This. The whole "important" is probably what would cause the most irritation with friends and critics.
I think it becomes a slippery slope. Bruce calls him up and FJ says, "well, I don't think that match is important enough for me to travel that far." Who knows, maybe they've looked at the entire schedule and made a list of which are important and which aren't. It just seems from the standpoint of a NT manager, I wouldn't want to have a have a list next to my phone which tells me who wants to be called up for what. Kind of irritating. I guess I'll never understand the machinations of what goes on with high level international football. Maybe this is common. If I'm FJ's manager I would suggest that he keep this sort of thing quiet. This was a quote direct from the horse's mouth correct?
There have been matches where to me he appeared to decide the game wasn't important in the middle of tracking back. If there was an award for most talented/least intense US player ever, he would get my vote. Hopefully, Arena finds a way to manage this in a way that works out for all.
BMG would get a transfer fee. And FJ coupld possibly get a like 16-18 mil deal probably. But yeah he obviously is way more comfortable in Germany. ANd he isn't even worth that much even for MLS double post
Typical mercenary. Can you imagine how it would affect the other guys knowing this dude wants to go to Russia without sweating the road with them? Heck, he doesn't even have the excuse of depression and a bad relationship with the manager. It'd be far better for team chemistry if Bruce makes it clear that, if he refuses calls, he better doesn't plan going to Russia. It's not like he's important to our team, he's just disappointing.
Very limited connection to the US? Dude is probably the most American of the German-Americans. Since his dad was an American soldier who played professional basketball in Germany and ended up staying. And his mom, was born a dual American-German....
He's played 56 total caps with a full Gold Cup and what amounts to a full qualification cycle playing on some of the poorer pitches as well as playing a full World Cup. In fact, he's only 1 World Cup Qualification cap less than Jones over both careers. I am also disappointed, but he has a chance to lengthen his career which should be the goal of every player. If this was Timmy Chandler, you could have a slight argument. However, both players have put in time, have peaked, and know how to be at their best when the time counts. Let him rest and if we need him he can be a last minute cover, but we should learn to accept the growing pains of letting our younger players take the reins and only call on the vets when we need. Yeah, he's probably a Merc. Otherwise he wouldn't have switched nations after he couldn't play for Germany. Learn to accept the bad morals with the good results with him playing vs him remaining at home.
Do you understand what making this public does for team morale? At least Chandler and probably others have the good sense to keep it quiet. When that happens, the worst is us wondering why Arena refuses to call so-and-so. But when a player says he'll only play if he considers a game "important," that detracts from the authority of the coach and the spirit of camaraderie within the locker room. He should have never said that. I'm 100% certain were he not in Europe, people here would be flaming the guy. And he's been far from great playing for us. If he's going to keep half-assing it, I rather have him retire already.
So I read all ya'all's reactions to the news before reading the article and let me say I'm pretty damn underwhelmed.
It's an agreement with Arena apparently. Maybe it's games Arena deems important. And maybe Arena is ok with that.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill and making things up. There's nothing here at all which suggests he'd refuse a callup. Take a deep breath. What seems to have happened is Bruce told almost all the Euros the GC wasn't that important for them so go enjoy a full preseason. Then we have two sets of WCQers. He'll be there. Then a Nov friendly date. Maybe Bruce calls Euros....or not, or has the friendlies in Europe. Then there's cupcake which isn't important nor does it apply to Euros. After that it's the March dates with the WC looming. Expect the full A team there.
How do we know it wasn't Arena who told him and other Euros "given it's a WC year and club form and fitness/health is important, I'll only make you guys trek across the pond for the more important games"? I see nothing here until the point when Arena calls in Wood, Brooks and Pulisic and leaves Fabian at home.
Has he ever lived in the US, proclaimed ever that MLS is where he wants to go at the end of his career? He is German-American, in that order. There is nothing wrong with that at all. I love him as a player in the US shirt. I just don't see him pining to spend his retirement living in the US.
It's fine, I would have just suggested for the harmony in the team that FJ have kept it to himself. I bet the Bruce would have said that too.
Starts in a friendly vs. Malaga. Our starting XI vs. @MalagaCF_en: Sommer - Wendt, Ginter, Vestergaard, Elvedi - Johnson, Bénes, Strobl, Herrmann - Hazard, Stindl #BMGMCF pic.twitter.com/JiBlxzgg6S— Gladbach (@borussia_en) July 29, 2017
Oh god. It certainly suggests how much time they've spent in this country and around other Americans, particularly at younger years of life formation. So it correlates.
Probably after the world cup unless he thinks he can make it to another one. IMO, any midfielder at 30-31 in a world cup year can retire from international play after that WC and probably should. Let the new crop of youngsters come in while prolonging your club career is probably the best approach for all involved. There are only a select few midfielders that are effective at 34 or 35 and most of those have moved centrally at that point. If FJ feels he can become an effective Dmid and wants to give 2022 a shot, feel free, but really, I don't see the point.
Yeah, almost none. Though, he does have a tattoo of Chicago on one elbow. That's pretty cool. Typical garbage take. He's getting old. He's playing halfway around the world. If he retires from international play, or only comes in for competitive games, boo hoo. He's probably just saying what is already de-facto going to happen for the European-based players that already have a spot in Russia (e.g Brooks, Cameron, Pulisic, Wood). The squads for friendlies here will be full of domestic players, and perhaps a Euro-based player or two fighting for a spot.