The Copa America
Centenario was a blast to watch. I loved rooting for the USA to beat the other
countries and prove to the world that the Yanks belong with the elite of the
world's soccer teams. Rooting for a
national team is a generally harmless form of patriotism that fans all over the
world can enjoy. Additionally, pulling for the Red, White, and Blue to bring
home athletic glory is great fun. I was glad to see that the US Men's National
(Soccer) Team (USMNT) focused more on supporting he development of young native
players like Christian Pulisic. I think
the coaches should continue with this focus on native American talent when
deciding who it recruits and allows to play for the team.
(I know it sounds
like I am some sort of a nationalist or a xenophobe, but I don’t intend it to
be that way. I use the term native American to mean citizens who live and/or
work in the United States. I do not mean native born or white. Seeing players
that have never lived in the States suit up for the USMNT frustrates me, but it
is hard to make an argument about it without seeming like some sort of
nativist, nationalist bigot.)
The FIFA rules
require a player to have nationality of the country they represent. However,
they do not define
nationality and let the countries define it. The US requires
citizenship, which is fairly rigorous by international standards. They also let
the players decide on which country they want to represent, assuming they have
eligibility. This has led to many very talented athletes playing for countries
that they barely represent in the eyes of the fans. Players who were born in
one country but moved shortly after birth often play for the birth country when
they aren't good enough to qualify for the home countries team. Players whose
grandparents are from another country than their home are join up with their
ancestral squads. Usually this is because they aren't good enough to play for
their "real" team and want a chance to play internationally.
Obviously some
players should and do have legitimate claims to dual nationality. A player born
and raised in Canada until age 11, who then moves to Uruguay for his formative
years of junior high and high school, should be able to pick whichever country
he/she most identifies with. They are clearly someone that could be considered
either nationality and the current rules allow for this.
My complaint isn't
with these dual national players or even the current FIFA set of rules for
defining nationality. They seem fine and well thought out. A players should be
able to play for whatever team they want to and have eligibility to play for.
In fact I would argue the rules on changing teams should be loosened so that a
player like Messi can switch team to Spain from Argentina, if he wants to.
My gripe is the way
the current USMNT coaching staff has about searching for international players
with American citizenship to add to the roster, instead of focusing on home
grown talent. Head coach Jurgen Klinsman has made it a priority to search out foreign
players with ties to the US, usually threw the military, and recruit them to
the US side. Rather than give spots to US born and raised players he focuses on
dual citizens.
Three of the USMNT
best and most visible players were born and raised in Germany.
Jermaine Jones
was raised in Frankfurt to a German mother.
Fabian Johnson grew up and lived in
Munich. Defender
David Brooks is a Berliner through and through. All three players
are very talented and they have helped the US win games. I don’t begrudge
foreign players for playing for the US. I just wish the head coach hadn't
focusing so much on recruiting players like this instead of players with
stronger ties to the United States.
I don't have
statistical proof to show that the coaches should be focusing on native
Americans. Instead I have more philosophical arguments. A primarily
foreign/German team suppresses interest in the team and hurts development of
the game in the United States. These two things feed on each other.
First let's talk
about the development of American players from the United States. Playing for a
national team is a huge honor, but it is also a great way to get better as a
player. On a nation team a young player is surrounded by the best coaches and
staff. This gives them world class instruction. They also get to play with and
hang out other amazing world class athletes. They will be able to glean tips
and tricks from some of the best. The experience is invaluable.
Bringing young
native Americans, such as DeAndre Yedlin, to play for the team helps them grow
as a player. It will keep the talent pipeline growing and prepare the team
better in the future. It will also add incentive for native American players in
the high school and college ranks to continue to fight for a spot on the USMNT
roster. Rewarding foreign players with a coveted and rare roster spot sends a
message to the native players that they aren't valued or needed. It will hurt
the development ranks. I will also push native Americans with dual country
eligibility onto the rosters of other countries that offer, which is bad
because in international soccer you can't easily switch national teams. Once
you pick a team you are essentially
stuck there.
A great way to get
native players with multiple national eligibility to pick the USMNT is to build
up a fan base and passion for the team. Players will want to play for the team
they root for. They will want to play for the team their friends root for. They
will want to play for the team featured on TV. To make the team that players
want to play for the USMNT it is important to build interest in the team.
Sports fans
gravitate towards local heroes and players in their community. Having a
national team full of foreigners with no or very loose ties to the States
eliminates that personal connection and potential rooting interest. People that
aren't soccer fans are more likely to tune in if their neighbor or friend is on
the team. Kids are more likely to decide to try soccer over other sports if
they have a hero to emulate. A local hero is an even stronger connection.
Having a team of mostly native Americans will help interest in the USMNT grow.
It will help the native American pool of talent grow, which will improve the
team's performance on the pitch.
The current USMNT
coaching staff has a history of focusing on foreign players with eligibility to
play for the US. While I don’t have proof of the correlation between native and
foreign Americans on the roster, I argued that a few foreign players may help
the team win in the short term, an overreliance of foreigners to fill the USMNT
roster will hurt the team in the long run. American fans will lose out on the
connection created by having a local player make good at the international
level. Those kids that do decide to play soccer will be prevented from growing
their skills from being exposed to the international game.
