Holy Smokes, Batman! This came from way off the radar screen. Green card holder and LAG midfield general, Juninho, wants to put on the American shirt . . . http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/...-juninho-wants-to-play-for-u-s-national-team/ Juninho, 26, the former Sao Paulo player is now eyeing up a spot on Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad rather than wait for a chance which may never come to oust the star-studded midfielders playing for the Selecao. Speaking to Globoesporte in Brazil, Juninho had he following to say about the possibility of representing the U.S. national team. “I have expressed my desire to play for the US national team,” Juninho said. “I think the US national team is closer than the Brazilian national team [for Juninho] because of the five years I’ve been there [in USA] and because of the knowledge I have of the league and the players. I’ve played a long time with Landon Donovan and he always opened my mind and this possibility is not too distant.” Now, there are a couple of intriguing factors to this. One: Juninho only holds a green card, he got that in 2013, and that means he is eligible to become a U.S. citizen five years from 2013… so 2018, when he will be 31. Two: Is there any guarantee that Klinsmann will want to take him on board? 1. Juninho is a very good MLS player and a key on the Galaxy. 2. He has a real handle on positioning at the defensive midfield spot. The battles between Jermaine Jones and him in the MLS Cup final were fun to watch. 3. There are a few years and some immigration work to go, before this becomes a reality, unless somehow the process is sped along. 4. Would Jurgen be interested? Hard to say, but he sure has many opportunities to watch him in Los Angeles.
It would have been interesting today. But starting at 31 at the earliest makes this kind of a meh story for me. I don't know when in 2013 he received his green card, but it could be that he might not even be eligible for a late addition to the 2018 WC, which means he would be starting at 31 at the beginning of the 2022 cycle, which lowers this story from "meh" to a non story all together.
Nothing against him, but I prefer to have our players have American connections instead of just being here because their careers brought them here. For example if a player is mixed with a american parent, or spent a bit of time here as a kid. I dont think we should just take MLS players from other countries that would have no ties to the US if it wasnt for their soccer careers.
Who was the last player that came here to play professional soccer (not college), got naturalized and then went on to play for the USA? Preki? Paging @Sandon Mibut ...
I really don't think this is worthy of its own thread. Juninho's good. The type of player that probably deserves a camp cupcake call up at this point in his career if he was eligible, but there is no way he's near our best 23. He's going to have to get a lot better, but you never know with Klinsmann.
I'm conflicted here. Juninho is good. He's good enough to be a fringe Nat at least. Is he better then Beckerman? Maybe, and that should be enough, I guess. But something in me still just would rather not take Brazils's sloppy fifths.
Well , it might be Germany's sloppy eighths actually. But still the Daddy's were American, Juninho nada...
Yes, Preki. Almost every other naturalized player to play for the US the past 20 years came here as a kid or was David Regis. Carlos Llamosa came here as an adult but it was to work and not play pro soccer; he actually spent a couple of years playing amateur ball as an adult before he began playing minor league soccer than in MLS. Here are naturalized players that played for the US since 1990 and the year they debuted for the US. All of them came here as kids. Hugo Perez (1984), Mike Windischmann (1984), John Kerr (1985), Sadri Gjonbalaj (1986), Tab Ramos (1988), Frank Klopas (1988), Dominic Kinnear (1990), Mark Chung (1992), Martin Vasquez (1996), Jeff Cunningham (2001), Pablo Mastroeni (2001), Freddy Adu (2006), Benny Feilhaber (2007), Stuart Holden (2009), Juan Agudelo (2010), Gale Agbossoumonde (2010). (I may have forgotten some.) Besides Preki, other players who came here as adults to play pro soccer and got naturalized and played for the US after the US qualified for Italia 90 are Fernando Clavijo (1990), Brian Quinn (1991) and Scoop Stanisic (1992). All of them came to the US in the 80s. Roy Wegerle (1992) and Jean Harbor (1992) are the last foreign players who came here for college and went on to get naturalized and play for the US. They came here in 82 and 83 respectively.
This is a little bit interesting. If HE plays by the rules and WANTS to play for us, I think he would be welcome. He seems like a very good player.
Juninho has lived longer in the USA though... I mean, if we're willing to say someone is a US citizen based on blood, without having lived ever there, why can't someone who has actually lived there for many years have the same sort of attachment? Or are we arguing that Abstammungsprinzip is the only valid way to be a "real" citizen, in the 21st century?
*For me*, the difference is, if he never played soccer and his career didnt bring him here he would have as much as a connection to the US as Neymar. The only thing that ties him to the US is that he signed with a team thats located in the US.
If he's good enough for our NT by the time he gets citizenship, then that means a number of midfield prospects didn't pan out which would be the bigger concern. In no way should Juninho be good enough for our NT.
There are millions of people who came to this country for work and ended up becoming citizens for numerous reasons. That doesn't mean they love this country any less than those that are natural born citizens or those that grew up here before becoming citizens.
I'd suggest Carlos Llamosa, although I'm not entirely sure which group he fits into. Technically speaking, he was with a Colombian first division side when he came to the states, and he did come as an adult (21). But the reasoning, per wiki, is that he came to join his family. Seems to be supported by the fact that he didn't play professional soccer again for another 5 years, and didn't get to MLS until 1997.
I really don't have a problem with him being naturalized instead of being eligible for citizenship because of a relative. I won't lie and say that it makes no difference. Clearly there is a difference fielding an American by birth or marriage than an American because he's lived in the country long enough, but as long as Juninho wants to play for us, I don't have problems with him wanting to play for us. My problem is that I don't want to consider a 29 year old without any previous National Team caps at a position that we are very deep at unless he is really good and instantly makes the team a lot better. I'm not sure that Juninho does that. Maybe he's on the fringe, but I'd rather go with younger players or established veterans.
Juninho is quite good, and could be useful as a "transition" player between the 32 year old guys (Beckerman and Jones) and the coming new guys. We're not that great in the "possession oriented" CM role. I see no problem with him playing for the NT. He's one of the best in our current pool for that purpose. As for the other point, IMO someone who chooses to become an American, living in the USA for many years, working there, paying taxes there, marrying and having kids there, is not less of an American than one who just happens to be one due to the accidents of his birth situation. And even worse if he has never even lived in the USA, nor considered visiting it before they had to.
You could say he's MORE American , because he CHOSE to be here, instead of those of us who are American by Accident (I mean birth)
You know the Johnson's personally? The Brooks' family? Another subliminal shot at the recent influx of German-Americans. How do you know the personal connection between someone and family heritage?