Just noticed he scored on our U-18 team. Since Shawn Parker isn't exactly a typical German name, I'm wondering if there's any chance he's eligible for the US too. (No, this isn't a "cap him now!" thread - but if he's a US citizen, he's at least a Yank Abroad.)
Here is his, and Fabian Fabian Hürzeler, thread on the YNT board: http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1499855&page=8 He has an American father, but considers himself 100% German.
See, that's just how rumors get started. Then I get excited, only to be brutally crushed. You can't do that, man.
Played for the Germany U-20 team as recently as last month: http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/nationalelf/startseite/576085/artikel_wormuths-elf-bezwingt-italien.html Seems like he's scoring for them on a regular basis as well.
As our German friends have happily alluded to numerous times, the German U-20 level isn't all that serious.
Klinsmann really knows no shame. It is one thing asking players that have never played for the German youth teams or not for a while, but Parker is still actively invovled with the German youth set- up. Really bad form.
Agreed. He isn't an Über-talent of the Götze class, and still has to find his optimal position in pro soccer, but he's always been a regular at his age group (single year of birth only) for Germany at the younger levels, and Mainz are trying to build him up. He might become anything between Germany NT class and a career Regionalliga player; too early to judge. Probably not USMNT level in 2014; and will try to make it for Germany as long as possible.
The US has been on the other end of these things too Didn't Germany ask Brooks even though he was first to play for the United States? Ireland were hard after Conor Doyle while he was part of the US U20 team. Back in the day, Ireland were also after Michael Parkhurst.
Yes I don't see him being a part of our youth teams, with the one exception that possibly by 2016 he could join our U23 Olympic program.
Disagreed. There's nothing wrong in "Shawn, we know you, we'd like to give you a chance (at the appropriate level). What do you think about the US? Ever considered a career for us?" He's free to make a choice; and Klinsmann is free to ask him.
It strikes me as a bit like college recruiting. Every college wants to get their home state guys, and they will do anything they can to grab them (if they think they are good enough) until the ink is dry on signing day (or they are capped as it were).
Was Subotic was being courted by Serbia or Bosnia while he was still an active part of the U.S. youth setup? It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.
Maybe he preferred to play for us, but didn't get the call. Or maybe he's happy to play for whatever full national team calls him first. We've had guys go back & forth between YNTs, it's no big deal.
How far down the pecking order is Parker at Mainz (their 1st team)? Does he have much of a chance of becoming a starter this season?
To my limited knowledge Mainz are not loaded with depth at striker. Hungarian Adam Szalai is pretty solid and really coming into his own. He was or is the leading scorer in the Bundesliga. Other than, a Cameroonian-German player, who's name escapes me and who's only played half the minutes this season, Mainz have little in terms of strikers. Parker has been on the bench a few times and has made his league debut and I see little in the way of him getting decent minutes off the bench. He just has to want it and prove those minutes are his. I'm not too in-tuned with Mainz but this is what I've gathered seeing and reading a little about them.
