grab him…
He will do fine. If the RedBulls win with him, no one will care about the other stuff. They may even get a few extra fannies in the stands as well.
Does he count as an American? Even though he doesn’t count himself as an American?
If mls can welcome frank lampard (to New York, no less) then Rossi should have a stadium named after him.