Kids who aren't citizens, aren't close, and #!*%! immigration...

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by Real Corona, Oct 7, 2011.

  1. ebado

    ebado Member

    May 2, 2008
    Oh, I don't expect that to ever happen. It would mean admitting the system is broken, and I can't see the people in power ever committing to significant immigration reform. Of any kind.
     
  2. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here is the thing though. Let's assume that the kid turns 18, and he wants to be a citizen but his parents were lazy. He files for a green card, waits four or five years and he is a citizen. He's 23 and likely has 50 more years of being a citizen. There isn't really a problem here except for the narrow sense of a soccer player peaking at about 23 and probably not waiting to get capped.

    The immigration system needs reform, but this doesn't seem to me to be the place where it is needed.
     
  3. ebado

    ebado Member

    May 2, 2008
    Depends. Federal aid for school, voting etc. Those are big deals to a lot of 18-year-olds.
     
  4. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Don't green card holders get federal aid? I'm not an expert on all that, but you might have a point. Voting obviously should be something that isn't casually given away.
     
  5. ebado

    ebado Member

    May 2, 2008
    Some — I believe the Pell grant can be given to non-citizens — but most federal aid tends to be citizenship-only. However, I'm not an expert on this.
     
  6. bnjamin10

    bnjamin10 Member

    Charlotte FC
    Jun 4, 2009
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The situation where you would all of sudden want citizenship at 17 or 18 while spending 9+ year here of not really caring is pretty limited to break out youth soccer stars, and maybe some Olympic sport athletes. Everyone that was saying there were great undiscovered players that were shut out of the system by pay 2 play was right; unfortunately, looks like a lot of those kids are not citizens. (I think its probably the best thing to happen to U.S. soccer; itll raise the game of everybody.)
     
  7. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    Some people here have discussed how hard and long the green card process is so lots of these kids' parents never bother with it.

    To them, I'd just like to point out the cases of Steve Zakuani and Sebastien Le Toux.

    Le Toux emigrated to the US in late winter/early spring of 2007 when he signed with the USL Sounders and was here on a work visa. In early August of 2010, he got his Green Card. Took him three and a half years.

    http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2010/08/le-toux-receives-green-card

    Zakuani first came to the US on a student visa at Akron. Persons here on student visas can't apply for Green Cards and time here on a student visa doesn't start the clock towards a Green Card and citizenship. That process only started once Zakuani turned pro, which required a work visa and that was in January of 2009.

    In early December of LAST year, Zakuani announced he received his Green Card. Less than TWO YEARS after turning pro. Hell, even if you count the two years he spent at Akron (which the government doesn't), he still did it in less than four years.

    http://www.sounderatheart.com/2010/...-card-permanent-resident-status-in-this-great

    Now, maybe the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Seattle is just fare more efficient and/or less busy, and paperwork gets processed there faster. Maybe the Sounders were more proactive as employers towards getting the process started since they saw a benefit in not having players taking up an international spot.

    I don't know. I do know that Le Toux and Zakuani show this process can be done fairly quickly if the persons are proactive about it, which clearly, people like the parents of Diego Fagundez and the myriad other players we discuss and lament losing here didn't do.

    Again, if Zakuani can do it in less than two years, it's hard not to blame the parents of someone who have been here over a decade for not getting a Green Card.
     
  8. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Completely agree.

    People can whine all about "the system" that they want to. But ultimately it's the responsibility of the individual parties to be proactive if they want (or want their children) to become Green Card Holders/American citizens.

    As wiki says, though..............

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_citizenship

    However, one study suggested legal residents eligible for citizenship, but who don't apply, tend to have low incomes (41 percent), do not speak English well (60 percent), or have low levels of education (25 percent).

    One suspects that the families under the microscope in this thread for not starting the process earlier may fit snugly into one or more of these categories. [Just an assumption on my part. I could be completely wrong.]
     
  9. Zoidberg

    Zoidberg Member+

    Jun 23, 2006
    Blaming the system is always easier.

    Easy way out.
     
  10. CalBlue

    CalBlue Member

    Jul 26, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    I know Matthew Tilley's dad. He has a green card. He will /can get US citizenship when he turns 18.

    He has a lot of interest from EPL teams so that might change things if Galaxy don't sign him soon.
     
  11. SecludedMonkey

    SecludedMonkey New Member

    Mar 1, 2011
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He plays for their academy? What position?
     
  12. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    CB and DMF. Thus far he's played in three games (out of four), with one start. The Galaxy U17/18 DA has a lot of talent, and they picked up some quality defenders from last year's U17/18 Pateadores championship team, so Tilley is fighting for playing time.
     
  13. CalBlue

    CalBlue Member

    Jul 26, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    That's about right. I think Tilley has more potential than the others, I also think he is better, but competition never hurts. That is the kind of pressure these kids need if they are going to make it. If he is he will rise to the challenge and that's good for the Galaxy.
     
  14. genom

    genom Member

    May 27, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Torre has much more potential than him. Tilley quite frankly has not performed that well this year. Daniel Selpukhin has been very dominant so far for the Galaxy Under 18's.
     
  15. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    The Gals are gonna have some serious homegrown signing decisions to make within the next year. (particularly if Mendiola and Villareal end up staying) And this is the way it should be. Each club should think of every player on their U18 roster as a potential homegrown signing, and the competition should push each player to improve.

    I'm not sure if they'll go on a homegrown signing spree like FCD did........but they could. The talent is there.
     
  16. CalBlue

    CalBlue Member

    Jul 26, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Torre. Good player and going to UCLA I hear. He is very vocal which is good, but when I have seen him against better forwards (last year) he is troubled.

    The thing is with this Galaxy U18's is that there are so many good players it's really hard to say who is better than who. But I will stick with my opinion Tilley is the best 16 year old defender in the US after what I saw at the DA championships and U17 Gen' Addidas cup.

    Bottom line, I believe boys are really good and I would pair them together and also give them a run in the reserves - they could really push each other.
     
  17. CalBlue

    CalBlue Member

    Jul 26, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Absolutely right. The Gals must be wondering what to do. here's my list. What's your list?

    Villareal - if he comes back?
    Mandiola - if he comes back?
    Tilley - if he doesn't go back to Tottenham/Birmingham?
    It's interesting that these all have others clubs / countries after them
    Rodrequez - Back from residency program
    Valasquez Seb - probably the most natural player

    There are other but I think they want to go to college.
    Howe
    Dhillon J (U16)

    Not sure on some of the new guys yet but Torre has a good potential.
     
  18. #1 Feilhaber and Adu

    Aug 1, 2007
    I recognized this 2 years ago. you know if they got talent, they got
    a shot to go far.
     
  19. #1 Feilhaber and Adu

    Aug 1, 2007
  20. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Or if he single handily goes to Afghanistan and wins the war there.
     
  21. Zoidberg

    Zoidberg Member+

    Jun 23, 2006
    Bump.

    Orr Barruch. No.

    Diego F. No.

    ...but this is the place to dream, whine, complain, etc.

    Thank you.
     
  22. Werdman89

    Werdman89 Member+

    May 27, 2008
    Boston, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=8373

    It's actually possible to get citizenship! ;)

    Maybe we should give guys like Juan Agudelo and Stuart Holden's parents some credit for beginning the process when their children are young.
     
  23. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There are quite a few

    Dzenan Catic too also went through the process and he's now at Kaiserslautern's U23 team

    http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=8173

    Same thing with Danijal Brkovic who is on the first team with Velez Mostar (Bosnian Premier League) in Bosnia. He was born in Dubrovnik and immigrated to the US in Binghamton and became a citizen when he was 16.

    You know one guy who is eligible for US citizenship but who is content with not getting it?

    Jurgen Klinsmann
     
  24. Hararea

    Hararea Member+

    Jan 21, 2005
    Barrera and Agudelo were able to obtain citizenship because their mothers got divorced and then married Americans.

    I suppose you can give them credit despite their failed first marriages, but I'm certainly not going to point fingers at couples who have a harder time getting citizenship because they stay together.
     
  25. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Seriously?
     

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