Aaron Hernandez? What about John Terry or Luis Suarez? A former Roma and Inter player, Amantino Mancini, is currently in prison for raping a girl in Brazil. But to your point, I generally don't wish ill on a player because my knowledge of them as a person is mostly limited to how they kick a ball around in some grass or which area of the world they decided to represent while doing so.
I will (hopefully correctly) comprehend your post as putting Hernandez at a distinctly lower place that your latter examples. But I would still take issue with putting Luis Suarez and John Terry anywhere near each other. I grew up playing baseball, and Suarez is what is commonly and admirably referred to in that game as a "dirtbag" - the guy who is gritty and gutsy and you can count on to eek out any contribution to the team possible, even on days when his best isn't his typical best. Occasionally, that sort of passion overflows (the biting, which was dumb, but not nearly as vicious as a DeJong tackle) or manifests itself in actions that exploit poor rule applications to maximize the team's opportunity to win. John Terry is just a well-documented, real-life dirtbag. Suarez, as far as I know, doesn't have any history of off-pitch jackassery. If you're referring to Suarez's "racism", that's somewhat understandable. But given the entire circumstances and conflicting evidence, I believe his level of guilt in that situation is largely open to interpretation. Since I am admittedly a Liverpool supporter, my understanding of the incident is viewed through the lens of the club and their 100% support of his innocence. To bring it back to the thread, let me say that I don't wish Rossi ill. But I do understand people dis-liking him. Personally, my preference would be for the US to be good enough that his talents were deemed surplus to requirements. As it stands, I'd settle for our boys whipping his ass on the pitch on a grand stage.
How in the world is that an awful opinion? Billions of people are never going to play in a World Cup, what's one more? I didn't advocate that he shred his knee before every World Cup, just that he never gets chosen. He's already making millions of dollars playing a sport that millions of people dream of; rooting against his international success is hardly overreaching. I also hope Italy never makes a World Cup because their 2006 team was the first team I truly despised in the sport. So...extrapolate from that, I guess. But seriously, your reaction is outrageously over the top and kind of hysterical.
I frown on "trading up" your national team. I have no problem with the Younghusbands (English, play for the Philippines), AJ DeLaGarza, Ryan Guy, etc. I do have problems with those who trade up, unless they suffered oppression of one form or another at the hands of their birth/childhood nation. So for those examples, no, I'm not bothered, since they're all pretty lateral moves. Diego Costa's case is more bothersome than the rest though, since it's a clear attempt at a trophy grab. If I was a Spain fan, I wouldn't want him to play for my country.
Yeah, Hernandez is well beneath the rest and teetering on pure evil. That's a different level from guys like Terry and Osvaldo, who are well-documented db's, but they're not evil. I actually think Suarez's racist incident boiled down to cultural differences but he's a popular punching bag in sections of the media, so I thought I'd include him as someone who is a bit more controversial than Rossi. Rossi is an unlucky sob, but as far as I know and have heard, he's a good guy. I just hate when people talk about him like he jumped sides on an actual battlefield.
So then you're opposed to Johansson right? Because the USA is def a trade up over Iceland? At the very least Rossi grew up (as a teen and later an adult) in Italy. I'm sure representing them was a Huge deal to his Italian father. I'm not proud nor happy over it but I do find satisfaction in knowing the best striker Italy has happens to be an American.
And, further, Rossi was born an Italian citizen. He has always been both Italian and American. Italian citizenship is transmitted primarily through bloodlines, not through birth (unlike the US, Brazil, and maybe a handful of other countries), so the idea that his US citizenship should somehow trump his Italian citizenship just because he was born in the US is a fundamental misunderstanding.
If you honestly, despite your posts coming on the heels of learning about Rossi's injury, did not mean that you would be happy if Rossi missed the WC even if it meant he was hurt, then I apologize. But clearly I, and some other posters, felt like you were hoping it was a serious enough injury to keep him out of the cup - and having had to stand by while more than one kid has had to fight through the rehab from an ACL, I have to say, if you did have that attitude - or even that thought - it is as seriously messed up a post as I've seen around here in a long time. If not, my bad and I apologize.
Good interview in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/s...orentinas-giuseppe-rossi.html?ref=soccer&_r=1 He even talks about the USMNT and his invitation to join and the fact that a lot of international footballers have apartments in NYC.
Perhaps this is the opposite of American soldiers in Germany. Get some Top 3 league players to grace us with a few American-born bundles of joy (like Ronaldo did).
Need to somehow convince Lionel Messi's wife to give birth to their 2nd child (if they so choose) over here. CIA can get a Black ops mission going.
Personally, I'm glad he chose Italy over the US. Now I don't really give a shit if he's hurt and can't play in the WC. I don't give a shit if he never plays in the WC. He's an Italian soccer player....why should I care? Sure saved me a shitload of pain and anguish had he actually chosen us and then gone through this. So thanks Giuseppe!
4am post? check lots of cursing? check angry attitude? check I think we all know who was drunk posting last night.
Some video footage of Rossi's first workout at the Fiorentina training center: http://it.violachannel.tv/dettaglio...e-da-napoli-rossi-torna-al-centro-sporti.html
that was the only time I've ever been mad at the guy. You often see subdued celebrations by players when they score against their old clubs, but he sure did go crazy for scoring against "his country".