What is the deal with US Soccer’s relationship to him? He won’t be 19 until September, but it’s been clear that Espanol value him highly. Did he turn down the chance to play for our u20s over the past year or so, or was he just not called in? From what I understand, he’s provisionally captied to Italy now, but I don’t see how he hasn’t been a regular for our youth teams.
Mikey Varas talked about him in March in this ASN interview http://americansoccernow.com/articl...r-pool-and-challenges-of-the-world-cup-roster
Thanks. I guess that’s about as much info as we are going to get on that situation. I’m really not sold on that explanation by Varas, though. Koleosho went with Italy after not being a part of our youth setup very much at all for the past couple years. Maybe he was turning down call ups, and if so, that’s nobody’s fault. However, the few highlights I’ve seen of him with espanol show a lot more than I’ve ever seen from a guy like Quinn Sullivan with the Union, and I’ve watched them a good bit in the past year or so. If they’ve been calling up Sullivan over him, then they’ve massively screwed up, IMO. Cremaschi is a good bit younger, and has been involved with our youth program, so that explanation makes a lot more sense to me.
The U.S. tried to call-up Koleosho a bunch of times. - He was called up in April 2022 and attended the U.S. U-20 camp. - In June 2022, Luca declined a U.S.U-20 call-up for qualifying to attend a Canada senior NT camp. - In September 2022, Luca declined a U.S. U-20 Revelations Cup call-up to attend a camp with Canada's full NT. - Luca was then called-up for U.S. U-20 camps in October 2022 but was either not released by Espanyol or was injured (I forget) - Luca was called up by the U.S. U-20 team for a January camp but was not released by Espanyol. - Luca was called up by the U.S. U-20 team in March 2023 but notified U.S. Soccer he opted for Italy. I know that there was a lot of communication between U.S. Soccer and Koleosho throughout 2022 and into 2023. It was a high levels too.
Thanks again. Sounds like he just wasn’t interested. Hope he enjoys racist abuse whenever things go wrong.
Cynical calculating view? He knew he would just be part of the US set up, but nothing was guaranteed and he wasn’t going to be fast tracked. Canada kissed his a**. Went to senior camps and took a look a few times. Chance to play with senior team and a chance at a WC in 3 years. Play with Italy, and just being on the Italian roster will open up more doors and opps in general. If he is a complete flop with Italy he can always jump to Canada and have a great shot at the senior team right away. The way he has played this tells me that he is looking at Nat teams as a way to further his career more than Nat allegiance. Just cynical business take. I have sent e-mails to friends at Villareal who know a few Espanyol fans to see what is thought of this kid. We will see if he gets game time in D2 next year. I think he gets more buzz here than anything I have seen anywhere else.
Man, I disagree hard with this take. It's a business. These guys only have one shot at this. I applaud him for taking a measured, long term view of his national allegiance and doing his own due diligence. I'm surprised more guys don't do it like this! And just look at what shredder said about the US trying time and again to cap tie him, despite him being so young and despite him having so many other options. They're sharks! And if he were to get injured or not pan out he'd be dropped faster than you could say foo. Nations like clubs have little to no allegiance to individuals usually. Why should the individual be held to a different standard? As always, some of the most important words in the English language: ******** you, pay me.
Yeah, some people are really into the "nat allegiance" (nice term) thing. I used to be but I'm not now. I've got a kid who has 3 passports. If she were a soccer star (she definitely isn't), it would be hard to tell her which of the three to choose. As has been pointed out, this is a business from the football federation end of things. Once they get you to commit to them they owe you nothing. A kid needs to choose what is best for them. In fact, I'd rather them spend some time thinking about it than rushing into it and making the wrong choice. That shows maturity (not to the "nat allegiance" people, I guess, who see it all as calculating, mercenary behavior--again, this used to be me). They are making a huge choice that's going to impact the rest of their lives. People switch universities in college sports all the time, and it is expected that you will explore other professional clubs. But people with 2, 3, or 4 passports are supposed to instantly choose which one they want? Coaches and staff change. Their possibilities of being able to compete for a starting role on the NT go up and down. Doubtless, their personal circumstances change. I think most people on the YA board are pretty flexible (I think that they're a pretty international bunch, on average). But those who drift over from the (more toxic, rabid, etc.) NT part of BS, not so much so. That being said, I don't like the David Regis "mercenary" type of approach--you know, get married so you can get a passport to play for a national team. But for kids who literally have multiple nationalities, we need to give them a break. Other sports (rugby, cricket, netball, Olympics, etc.) all are much more flexible. It was hard for me to get over a guy like Giuseppe Rossi, but in the end that is his choice, not mine. I do insist that once they've chosen another NT that they shouldn't be considered YAs any more, but some people on here don't even care about that.
I agree with a lot of this. It's especially tough when you see guys who made the wrong decision. Teal Bunbury would have played very meaningful games for Canada if he didn't switch to the USA - where he was a nonfactor. Tyler Boyd would also still be helping New Zealand. What makes it worse is that both those are guys are not just citizens of other countries, you can sense that they are very connected. Obviously, Teal's father was huge for Canada. Tyler was born in New Zealand and played for their youth NTs. On the other hand, was a guy like Michael Parkhurst set back for not choosing Ireland? Ireland really wanted him at one point. Maybe, maybe not. He had an Irish passport but I am not sure how connected he was to Ireland. It sounds super cheesy and some don't want to hear it - but not all dual (or tri, or quad) nationals are the same. There are some, who truly feel connected to multiple nations. And there are others who are legally connected to one country, but not really emotionally connected to it. And there is no way to measure it. International soccer can be a real chore in some circumstances. Flying back to the USA from Europe to face El Salvador away in the Nations League is not glamorous. To carry on with this thought, I've become convinced that to be a really good international soccer player, you have to really want to be there. Part of that means really wanting to play for the country. It can't just be a tool to advance your career or profile. If it is, I don't think the player is ever going to reach his ceiling on the international stage. And on your final point, yes. I agree. I don't like players playing for other countries included in this forum. To me, a Yank Abroad is not the same as an American Citizen Abroad. I like using the context of a "Yank" as someone who is (or might become) ready, willing, able to play for the USMNT or youth NT. It's like a Lion for England. But it's never really much of an issue, TBH. I mean, how often is the thread on Jens Cajuste updated?
Let’s hope he plays well for his American owners and they can whisper in his ear about national team decisions!
His transfermarkt page says that he can play for Italy, US and Canada. He has appeared for a YNT for each country. Looks like he made a Canada NT roster but didn't get any minutes. So still there to be cap-tied. Only 18... remarkable. I didn't even know who he was before today. https://www.transfermarkt.us/luca-koleosho/profil/spieler/745461
Yeah, but I think he played for Italy's U-19s in the Euro championships, so he's provisionally tied to them. I think Varas was asked about him sometime before the U-20 WC, and he didn't directly say he was gone, but his answer implied that to me.
I think the implication was that Koleosho was "gone" from Varas' viewpoint, meaning U20+. Being provisionally tied to Italy is better for the US than him being tied to Canada or Nigeria. He's got an uphill climb to making the Italy NT.
These situations will happen more often as the US becomes a more consistent producer of talent. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Important to note that when Varas talked about him, he specifically said that the “federation leadership” and the “USMNT” staff was involved in multiple conversations with Luca from 2022 into 2023. In the end, he chose Italy. could he switch to the USA in the future? Of course. But he’s probably gonna stick with Italy as long as it’s an option for him. On the topic of Koleosho, this is what U.S U-20 coach Mikey Varas told me in March after Koleosho decided for Italy. - It wasn’t just Varas who attempted to recruit Koleosho. It was also the “federation leadership” to the #USMNT who was involved- in the end, Luca wanted Italy pic.twitter.com/w9i4cDWnyA— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 11, 2023
If he gets consistent PT for the next few weeks and keeps playing reasonably well, he deserves a senior team call up in September. Our wing depth is really shitty. it seems like an uphill battle, and Italy isn’t THAT far ahead of us at winger, either. Gnonto is a talented player, but he’s not some freak, and he has 11 caps for them already at 19. having said that, if we are offering him pt and a chance to earn a spot at the Copa America, that could be really enticing. It makes no sense to keep wasting caps on guys like Zendejas and Morris without really going after him first, I’ll be very disappointed. And while it seems like they’ve been pretty assertive with Koleosho, they’ve lost a lot of trust with their failure to integrate young players like Paredes lately.
Best of luck to him. The reality is if we only get him because he's not good enough for italy, he's not going to be a difference maker for us.
That’s not true at all. We could get him in the next year or two because the Italians aren’t willing to give him a senior cap, and he could end up being our best winger ever. He’s starting in the premier league at 18. He hasn’t proven much, but he’s already a senior pro player, and he has a ton of potential.