I still think if a 6-5 Japanese-American goalkeeper is good enough for the USMNT, then he'll be coveted by Japan. Nonetheless, the kid keeps moving up. Is it time for someone to do an article on this kid?
My layman's understanding of Japanese citizenship rules is that the country does not recognize dual citizenship and retains the power to strip Japanese citizenship from individuals if it chooses -- though it seems that that power has been rarely, if ever, used. (Technically it requires you to renounce one or the other after a time; anecdotally, I know some Japanese-Americans who have done so.) I assume Schmidt is living and working in Japan as a Japanese citizen, not an American; I don't know if he retains U.S. citizenship, but imagine that the Japanese government might notice if he chose to very publicly appear as an American international athlete. I would welcome any corrections or amplifications.
We discussed the topic a bit in the Justin Kinjo thread. Here's an article I linked there: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/communi...t-tacit-nod-keep-status-shadows/#.WQn2BVUrK71 No dual national has ever been stripped of their Japanese citizenship for not renouncing another status before the age of 22. Obviously, Japan can't control who the US considers a citizen, but it's understandable that a dual citizen of Japan might not want to risk the loss of citizenship, especially if they are primarily resident in Japan. Being a somewhat recognizable sports figure might increase the possibility of being called out. And Japan has a reputation as a society that appreciates conformity.
Right. Bottom line (for me, anyway) is that while I don't know the specifics of his situation, it would seem that assuming he hasn't already formally renounced his U.S. or Japanese citizenship, there are some at-least-potential complications should he decide he wants to play for the U.S.
Rough outing for Daniel Schmidt as Vegalta Sendai lose to FC Tokyo in J1 League action. https://t.co/NBT1kh5zTE #YanksAbroad— Yanks Abroad (@YanksAbroad) May 9, 2017
http://www.vegalta.co.jp/news/press_release/2017/06/post-4542.html Vegalta Sendai will have another Yank on its roster next season as they announced the signing of 22yo American-Japanese striker Ryo Germain from soccer powerhouse Ryutsu Keizai University. He will join the club for the 2018 season.
Schmidt spent the first six games of the season as the backup, but took over as #1 afterward and has started the next 13 games.
Vegalta's rookie Ryo Germain made his first appearance in a J-League Cup semifinal and is on the bench for the second leg. `
Daniel got his first start of the season as Vegalta Sendai traveled to Nagoya and won 2 - 3 in Japan's J-League (top tier)
His Yank rookie teammate Ryo Germain has scored 1 goal each in the league cup and the league. Should we change the thread title?
After missing out on 10 matches (6 Bench /4 Not in 18) GK Daniel has shaken off th rust and has helped Vegalta Sendai win 3 of their last 4 matches, including today's 2 - 1 win over G-Osaka. Vegalta Sendai now tied 6th in Japan's J-League
Daniel started today as Vegalta Sendai hosted Tokyo in J-League winning 1 - 0 and moving up to 4th place (1 point behind #3 Tokyo) Daniel earns the Shut-Out!!!!
Schmidt (aka Shumitto Danieru) stays in the Japan NT mix with a callup to October friendlies against Panama and Uruguay.
Dan didn't appear in the two October friendlies for Japan. Next up is a matchup against Sagan Tosu, who feature a rival Japan NT goalkeeper...as well as Fernando Torres.
Starts for Japan: Japão🇯🇵 escalado para o amistoso contra a Venezuela🇻🇪:Daniel Schmidt; Hiroki Sakai, Yoshida, Tomiyasu, Sasaki; Doan, Wataru Endo, Shibasaki, Nakajima; Minamino e Osako. https://t.co/Mjmblh1Elg— Tiago Bontempo (@GunnerTNB) November 16, 2018
Schmidt reportedly had a solid outing in his surprise start, in particular showing off his range of distribution honed as a defensive midfielder in his youth (he switched to keeper in high school as his 6'6" frame filled out).
An article (translated from Japanese) discussing his club future: https://web.gekisaka.jp/news/detail/?259545-259545-fl It's almost impossible to understand, but I assume this person has a better idea: Freshly-minted Samurai Blue goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt wants to go to Europe. He's 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 German, 1/4 American - that he might still have an EU passport is an attractive proposition but the reality is that there are few teams interested enough to sign him. https://t.co/aZ6yrgeX5Q— Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) November 19, 2018
This article mainly talks about Dan's friends and family who congratulated him on his first cap, as well as his experience developing his ball-playing skills. He says he wants to go to Europe but interestingly mentions "family and language issues" as a potential consideration, suggesting that his English isn't quite fluent.
Schmidt and Germain (1 goal, 2 assists) led Vegalta to a 3-2 victory over Tohoku region rivals Montedio Yamagata in the Emperor's Cup semifinal. Huge game for the rookie!
http://www.jfa.jp/eng/samuraiblue/news/00019975/ Congrats to Daniel that he was named as one of Japan's three goalkeepers for the AFC Asian Cup
He starts in the cap-tying Asian Cup: 📝 🇯🇵 Japan 🆚 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿A full mark so far from both teams 💯Who will it last for after 90 minutes of exciting #AsianCup2019 football? pic.twitter.com/Spp2yPh8Tk— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) January 17, 2019
A generally uneventful 2-1 win. Japan rotated their entire squad, and Dan played in place of the presumptive 2nd string GK, who was injured. He made one nice leaping save on a Uzbek shot from distance, and his length stood out when comfortably gathering high balls and crosses, a historical area of weakness for Japanese goalies.