He lived in 3 European countries before coming to the USA. Not sure if his residency would help or not. Have not heard anybody say one way or the other.
I'd prefer he never went there, honestly. But he could go there before then, since the work permits seem to be getting to the point where US products are really never turned down.
The club acquiring him would need to lobby for a UK work permit based on exceptional talent. These exceptional cases are usually reserved for young prospects. BTW even if Nagbe played for Liberia it wouldn't help much - their FIFA ranking (106th) is too low.
Actually - is the work permit talk a moot point due to the Kolpak ruling? Edit: err, I guess this only matters for leagues with foreign player caps on the roster and doesn't necessarily affect the immigration visa issue.
I'll do it for him. Your assertion that he can't play in England prior to playing for a national team isn't true. If you play in 3/4 of the competitive fixtures over the past two years of a top 70 FIFA ranked side, you automatically qualify for a work permit to play for an English side. But that's a standard plenty of non-European players in England don't meet. There's an appeals process. A young, talented player like Nagbe could get a permit on appeal, especially since the board would take into account the fact that he lacks citizenship in a top 70 side. As for how going to England could affect his citizenship (and thus USMNT prospects) I am no expert but I think he could go abroad and still gain his citizenship. Provided he doesn't leave in the winter window, he should have his minimum 18 months of residency when he applies in September 2015. He would need to keep a residence in the U.S. to be his primary residence, and come back at least every 6 months - which I can't imagine being a problem. Obviously Nagbe has the USMNT as a goal of his. He explicitly didn't want to be drafted by Vancouver because of how it would affect his ability to get citizenship. If he signs a contract with an English team, I'm sure he'll insist they allow him to travel back every 6 months if that's what's needed for citizenship.
Your estimate is incorrect as laid out in this thread. Why do you say 27 yr old when he can easily leave as a 24 yr old to complete his residency requirements.
I did take this into account. However, most players I am aware of that got a work permit on appeal had some international experience or came from a league of much higher profile than MLS. At this point, I don't know if anyone from the Fed would say that Nagbe would have earned the 75% caps if he was a citizen. So while you're all right that there is a technical possibility it is, in my eyes, minimal to the point of non-existence.
I think the appeals usually have a higher chance of succeeding if you are young, i.e. ~18-22yo. Nagbe would be 24-25, which makes things a bit sketchier. But again, is England really the best option? How about Germany or France?
Ream, Findley, and Rogers all got work permits approved despite not coming close to meeting the requirements. Nagbe is still younger than all those guys were when they left, and is held in higher regards in MLS than any of those players were when they transferred, and if eligible likely would be a bigger part of the national team than they were when they transferred. His case certainly would be helped by some objective measure, like if he were to be on MLS's Best XI. But minimal to the point of non-existence? C'mon.
This is not true. He could qualify for special talent exemption. Especially if he were to win MLS MVP or something like that. Also, JK could testify at his hearing stating Nagbe will be key part of his team once citizenship is gained.
All these guys already had caps when they went to EPL. Indeed most went at the zenith of their USMNT career. However, the field players have mostly been busts. I just don't think that with this record the authorities are likely to give many more exceptions to American players. I mean what's the argument going to be? He's better than Rogers and Findley? On what basis can we say this? How much better is this? JK is never going to testify that. His mantra is earn the spot. What he might do, if and once Nagbe becomes a citizen and earns some caps, is testify that Nagbe would have been called up two years ago had he been a citizen.
No. He can make more money while expanding his game. Nagbe needs coaching at a higher level. Not everybody in the MLS does.
Actually I think JK would be amenable to putting in a recommendation at the work permit hearing, to the effect of "Nagbe is USMNT level as a player", "I've wanted to call him up for some time now", or even something like "comparable to Dempsey/(insert American here)" - he is pretty clever with PR. The obvious prerequisite is that JK and Nagbe chat to get on the same page regarding future USMNT interest. Or he could skip all this crap and head to Germany, Spain or France.
Not true. Ream and Findley had lost their spots with the national team. Rogers had gotten a couple of caps for the first time in years when he transferred. I listed a few players just to show how forgiving the standard has become. Years back we had key guys get rejected despite lots of caps including Friedel and Convey. And maybe you'd think with the struggles of some players that England might be harsher. However there are field player successes as well: Dempsey, Cameron, Donovan on loan, Holden before getting hurt, Ream's improving play, etc. The point is that US players have increasingly been getting permits despite not meeting the automatic requirements. Yet of course in your initial post you said that he can't play in England unless he plays for the US or Liberia. Since Liberia is terrible, there's literally no way Nagbe can fulfill the requirement until he has been a citizen for two years. I think a review panel is going to take that into consideration! I think they'll take into account that yes, he would likely be capped if he was a US citizen, and yes, he would certainly be a Liberian regular if he weren't rejecting their advances (because of his desire to play for the US). Rogers and Findley might be case studies as to why the appeal panel should be more discriminating...but let's not forget those guys both signed on free transfers. Since Nagbe has signed an extension until I believe 2017, the only way he's going to an English club is if they are willing to buy him. That's a better testament to his value for a review panel. Klinsmann has helped out numerous US players to get UK permits, testifying at the hearings. If you recall, QPR's manager said that Klinsmann told him Onyewu was almost certain to make the World Cup team! He is definitely willing to oversell US guys to help their club situation. You can draw the distinction that Nagbe isn't a US citizen yet...but he's going to be. It seems utterly myopic to think Klinsmann should ignore that.
The appeals process is not nearly so daunting. The panel is made of former footballers and coaches who aren't idiots. They'd know Nagbe's ability and potential.
Getting back to the US every 6 months is pretty easy in almost any league because of FIFA breaks. The "return every 6 months" isn't really a rule, but is more of a guideline that a lot of people use. You shouldn't be gone more than a year without a "reentry permit," though any time outside the US can be grounds for losing it if they think you have no intent to return. Once he has a total 18 months of "physical presence" in the US after getting his GC, he can go overseas to play. He also meets the FIFA rule for new nationality of having 5 consecutive years of residency in the new country after age 18. Reference: http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/maintaining-permanent-residence