Youth Yanks Abroad (1997s or later)

A reminder that Weston's German is VERY good (I'm a speaker as I lived in Germany with military parents like Weston did.) I think we underestimate the advantage this gives a player like Weston in terms of getting settled right away compared to other youth yanks abroad.

Unser US-Youngster aus der @Knappenschmiede macht mit starken Leistungen auf sich aufmerksam. Gestatten: @WMckennie! 🇺🇸 #S04 pic.twitter.com/d0Lefqoo6O

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) September 14, 2017

 

Good point. Maybe German (or Spanish, French or Italian) lessons should be part of Academy training. A club may be able to sell a prospect for more if he already is fluent in the language where he will be playing.

 

You see it happen a lot with Latin baseball players and Russian hockey players. So often a 16 year comes over and is supremely talented by slowly fades. It takes an extra effort to overcome that culture shock and at 16-18 most people are not equipped to do it.

 

IIRC at La Masia, the kids there have to learn a 2nd language but Spanish doesn't count. So, Lederman was having to learn Spanish and another language when he first showed up there.

If you're a Josh Sargent and know you're eventually moving to Germany, it'd certainly be helpful if he's learning German now.

 

What was silly is that he already spoke Hebrew, but that didn't lessen the language requirement.

 

Outside of the sports world, I think learning multiple languages is immensely important for jobs, traveling, etc. So it's good that these kids learn this because of soccer, but can utilize this even if their soccer career doesn't necessarily become a livelihood.

 

I've raised the idea that some of the USSF's 100M+ windfall should go to teaching our YNTers German. Where the hell is that money going anyway?

Anyhow hope Sargent is learning German now.

 

Does anyone know how much German is spoken during training at a club like BVB? Obviously some is but in such a squad, most players don't speak German as their first language. Dembele never did an interview in German as Pulisic did last year. I doubt Mor/Isak among others suddenly learned it enough to be fluent.

Then I consider a guy like Vidal, I don't think he's ever done an interview in German and he's been in the Bund for many years.

To me it seems learning the language is more important for off the pitch life but I'd think more players at BVB speak English than German. Guys like Gotze/Reus/Bartra/Schurrle are completely fluent. Bosz is fluent too, as was Tuchel and Klopp previously.

 

If the coach is German it's up to the player to keep up. If the coach is foreign and doesn't speak German they will have a translator yelling out the commands. Sometimes foreign players go through training just following the guys in front of them because they don't know what's going on.

 

Youth kids are going to get very little support. It's going to be on them to integrate. Now a star is going to be a different story. A 46£ million davinson sanchez or similar player is probably going to have a personal assistant to set up a hotel, find an apartment, get language lessons etc. although bizarrely not every club invests in stuff like that despite spending multiple millions on the player.

 

I know that Stuttgart, in the past, has had Japanese, Spanish, & African translators for new team members who didn't speak German. I think they still do that.

 

Yeah it varys by club and German clubs are generally better about it. From anecdotal observation the Italians are some of the worst for having that support.

 

Free kick by Konrad de la Fuente results in his 4th goal in 4 matches for Barcelona Juvenil B. He also contributed to the second Barca goal.

🎥🔴🔵 Buenos días! Empieza la jornada viendo los goles del empate en la Liga del Juvenil B en el campo del Josep María Gené (2-2).#FCBMasia pic.twitter.com/Bcl5fo9HlS

— FC Barcelona - Masia (@FCBmasia) September 18, 2017

 

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#CapHimNow

 

Yep he should be in the next qualifying roster

 

Mckennie should be called in before him or at least the same time

 

Mckennie isn't going to play for another national team and for a absolutely do or die qualifier don't need two spots used like this

 

neither is gonzalez

 

Okay cool

 

BigSoccer when Mexico shows interest in an American-born player:

 

"Don't think of it as work. The whole point of it is just to enjoy yourself."

 

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time.