Who is the best uncapped US player?

Discussion in 'USA Men' started by aarond23, Jul 25, 2009.

  1. aarond23

    aarond23 Member+

    Feb 24, 2006
    Indianapolis
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So with all the Gold Cup callups, who is the best player that has never been capped by the US right now? Lets exclude Jones and Castillo.

    Some names that come to mind for me:

    Geoff Cameron
    Chris Pontius
    Mikkel Diskerud
    Marcus Tracy

    So what is everyone elses opinions?
     
    whip repped this.
  2. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Not familiar with Diskerud. Have only seen highlights of Tracy. I think Cameron could contribute right now at central midfield or any of the backline positions.
     
  3. scsc2000

    scsc2000 Member

    Jul 7, 2008
    I'm not sure why nobody brings this name up, but what about Omar Gonzalez from the LA Galaxy? This rookie has done very well covering for aging defenders like Berlhalther, Sanneh and Lewis, and if you look at the Galaxy's defensive records, it's not bad. I believe he can represent both Mexico and the US so I think we should cap him and cap him quick!! I honestly think he is one of those players who should be brought to the useless Gold Cup, make it serve a purpose.
     
  4. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Diskerud is probably the best prospect.

    But I like Omar Gonzolez and Pontius.

    I need to see more of Marcus Tracy. His problem is that he's 23 and has only been a professional for a few months. Compare that to Mix Diserud who is only 18 and is playing for the defending Norwegian Champs.

    Of course Zak Whitbread is probably my personal favorite
     
  5. Cool Hand Luke

    Cool Hand Luke Member+

    Aug 13, 2008
    Austin Texas
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'll cast my vote for the mixmaster. He's got a bright future ahead of him
     
  6. MassYank

    MassYank New Member

    Mar 22, 2009
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Anton Peterlin

    Maybe he is not yet ready for the senior team. However, the fact that he hasn't even seen action for any of our youth national teams is a crime.

    My choices would be Whitbread and Tracy..
     
  7. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    - Central Midfielder for Schalke 04 Jermaine Jones should be cleared to play for USA by August

    - Left Back Edgar Castillo who started career with Santos Laguna was on Club America was recently placed on loan to Tigres.

    "I would play for the United States. I'd want to talk to them first, but I want to play for the U.S. I think it would be a very good opportunity for me, for my career. If they call me I would play for them." Castillo also said, "I have made my decision. I want to represent the country where I was born, the place where I live." - Edgar Castillo
     
  8. MassYank

    MassYank New Member

    Mar 22, 2009
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What a difference a year makes.............

    "Even if they (the United States) call, I'm not going to come. I already told them that I'm staying with Mexico." - Edgar Castillo 2008
     
  9. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    Edgar Castillo is MADE IN USA but what about Jermaine Jones is he really worth the embarrassment of moving a FOREIGN MADE PLAYERS in our team ? Is he that good ? Don't we have something better over here ?....:rolleyes:
     
  10. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No we don't. And we have several players who weren't born here on our squad. That's what makes our country beautiful. The acceptance of foreigners and the reason he didn't choose USA in the first place is because his dad was never around because he was busy serving in our Army. That's the whole reason he was stationed in Germany and the whole reason Jermaine was born in Germany.
     
  11. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah I know, but people are allowed to change their minds when they know they made a bad first choice.
     
  12. ty webb

    ty webb Member

    Aug 28, 2005
    NYC
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?

    Jones
     
  13. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?



    Are you expressing your expectations of do you have any solid evidence that Jermaine Jones is better than any of our USA made players ?:cool:
     
  14. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?

    Until Jones and Castillo are approved by FIFA to play for the USMNT, I don't think they should be considered "US Players" as the thread title suggests.

    If we had a World Cup Qualifier next week and everyone were heathly, we would not be able to cap either. So they aren't US Players until FIFA says they are. We know Bob Bradley has big plans for Jones, lets hope he gets heathly quickly.

    Diskerud
    Gonzolez
    Pontius
    Whitbread
    Pontius
    Freeman
    J. Johnson
     
  15. lkgf09

    lkgf09 Member

    Jun 7, 2004
    Brooklyn
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And you have seen Peterlin play how many times? Just because he will be riding the pine at Everton now doesn't mean we should cap him immediately.
     
  16. MassYank

    MassYank New Member

    Mar 22, 2009
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?


    I find it curious that everyone (Not just on this board, but taking with soccer fans in general) thinks that Jones will easily waltz in and take Clarks d-mid spot. No questions asked!

    Yes Jones does play for Schalke. Impressive. However Clark could potentially playing for a team in Serie A soon. Clark would have to lose his spot as far as I'm concerned.....
     
  17. MassYank

    MassYank New Member

    Mar 22, 2009
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Exactly. Do you think he made the "decision" during the latter stages of the Egypt game or during the Spain game.
     
  18. MassYank

    MassYank New Member

    Mar 22, 2009
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I agree he is not ready for the senior team. However, I was questioning why he wasn't called in for an U-20 or U-23 touney at some point.
     
  19. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?

    IMO we have better players here than Clark and it seems to me that you are assuming a great deal of things, that is one of the reason USA whoop SPAIN like a redheaded stepchild they were assuming way too many things...:D
     
  20. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How many very young players have we had in reserves at good teams that have never amounted to much?

    Just in recent years

    Ferrari
    Smith
    Zimmerman
    Nguyen

    We should be at the point where playing for a youth team in Europe or even making the bench (as Ferrari did at Samdoria in Serie A games) shouldn't really impress anyone.

    Obviously it changes when a young European based player actually plays regularly with the first team. That's always impressive. Hence the excitement over Mix.
     
  21. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    It seem like the FEDERATION is rowing in their droll all the time, how many NEURONS DOES IT TAKE TO just bring the kid an let it train with the B TEAM check him out and give him 10 minutes on the field...?:rolleyes:
     
  22. m vann

    m vann Moderator
    Staff Member

    Colorado Rapids, Celtic FC, & Louisville City
    Sep 10, 2002
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    As a big follower of the Bundesliga, I can say without hesitation that he is that good. He would be an immediate upgrade and that's not a knock to the other d-mids we have. Jones is one of the best d-mids in the Bundesliga. Unfortunately for him and fortunate for us, is that Germany has two d-mids slightly better. He was on the outside looking in. The guys is legit. Watch Schalke, it's evident. He makes sure tackles, reads the game well, good on the ball, and knows, when, how and where to defend and attack. Doesn't quite have that Gattuso bite but is certainly of that nature. Jones is a little more attack oriented than the other d-mids we have, too. Jermaine has faced world class opposition week in and week out for 6+ years in the Bundesliga and more than held his own. That's more than we can say about our other d-mids. Remember he's been capped by Germany. They don't hand out caps like candy.
     
  23. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think after the February WCQ against Mexico.
     
  24. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Who is the bhttps://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131est uncapped US player?

    I think on August 1st the switches are supposed to be approved by FIFA.
     
  25. scmcbride21

    scmcbride21 New Member

    May 9, 2006
    United States
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    MEXICO CITY -- Even when he was playing for Mexico's national team, Edgar Castillo sensed he should be wearing the soccer jersey of the United States, the country of his birth. Despite perfect Spanish, his Mexican teammates playfully called him "El Gringo" -- a nickname that stuck.

    Castillo has always stood out, starting at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, N.M., and he's still hard to miss. His darting moves on the ball belie the fact that he's a defender. And the striking tattoo on his left shoulder of the Virgin of Guadalupe -- Mexico's most revered religious icon -- attests to his mixed roots.

    "Even though I wore the Mexico jersey, I had that feeling I should play for the U.S.," Castillo said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I feel confident. They have to call me first, and then after that I know I have the capability of doing things right."

    Because of a new rule, and because he holds both U.S. and Mexican passports, the left-footed, left-sided defender may get a chance to showcase his slashing runs for the United States.

    The new regulation from FIFA -- the governing body of world soccer -- allows players of any age to switch countries once, provided they have dual nationality and have not played in an official match for the senior national team. The old rule prohibited players 21 and over from switching national teams.

    U.S. coach Bob Bradley and United States Soccer Federation officials have declined to say much about Castillo's potential impact. There's the fear of speaking about a player who's yet to take the field for the United States, and the wish to keep the move low-key in Mexico, where newspaper headlines have already described the 22-year-old Castillo as a "traitor" and a "deserter."

    "Everything is open," U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. "I don't think Bob (Bradley) is ready to say that he's coming into the team or not coming into the team. But, from our perspective, we've had some preliminary discussions with Edgar."

    Bradley acknowledged last year in an interview that missing out on a player like Castillo was "frustrating."

    Castillo could fill a need at left back, a position that was shared in the recent Confederations Cup by Jonathan Bornstein and Carlos Bocanegra, typically a central defender. Even midfielder DaMarcus Beasley was tried there in a recent World Cup qualifier. Heath Pearce and Marvell Wynne Jr. are other possibilities.

    Castillo's speed and deft moves on the ball would bring a bonus to the back line -- like a catcher who can run, or a center who can shoot the 3-pointer. His younger brother, Noel, is also a left-footed, left back playing professionally in Mexico.

    "I think if you were to talk about one position where the U.S. has been unsettled, it would be left back," said Eddie Rock, Castillo's agent. "Edgar brings qualities that are special and unique, which is the ability to attack out of the back and take people on on the wing."

    Assuming Castillo makes the jump to the U.S. team, he wouldn't be eligible when the United States plays at Mexico City in a World Cup qualifier on Aug. 12 at 105,000-seat Aztec Stadium, where the Americans have never beaten Mexico. If he were on the field, it would certainly add fuel to an already heated rivalry.

    "I can imagine that -- putting on the U.S. jersey -- and I can imagine the Mexican people's reaction," Castillo said.

    Castillo has played for a half-dozen unfamiliar coaches in the last several years. That carousel should end this season with Monterrey club Tigres, where he is united with Daniel Guzman, his old coach at Mexican club Santos Laguna.

    By defenders' standards, Castillo is tiny -- only 5-feet-7 and 135 pounds. He's wiry more than strong and has tried to bulk up. A forward for much of his career, he'd still prefer to run at opponents rather than run them down on defense.

    "I'm a fast little guy," he said. "I like to go attack but I'm not very good defender yet. I have to work on that. I get in a little trouble for that, but not all the time."

    FIFA's new rule could give U.S. soccer another boost. Holding midfielder Jermaine Jones -- another tough position to fill -- has said he will switch from Germany to the United States. Jones, who plays for German Bundesliga club Schalke, is the son of a German mother and American father.

    The U.S. Soccer Federation has been working to recruit immigrant, Hispanic and African-American players, an effort president Gulati -- an immigrant himself -- has stressed since taking office three years ago. Castillo is simply one who initially got away.

    Castillo said he attended a national camp in Massachusetts when he was 14, thinking it might be a break. At the time he felt ignored. In hindsight, he recognizes there are many talented young American players, and he was only one.

    "I thought I was overlooked, but now I hope I get the call up," he said.

    Castillo left Mayfield High School during his senior year for a tryout in Mexico's professional league, eventually becoming a starter for Mexican first-division club Santos, which won the 2008 Clausura championship -- one of two league titles decided each year in Mexico.

    En route, he got a call-up from Mexico's then-national team coach Hugo Sanchez and played in four exhibition matches, which don't count as official games.

    In March, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who succeeded Sanchez, called up Castillo for his first official games -- World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. But he missed both, unable to attend because he'd lost his Mexican passport. Current Mexico coach Javier Aguirre also hasn't used him in World Cup qualifiers.

    Castillo was ripped by the Mexican media over the lost passport, which appears to have been a stroke of fortune. Had he played, he would have been ineligible to switch national teams.

    Castillo and his agent said they had no idea the rule change was coming when Castillo lost his passport. He said he never found it and had it replaced.

    "I don't know what happened when I lost my passport," Castillo said. "Then the months went by and all of a sudden Eddie (his agent) told me there was a new rule."

    Rock said Castillo was "gutted" to have missed the two matches, but said the incident may have changed his career -- and his outlook.

    "I think what happened added some maturity to him," said Rock, who hopes Castillo will be eligible for the U.S. in two months. "He took a beating in the press for what happened, and rightfully so."
     

Share This Page