Food for thought. Clearly the Dutch have the upper hand on this courtship, but the USA can offer more opportunity. He's got the Olympics, potentially, next summer, qualifying and then the World Cup at age 21. I can see that Dest might want to keep his options open for the time being. Which may mean turning down any October call-ups to focus on his club, maybe pick up a mysterious soft-tissue injury that needs rest. But, he can't put it off forever.
Yep. As I mentioned, this rise in his Dutch profile actually makes it hard for him, although I'd guess the US door stay open for a while. But as Feyenie and I have laid out, there's a lot of guys, from PSV's Dummy to the kids coming up, that Dest has to leapfrog. He need to keep his head down and play well for Ajax. At this point anything else is horse pushing cart.
Difference being Nagbe has no options internationally other than the US. But I’m sure the figurative ball is in Dest’s court.
I do have to think that Egg must have wet himself a little, during the Uruguay match, when Dest was cutting inside with such success, thinking, "I was right."
• Sergiño Dest, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Noa Lang & Ryan Gravenberch are officially promoted to the first team now! 🔝✔️#Ajax #AjaxYouth [Ajax] pic.twitter.com/tzXLbuKm59— Ajax Youth Academy (@AjaxYA) September 12, 2019
Of course this is true and funny, but it also underscores something I think some US-centric fans miss: the footie culture at Ajax and in the Netherlands is more "official" and bureaucratic than here. Things are done way less on the whim of a coach or owner (although that does happen too of course.) There are a lot more eyes and bodies on the steps in the process. It's what will make Dest's ascent to the Sr. Dutch team slower and potentially more limited, if he were to go that direction. Of course, Koeman or whomever is coach-du-jour at the moment has the power to step outside normal channels and pluck a new kid into the 1st team if he really thinks they are key to winning, but it's much less common than in the US. It would be seen as pretty radical and would be a serious gamble that would be analyzed 8 ways to Aruba if it appeared to lead to something, like, say Mexico's 1st goal. The leash can be much shorter in the Dutch system.
Agreed. In established soccer cultures, there are plenty of 25 year olds getting their "first look" at the full national team, and it's rarer for a player to reach 100 caps, etc. I look at a player like Aaron Long, who I love, but his rise has been meteoric the past few years, and this year has been one of growing pains, both for club and country. It could go either way with him. Lots of players level out, or lose the plot entirely, see Freddy Adu. With the USMNT, folks are so desperate for more and better talent, that kids always get anointed early, a lot of times too early. So when you talk about the 2, 3, and 4 options ahead of Dest in Koeman's pool, I'm sure that's an understatement, given his relatively thin resume. In another year or two, the conversation may be very different. What would be Berhalter's recourse if in another year Dest has leveled out as a one-dimensional wingback? Does he live with it, use him situationally or just move on? Too often guys get locked in as Nats well before it is known how high is their ceiling.
Actually Dest has the cards, as long as he holds them to his chest. Nobody can force him to play his hand, before he thinks it's the right time. The ones that have to play Patience are the KNVB and the USSF. He's deemed good enough for the USA as now. So what can happen is that in a year he's deemed not good enough for the Orange squad. Given he in the mean time still would have improved, just because of gained experience, he still is the player wanted by the USA. So he can just concentrate on Ajax and see from there what's going to come in play for him. I can't believe I'm giving an Ajax player a carreer advice
Signed an extension: Definitely one #ForTheFuture 🌟#Dest2022 pic.twitter.com/K1K596HWfQ— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 13, 2019
Primarily on the right. See his profile on transfermarkt: https://www.transfermarkt.nl/sergino-dest/profil/spieler/361104
During training matches this year he flipped between sides almost equally since Tagliafico came into camp late because of the South America championships. He has played on the right side since.
Dest (and Pierie) on their new ratings... Ready for some #FIFA20 ratings?🇧🇷 David Neres --> ❓🇺🇸 Sergiño Dest --> ❓🇦🇷 @Nico_Taglia --> ❓🇳🇱 Kik Pierie --> ❓The #FIFA20demo is now available! 🎮@EASportsFIFA 👀— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 13, 2019
Heerenveen started off lively with a 4-0 opener win. Bruijn played on the LW and scored, as did his sub, Chindera Ejuke, and RW van Bergen. Then Bruijn moved central and Ajax have scored 2 goals in 4 games. Chindera has looked fairly mediocre by most accounts (I have only seen bits and pieces - Ajax is taking my Dutch-soccer attention this season). Odgaard also has a goal. "Veen's top scorer is one of their CDs, Dresevic, with 2...
https://www.vtbl.nl/nieuws/artikel/4847616/koeman-onderneemt-actie-na-tip-ten-hag-over-dest Just to show how shitty certain football sites are in creating fake news this one opens with: Koeman onderneemt actie na tip Ten Hag over Dest which means: Koeman acts after the Ten Hag tip about Dest. So one reads the item curious about what Koeman exactly has done. Nothing is mentioned in the article. It's just luring people in. I really want to visit these kind of fake news rooms with an old fashioned heavy wooden baseball bat.
Probably pretty easy. I remember seeing quite a few baseball fields in the Netherlands on a train ride from Paris to Amsterdam.