Who to play for, Mexico or the United States? The Santos Laguna youngster remains up in the air, it seems: Although born in Texas, Guadarrama enjoys Mexican nationality because of his parents' heritage. He's already played games for both countries' youth squads but must choose one before January's qualifying for the under-20 World Cup. "Hopefully, I will get called by just one of them; it would make the decision a lot easier," he said. Other stuff to note: After a tryout that his father helped arrange, Guadarrama signed a five-year contract with Santos in July. He was placed on Santos' second division. He moved through the ranks in just a few months, playing in the pro team's last two games. "It takes many players years to reach that level," said his Santos coach Daniel Guzman. "I want to bring him along bit by bit, because one day he will be a great player, nationally and internationally." Link: http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/11/23/23mexsoccer.html
USSF? Gulati? Rongen? Hello? Business goes on, and we can't wait months and months until Klinsmann decides he's finally ready. No way this kid should slip thru our fingers, but sadly due to 'folks asleep at the switch' he just might...
My commitment to find the good in everyone (even the USSF folks asleep at the wheel) is at odds with my commitment to have realistic expectations for US soccer (the expectation that we'll somehow screw this up b/c of a failure to act).
Rongen did call him up, I believe for the Busan Tournament in Korea. Fact of the matter is that there are quite a few players rated better than him at his position on the U20 team. He could always turn out to be a late bloomer and make us regret not calling him up, but right now I don't think he is likely to make the team that will be called up for qualifying in January.
He may not be good enough by Rongen's standards - athleticism, workrate, etc.- but he may be by someone who doesn't play kick&chase for 90 minutes and wants some possession in the offensive third.
Well the players ahead of him are hardly of the kick-and-chase variety: Adu, Szetela, McCarty, Rogers, Lopez, Zizzo, Gonzalez, Arvizu, Villanueva. If Guadarrama doesn't make the team, it won't be because Rongen has decided to go the unskillful bruiser route.
I'm of the belief that you should play for the country that you call home. If he was born and raided here in the USA then he should play for us. But if he calls Mexico home then he should play for Mexico.
same type of thing (albeit with a much higher profile) is happening with Pipito Higuain who has to decide between France (where he was born) and Argentina (where's he's lives most his life). Unfortunately there are no easy decisions in this regard and no matter what, someone's gonna be upset or disappointed with him. In reality its a decision between the player and his conscience. Hopefully, for Sonny's sake it will be his decision alone. Personally, I could never understand how someone could put the jersey on and represent a country that is not their own. Then again, I've never been offered a spot on a World Cup team! (David Regis, Chris Birchall, Mauro Camoranesi, Owen Hargreaves, the list goes on and on; I'd say they all made good decisions.) ps: There is a distinction between a player who only has a chance to play for one team ( a la Chris Birchall, ) and a player who gets called by 2 teams (like Higuain & Sonny)
We played against mexico's U20 team last night. They have an excellent squad. Sonny played. He speaks english when he is out there and doesn't play their typical brand of soccer. He is a good player, but i think he'd have a better chance if he played for the US. Players like him are a dime a dozen down there, up here he brings something different.
I'm having trouble believing this kid wouldn't be an asset to the U20's. How many U20's do we have that in a few months could move from reserves to first team play in the mexican L1. Adu and ... Johann Smith maybe?
1. Adu is the playmarker for the team for sure. 2. Rodrigo Lopez played for Chivas USA already as a sub. 3. Robbie Rogers in Holland already and he maybe good for Mexican L1. 4. Migual Gonzalez hasn't play for Revolution, but check their signings--Joseph and Dempsey. They never send a young kid and Gonzalez is the first one. Those are more attacking players. Villanueva maybe is the only one that Guadarrama will compete against. Or Arvizu.
It must be Rongen's heritage, Dutch, that causes him to play "kick and chase" and hate possession. Or perphaps, it somes drug in the water that automatically indoctrines all foreign coaches in the worst aspects of English football. Luckily, the great Cruyff must have brought his own water. In case you are unclear, Rongen has a lot of faults as a coach, but eschewing possession for "kick and chase" is not one of them. And I can't believe that no one else here watches enough US soccer and has the brains to point this obvious fact out. It's a prime example of why people challenge the collective intelligence of Big Soccer.
Go read about Sonny in the Mexican U-20 thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=424666&page=5 The guy is nothing but a damn traitor. He was born in the US, get called in the US youth team first, doesn't even know the Mexican national anthem yet decide to play for them. And he think that the US league is dead. F.ucking backstabber.
Freddy Adu him... call him up for one game, give him about 5 minutes, and then decide whether or not he'll be a key part to the team's success.
No No and NO The fact he already crossed sides when he already played for our youth team is bad enough. Lets all hope Rongen already passed on him.
The San Diego Gauchos, played the Mexican U20's on Friday Night and play them this afternoon. I couldn't make today's game but i played in friday's match. Sonny played well. He wasn't anything spectaclar. The Mexican U20's have some really talented kids. He played in the right mid. The Mexican team plays very simple, nothing very fancy. He is kind of a piece in the puzzle down there. They have a very talented winger and some excellent forwards. Sonny is technically strong. He makes smart passes and has a great first touch, but so did everyone else on their team. I didn't realize it was him until later in the game. So i don't remember if he started the game or not. While i was on the bench in the second half i heard them calling him sonny, so from that point forward i started paying attention. He only spoke english out there. I didn't hear him speak any spanish.
Bah, you use that phrase when you don't want to put any deeper thought in a post, and everyone here knows it.
I think his dad pretty much raised to love Mexican soccer. Whatcha expect? I'm not going to get hung up on whether he plays for us or Mexico. Haven't really heard anything spectacular on him. Not saying this kid sucks because I've never seen him play. If USSF really wanted/needed him, they'd go after him.
if hes going to play for the mexican team,then move his ass back to mexico...coming from my perspective since my parents are cuban and im born here,i would be ashamed to live in the US and play for another country,its just not correct on the other hand,we always end up getting the last laugh *caugh* 2-0 *caugh*
Deeper thought is that Ronger told his team that he wants them to play "high pressure", which is a typical American emphasis on workrate and not skill.