The tests will be when he's up against a winger, wide striker or opposing FB who is faster/more dangerous than he is - how will be 1v1 against a top player for 90. That will be interesting. If he can do that, he can be a very good player.
amazing that this stuff just shows up for free... In honor of Sergino Dest starting his first of many USMNT games tomorrow, here is my first game comp I ever made of him. I've (obsessively) documented his performances the last year so it makes me so happy to hear Gregg say he'll get the start tomorrow. https://t.co/tTrppz4Qik— Sanjiv (@USMNTvideos) September 5, 2019
I think Dest is thinking one of two ways: 1. He needs to see what things are like with the US NT before committing, he needs to believe our federation can further his career. 2. He’s played with the US because he has some allegiance, but has more towards the Dutch. However, he fears not sniffing the Dutch NT. How we do in these two friendlies could influence his decision if his thinking falls under #1. If it’s under #2 we probably lose him and he maybe goes down as a worse loss than Rossi and Subotic (neither played for the US senior team).
The Dutch Young Orange coach Van de Looi has said Dest can expect a call to have a talk about his perspective with us. He says it needs to take place before octobre the 12th, as then a match that can cap him for the USA is on the schedule.
Not sure where you’re going with on #1. The kid plays for Ajax. He’s going to get Champions League oppprtunities. For a footballers career, you really can’t top that for a prospect that’s trying to make it to a big time league/super club. Neither Holland nor the US will help him further his career any more than he has himself
And that right there is why Dest is likely to stick with the US. For holland it’s the youth side. For USA, he’s getting ready to play in our biggest rivalry match.
That's very true...because to put on the Orange shirt you need to have a career already. Without it you donot get a call from Koeman.
That was also my point. Obviously there’s less depth for the USMNT, but his matches for Ajax are for more important for his career than anything short of a World Cup match. Same is true even if he makes it to the Oranje. Pep/Ole/Klopp would care more about what he does for club than country at Ajax
Dumb question: If he plays a cap-tying game for the United States (presumably against Canada or Cuba this fall), will he still be eligible for a one-time switch to Holland later (since he was a US-Dutch dual citizen at the time he played for the US)? I would hope that the USSF's efforts to get him to play for the United States include talks with Earnie Stewart, who is a US-Dutch dual citizen and began playing for the United States when he was 21 years old.
If Dest uses his brains he refuses to file the one time swap, as then there's no returning possible. He has to fight his way through the Young Orange squad, where he's facing players that already have bonded in the Uxx teams when he was playing for the USA. He will be the the stranger that has to fit in. He can play non capping matches for the USA while trying to establish himself as a first team Ajax player.
In addition to refusing to file he is going to have to refuse cap tying call-ups to the USMNT. We’ll see what happens, I won’t be worried at all until he refuses that. 2022 WC qualifying isn’t for another year so if he was acting purely in his own self-interest and protecting optionality he would turn down a Nations League call-up. I wouldn’t be mad (although it’d be disappointing) at the fed or with Dest if that occurs. We’ve done everything we can to involve him at every step and recruit him, any more is overkill. That would buy him a year to make progress at Ajax before getting called in again by the US for qualifying and at that point he’d have more information about where he stands with Jong Ajax and the Dutch NT in general. To your point, I still doubt the Dutch NT would be ready to call him up to play him for a cap tying game before Sept ‘20 unless he really has quite the remarkable season this year.
No. One time switch applies to a player who has played in an official youth competition. Once you play in an official FIFA senior team competition, you have chosen forever.
But his healthy years overlapped pretty heavily with peak Donovan and Dempsey - one of the times in history we needed him least. Still, for those five or so peak relatively healthy years ... would have been awesome.
Did you watch last week? That was my first league game I've watched him play for Ajax . . . but I think it was his first league start for them. Anyway, he got forward at times, but to my eye he played back more than up. He was the safety man on set pieces (allowing taller CBs to get into the box) and every time Ajax attacked up the left (which was more often than not), Dest stayed back in pretty close to a flat three back line. They opened up a little more after scoring, but I would characterize his play in that match as defense-first (and clearly be design).
At this moment he from a national team (either USA or Orange) perspective he has no idea where he stands. He has a starting spot this match of the USMNT and a talk with the Young Orange coach. He should bare in mind what happened with the last back of Ajax hyped to the hilt by Ajax fans and media, Ricardo van Rhijn. When he played at Young Ajax fans were clamouring for him to join the first team. When their then active back was sold, the fans and media were exstatic because now Ricardo could claim his rightful place. It also gave him a debut in the Orange shirt, a promotion from Young Orange. However he turned out to be not so good after all and he made it to a not so whopping 8 Orange appearances. To be hyped means nothing. To be at Ajax means nothing. The only thing that counts is you delivering the goods. And that's something Dest hasnot got a clue about at this moment. Will he be good enough for the Orange shirt as a high number of matches player or fizzle out like his predecessor hype icon? Nobody can blame him to play the waiting game. Say no to van de Looi for a definitive switch and tell GB you only play non capping matches. GB has the weakest hand, so play your cards.
I did, but it's Sparta. TBF Sparta has been scoring (for them) at a torrid pace this year - but it ain't gonna last. Dest was up against their 2nd most prolific striker (Rayhi) for much of the game. Rayhi is not terrible, but had maybe a dozen goals and assists last season? And for some reason (tactical? dunno) Veldwijk (who did score a ton last season) came on as a sub (and was pretty meh, but the game was out of hand already and he's not a wide player). So I still haven't seen Dest up against a slate of really effective, dangerous wide players yet. He may be awesome, but watching him in a few Jong games and the bit I've seen so far, he is most effective high up, and a danger going forward. He'll get a lot of chances to do that with Ajax, but the few times he faces really lethal, speedy wingers will be when we see how high his top can be.