Apparently, MLS told him to take a hike due to Green Card/citizenship issues. Here is a link to the article and to his Profile on Seton Hall's athletics website. http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/02/giusfredi-leave.html http://www.shupirates.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12600&ATCLID=579286
Given that he has Green Card issues, it would seem to preclude him from discussion on this forum, ie NOT a Yank Abroad.
Precisely why he isn't a Yank Abroad. If he were concerned about playing in MLS he might have gotten his green card or initiated the citizenship process, oh I don't know maybe SEVEN years ago when he moved here.
I loved this guy on Strangers with Candy (Sorry, I couldn't get the first picture pasted so you have to use the link. If someone can post it, feel free.)
I'm very curious to know what these alleged issues were given how many foreign slots there are in MLS now and how frequently international slots are used on college kids. How is his situation and residency status different than Patrick Nyarko's?
According to Ives, he was given bad information on Giusfredi to Spartak Moscow and it's actually Spartak Nalchik, currently 12 of 14 teams in mother Russia's top flight, that is interested in Giusfredi. Ives also says the reason the kid wasn't signed by MLS was because he was here in the country illegally. (Which, I suppose, underscores that the kid isn't actually a Yank Abroad.) http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/02/morning-ticke-3.html#more
LOL. Care to revise the attitude on this one? Just assume MLS F'D it up. Its a typical attitude adopted by way to many US citizens.....quite often, incorrectly. ES doesn't have to worry about that of course. Just an illegal alien.
That's my bad, thanks for correcting me. I agree with Zoidberg that folks are often too quick to criticize MLS. That isn't to say it isn't ever warranted - Lord knows, I've criticized them plenty, usually fairly IMO (of course ) - but if the kid is breaking the law being here illegally there isn't much MLS should be expected to do to get that straightened out.
Maybe he's here on a student visa, in which case he's not supposed to work...either way neither of the articles mentions his status
If you scroll down on today's blog piece from Ives, into the comments section, he responds to someone's question and says the kid is undocumented, which is polite speak for here illegally. And as for MLS signing players here on student visas, it happens all the time. Every foreign-draft pick that came here for college is on a student visa and MLS drafts, and signs, them every year. If Giusfredi had a student visa and wanted to sign with MLS, that immigration status wouldn't have kept MLS from signing him.
yeah but technically he would have to have an ability beyond that of citizens to play, so in order to get a visa MLS essentially has to say they want him. If I were here on a student visa, I sure couldn't get a work visa for MLS (well, I might, but not if whoever investigated the request did any work on it) Anyway, here illegally, want to get documented? Good luck with that. At the minimum enjoy the next year in Argentina while you wait for paperwork.
He can play in MLS presumably, if MLS wanted him badly enough. He'd have to leave and then apply for a work visa. Nalchik is playing its pre-season in Spain now. No mention of this kid. Nalchik is not the safest part of Russia either.
But if he was in the US illegally, he just can't fly home and get a visa because he has to pay a penalty, in terms of time out of the US, before he's allowed back in legally. It's usually a couple of years. So even if MLS wanted him, he wasn't playing for any MLS team this year and probably not next.
Either way, it seems that Ives won't do any more reporting on the issue until the kid signs somewhere... which is too bad because it certainly makes an interesting story, not just about EG, but about all the undocumented players that are in the US and their chances to play in MLS. I wish Ives would dig a little deeper and do some investigative journalism. I think we'd learn something about MLS and about immigration.