A little update and insight in Nguyen's current status. Sounds like quite the celebrity in Vietnam!! http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/throw-nguyen-living-dream-vietnam
Interesting..... So could he change to vietnam if he wanted to when he gets his passport? He only played for the US in the copa america, is that considered a cap tying experience?? Also he states he has offers from the J league and K league. Both VERY good, and better then the MLS, more comparable to mexico. If he did move to there and played a decent amount, he very well could get a call back to the USMNT IMO.
I don't know if its true or not, but somebody said since the USA didn't send an A-squad and because Mexico sends like U-23 squads to Copa America, it didn't count as official. I could be talking out of my ass though. But he wasn't a Vietnamese citizen yet when he played for the USA edit: the previous page debated it.
I don't keep up on the rules but here's what the article says: "Interestingly, that would also raise an entirely unexpected conundrum for Nguyen. Should he be granted that passport, he would have the option to switch his international eligibility according to FIFA rules, since he only has three senior caps for the US – and none since appearing in the 2007 Copa América."
So are folks assuming the reason Nguyen is eligible for Vietnam is because the Copa America doesn't count as a FIFA-sanctioned tournament because it wasn't the confederation championship that the US normally participates in? I wouldn't put it past FIFA to create a loophole like that, but it seems awfully shaky to assume that the Confederation Cup counted as a FIFA-sanctioned event for the teams we played but not for us. Until I see something from a federation or FIFA saying Nguyen can switch to Vietnam, I'm gonna assume he can't.
Copa America (for the US) is not a cap tying event, it is treated as a friendly for the non-member nations. So I can say for sure that playing in that tournament wouldn't cap tie him. As to if he has to have Vietnamese citizenship at the time of his first cap, I can't say. But there are wiser heads than mine around hear, I'm sure some will chime in.
I don't see why if he had the option to be the star player for Vietnam, he would hold out hope to become an option in the player pool for the US. I get it's great to have goals and dreams, and the US setup is way better, but as the article states, it's been 3 years since he was even invited to camp. His game is good for places with low level of physicality, I just don't see how he could ever be a real option for the US. And I say that from the standpoint of what's best for Lee, not the US.
He had to have been eligible for Vietnam when he first suited up for US at the 2007 WYC. Since he was not, he isn't eligible to switch according to this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/sports/soccer/16goal.html "Now, playing at the youth international level (under-17 and under-21) does not preclude a player from petitioning FIFA for a one-time change, providing that the player had dual citizenship when he initially participated." Key point in bold
It's possible that he was eligible since both of his parents are (I believe) Vietnamese. I don't know how it works in Vietnam, but in a lot of countries having even one parent with citizenship automatically qualifies a child as a citizen. But if the child is born abroad and not properly registered at the time, there's often a lot of paperwork required to prove that the child is in fact qualified. The article talks about "getting his Vietnamese citizenship," but it wouldn't surprise me if it should talk about "getting his Vietnamese citizenship officially recognized." If that's the case, Nguyen would have been a citizen at birth and therefore eligible for Vietnam well before 2007. And it's also my understanding that the Copa America is considered a friendly for all non-CONMEBOL teams. People who excoriate Bradley for his roster choices in 2007 often fail to notice that, since the tournament didn't count as an official date for non-CONMEBOL teams, no clubs were required to release their US players.
Well I guess it all depends on what FIFA defines as eligible. Because like you said he could have been eligible for citizenshi put not applied for it.
"Any person born with at least one parent who is a Vietnamese citizen, whether the person was born in or outside Vietnam, is generally considered by Vietnamese law to be a Vietnamese citizen." Link If this is correct, he should be able to switch.
Not really. FIFA allows nations to set their own standards. If a nation considers somebody a citizen, that person's a citizen.
If this is correct (and, presumably, that will be the basis for Lee's application to switch), FIFA would additionally have to rule on his Copa America participation with the US.
why does bob put down vietnam league, one that mourinho himself respects "At home, I would have put on Eurosport to watch one in Vietnam." - the special one http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19122010/2/mourinho-demands-real-assistance-tackle-referees.html