IN Teal Bunbury Edgar Castillo Jesse Gonzalez Julian Green Aron Johannsson Fabian Johnson Jermaine Jones Aaron Maund Kenny Saief OUT Arturo Alvarez (to El Salvador) Dustin Correa (to El Salvador) Jeremy Hall (to Puerto Rico) Moises Hernandez (to Guatemala) Fuad Ibrahim (to Ethiopia) Gerson Mayen (to El Salvador) Nick Millington (to Guyana) Alex Nimo (to Liberia) Nevin Subotic (to Serbia) Tony Taylor (to Panama) Zarek Valentin (to Puerto Rico)
Looks like Oscar Sorto has switched to El Salvador. He was provisionally tied to the US by appearing at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He was recently called up to El Salvador for a friendly. (((URGENTE)))Profesor Eduardo Lara da Convocatoria Selección Nacional Mayor para su juego ante .@CanadaSoccerEN pic.twitter.com/rtb4HeHufk— La Selecta (@LaSelecta_SLV) September 30, 2017
Jonathan Gonzalez confirms his decision to switch to Mexico: pic.twitter.com/YjHZPWKQNB— Jonathan Gonzalez (@jgonzalezz25) January 9, 2018
Too early to tell if this will be a switch or just a camp, but Timothy Tillman is ready to join the US: Bayern talent Timothy Tillman has decided to play for the USA internationally after representing Germany in the U17 and U19 level [ESPN] pic.twitter.com/XrpONUVhmb— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 11, 2018
The way it's worded seems to indicate the former, but perhaps the source simply doesn't understand that he can play without filing a one-time-switch in non-cap-tying YNT games...
Most players aren't willing to do a full one-time switch this early in their careers. I wouldn't be surprised if the player or the coaches don't fully understand the rules. But technically, he *can't* play in any youth friendlies without a switch. It's certainly happened before, but he isn't supposed to play for another country without a switch once he has played in a provisionally cap-tying match. Not sure what the punishment would be (if any), but there is always the possibility.
Yep. I'm sure he is coming to train and get a sense of things. He must have heard good things from his brother. He is familiar with Germany. He is also probably realistic about his chances with Germany and having moved from Bayern U19 to Bayern 2, his career is at a crossroads. It could help him to have caps with the USMNT or US U20 down the road. He could even play for Germany U20 and still switch correct? I don't think there is any hurry; he will not be on Germany's WC Squad this Summer.
Oh, he played in cap-tying Germany YNT games? I thought as long as everything was at the YNT level, he could play in friendlies for different teams?
Any youth competitive match (U20 WC, U17 WC, Olympics and qualifying matches + any regional competition matches - UEFA U19s or U21s, CONMEBOL SAYC) provisionally cap-tie a player and that player shouldn't be playing a match at any level for any youth or full NT. It's probably not enforced well, but you'll see that all the articles about Tillman talk about him being required to file a switch to play for US. And it's pretty easy to make a one-off YNT match "not official" because there isn't really a system for registering youth friendlies.
No American striker has ever broken out before 23. While we wanted better, Green is only 21 and is about where Wood was at that age. Look at the chances Agudelo keeps getting and he is 25.
Jozy was about 23 when he had his big season with AZ. Pulisic, Donovan, et al don't play striker. Wynalda, McBride, Dempsey, Wood, Jozy are really the only Americans to have a breakout year in Europe playing up top. Wynalda and Wood were also 23. Dempsey was more of a slow burn, 2010 could be considered his break out at 27. McBride was in his 30s.
Young Donovan played striker; Altidore played at WC and scored more than 30 goals in the season and a half for AZ.
Donovan never broke out in European club football and never as a striker. Jozy' s year at AZ was in and around 2012. He was born in 1989. I've done the math for you three times. Maybe you could subtract 2012 from 1989 and let me know what you get.
1. Who gives a shit about European club? Donovan is our best striker ever. 2. Jozy was born at the end of 1989. His first year was 2011-2012. Before he turned 23 he had a year and a half at AZ.. 3. Try to learn not to be an asshole, it will help you in life even if you can't count.
Our U23s might not look like such failures if our region's path to Olympic qualification didn't penalize us for having so many key youth players in Europe. I'd argue the lack of Olympic play every four years is hurting the USMNT as much as anything else we're not doing right. The new president should fight for a format that puts qualification in international windows and/or the summer.
If you watch the second leg of the Bundesliga U19 Semi-Final from last year you now have potentially four American players involved. McKennie, Wright, Taitague for Schalke and Tillman for Bayern. I rewatched the first half, was kind of fun to see so many in one place. Tillman was all over for Bayern. Schalke dominates the first half mostly because McKennie dominated the midfield. The game turns early in the second half when Tillman gets the first half chance for Bayern and buries it with a nice one time finish. I think Tillman is better than what most here think and we will be lucky to get him. Bayern is a tough place to break in and it makes you wonder if they are telling kids like Green and Tillman things to get them to stick around. You have to think a loan would be the next move.
I remember Tillman being incredibly good in one of the two matches and bad in the other one. It seems like he's a talented player who can put in some very good performances, but is inconsistent.