American in Serie A?

[dep50cal]

The question was brought up today and I couldn't think of a single one. So does any one here know if an American has played in the Italian league?

[texgator]

The question was brought up today and I couldn't think of a single one. So does any one here know if an American has played in the Italian league?
Alexi Lalas

[dep50cal]

Thanks. I looked it up and he was the first and only to date. Padova 94-96.

[Excape Goat]

Two other American-born Italian or Italian Americans played in the Serie A during the 1930s. One actually was capped by the Italian NT.

[Jabinho]

Thanks. I looked it up and he was the first and only to date. Padova 94-96.
http://www2.raisport.rai.it/mcalcio/foto/cf00072.jpg

From his bio:
"...Signed with Padova in the Italian Serie A on July 27, 1994 ... Scored three goals during the 1994-95 season, including winning goals vs. powerhouses AC Milan and Inter Milan..."

[TxFan]

Two other American-born Italian or Italian Americans played in the Serie A during the 1930s. One actually was capped by the Italian NT.

that's interesting... do you have their names? know anything else about them?

[TxFan]

interesting: i just checked yanks-abroad.com and couldn't find any americans currently playing in serie b or any of the other lower italian leagues either...

are the italian leagues really that insular? i know americans have played in la liga in the past...

serie a and la liga really can't be that much tougher to crack than the premiership can they? is it the quality of play? is it language?

[PirateJohn]

serie a and la liga really can't be that much tougher to crack than the premiership can they? is it the quality of play? is it language?Probably has to do more with style of play. English soccer has a much more similar style of play to American soccer.

You don't see too many English players in Italy or Spain, either, or vice-versa.

[Excape Goat]

[that's interesting... do you have their names? know anything else about them?

From Colin Jose:

When Alexi Lalas joined Italian Serie A club Padova at the start of the 1994-95 season and made his Serie A debut on September 4, 1994 against Sampdoria in Genoa, he was generally regarded as the first American born player to crack the top Italian soccer league. But was he?

Despite the fact that even now almost two years later Lalas is still regarded as holding this distinction, the U.S. national team defender is in fact the third American-born player to play in Serie A.


The first American born player to play in Serie A was in fact Alfonso Negro who was born in New York City on June 27, 1915. Negro broke into the top flight of Italian soccer with Fiorentina in the 1934-35 season and remained with the Florentine club until the end of the 1938 season, appearing in 51 games and scoring five goals. At the start of the 1938-39 season, he moved to Napoli where he played in 22 games and scored 3 goals. Negro played for Satanzarese in Serie B in 1933-34 before joining Fiorentina.


The second American born player to play in Serie A was Armando Frigo who was born in Clinton, New Jersey on August 5, 1917. Like Negro he first appeared for Fiorentina this time in the 1939-1940 season. He stayed in Florence for three wartime seasons appearing in 43 games and scoring six goals. Before joining Fiorentina, he played four seasons with Vicenza in Serie C in 1935-1936.


Two other American born players (Alfio Argentieri and Umberto Piccolo) both played in Italy around the same time, but not in Serie A. Argentieri was with Cavese in Serie C and Piccolo with Schio in the same division.


In addition to being the first American born player to appear in Serie A, Negro also holds another distinction. He was the first American born player to play for the Italian national team. Negro made one appearance for Italy and that came in the 1936 Olympic Games when he played against Norway in Berlin scoring Italy's first goal in a 2-1 win.


Very little is known of either Negro or Frito. Presumeably they were both born in the United States of Italian parents and at some time when their parents returned to Italy, they went along.




One of the two Italian-American players was killed during WW Two. He was executed by Nazi Germans in Yuogoslavia.

[PsychedelicCeltic]

You used to see a lot more British players in Italy back in the 80s. I think back then there was a serious income gap between most Italian clubs and most English clubs. The European ban accelerated the moves of Italy of many players, as well as a general crisis of confidence in English football.

That being said, it was limited to very few footballers - we're talking maybe twenty people, tops. Most of them were not successful, which is why players stopped going. A lot just couldn't handle the language barriers and the different style of football.

The best British footballer in Italy, by far, would have to be John Charles.

[Excape Goat]

English players had not gone aboard much lately.
Hargreaves(does not really count), Beckham, Ince, McManaman, Woodgate and Owen were the only ones of note.

[Duck Manson]

English players had not gone aboard much lately.
Hargreaves(does not really count), Beckham, Ince, McManaman, Woodgate and Owen were the only ones of note.des walker was the best defender in britain when sampdoria bought him. was a complete disaster in serie a. david platt was the best offensive mid in england for villa when bari bought him. jumped around a bit. very disappointing, although not like walker. gazza was a no-show in serie a.

[VOwithwater]

The question was brought up today and I couldn't think of a single one. So does any one here know if an American has played in the Italian league?

Alexi Lalas

[The Potter]

des walker was the best defender in britain when sampdoria bought him. was a complete disaster in serie a. david platt was the best offensive mid in england for villa when bari bought him. jumped around a bit. very disappointing, although not like walker. gazza was a no-show in serie a.



You talk some sh1t.

[comme]

des walker was the best defender in britain when sampdoria bought him. was a complete disaster in serie a. david platt was the best offensive mid in england for villa when bari bought him. jumped around a bit. very disappointing, although not like walker. gazza was a no-show in serie a.


This is all rubbish.

Des Walker had a superb Italia 90 and was a very good player in England, he was alright at Samp, definitely not awful. He was not the best defender in Britain at any point.

David Platt was a good young prospect at Villa, had an excellent Italia 90, and moved to Bari where he played so badly that he had to move to lowly Juventus. After a year there he moved to Sampdoria where he was so awful that they later asked him to be manager despite possessing no coaching badges and and not being really allowed to manage in Italy. What a disaster.

Paul Gascoigne was superb at Spurs until he broke his leg in 1991, before his move to Lazio. There he constantly struggled with injury but is still widely admired by fans who recognised his ability when he was able to play.

Almost all the supposed British "disasters" in Italy are entirely apocryphal.

[Duck Manson]

This is all rubbish.

Des Walker had a superb Italia 90 and was a very good player in England, he was alright at Samp, definitely not awful. He was not the best defender in Britain at any point.

David Platt was a good young prospect at Villa, had an excellent Italia 90, and moved to Bari where he played so badly that he had to move to lowly Juventus. After a year there he moved to Sampdoria where he was so awful that they later asked him to be manager despite possessing no coaching badges and and not being really allowed to manage in Italy. What a disaster.

Paul Gascoigne was superb at Spurs until he broke his leg in 1991, before his move to Lazio. There he constantly struggled with injury but is still widely admired by fans who recognised his ability when he was able to play.

Almost all the supposed British "disasters" in Italy are entirely apocryphal.waw finally proof that you didnt even know what soccer was in the early 90s.

[comme]

waw finally proof that you didnt even know what soccer was in the early 90s.

Great comeback.

From most of your views I take it that you follow the game from a cave in Afghanistan.

[Duck Manson]

walker stunk for samp and lost his starting position. gazza stunk at lazio (that the fans loved him means nothing). platt stunk at bari and Juventus and was decent at samp. end of story. just because you were a little kid when those guys were in italy, doesnt mean you cant get some knowledge about their careers there before you open your piehole. why do you think none of the italian teams want english players? because theyve been a failure again and again. ince was decent. he was englands best midfielder when inter bought him. then hes decent in serie a. pathetic.

[Cassano]

Pmopey's current assitant manager, Joe Jordan, played with Milan in the mid-80's.

[comme]

walker stunk for samp and lost his starting position.

Walker played 30 times in the league for Samp (source http://www.thefa.com/Features/EnglishDomestic/Postings/2003/07/56642.htm ), when exactly did he lose his position?

He arrived for £1.5 million, he because Sheffield Wednesday paid £2.7m. His value almost doubled in a year. God he was awful.


gazza stunk at lazio (that the fans loved him means nothing).

Gascoigne was permanently injured at Lazio, when he wasn't he was very good.

platt stunk at bari and Juventus and was decent at samp. end of story.

Where do you get this stuff from?

Platt was superb at Bari, he scored 11 goals from midfield in one season when Serie A was at its toughest.

That's why Juventus paid £6.5m for a player who had cost Bari £5.5m a year earlier.

If he was so awful why did Juve sign him?

At Juve he struggled to get on, but when he went to Samp he was excellent. He scored 9 times in the league in both his seasons there, that is why they love him so much at Samp.

just because you were a little kid when those guys were in italy, doesnt mean you cant get some knowledge about their careers there before you open your piehole.

I normally think I can learn from people on this site, but you have proved time and again that you are clueless and base your opinions on nothing, certainly not facts or statistics.

why do you think none of the italian teams want english players? because theyve been a failure again and again.

They want them but they cannot afford them. The days of England being a poor league (in both senses of the word) and Italy the world's richest and greatest are over.


ince was decent. he was englands best midfielder when inter bought him. then hes decent in serie a. pathetic.

If you mean he was the best midfielder in England, no. Keane was already clearly better, not to mention Giggs and other completely different midfield players.

If you mean he was the best midfielder in the England team, again no. Gascoigne was fit again and still the most important player.

Fergie let him go to Italy because he thought he was past it, not because he thought he was the best midfielder in England.