After looking at our Mens Olympic Roster, it became apparent how our team reflects what is best about our country. Many of our players have parents who are first generation immigrants. Just off the top of my head, here is a list of the players and their respective countries: Edu-Nigeria Holden-Scotland Orozco-Mexico Szetala-Poland Altidore-Haiti Kljesten-Serbia Adu-Ghana(actually an immigrant) Feilhaber(Brazil) I am sure there are a few others. These guys are representing all of us at the upcoming Olympics and they are making a unique statement to the rest of the world. I wish them all the best of luck and lets bring home the gold medal.
Yeah, he came to the states when he was 6 years old and his grandparents were Austrian-Jews immigrants. He qualified for Brazil, the US, Austria, and Israel.
He's American cause he was raised here. I'm pretty sure he considers himself an American first and then Jewish/Brazilian/and Maybe Asutrian.
I know Andreas Herzog offered him a spot on Austria but he turned it down for his desire to play for USA. Anyway I never knew Klejstan was part Serbian and Edu was part Nigerian.
Agreed. The more diverse our team is the better. It reflects our unity as an American people - not based on race - but on our shared values and principles.
I agree it is good but it is hardly unique in this multi-cultural world of ours France 1998 squad 1 GK Bernard Lama 07 Apr 1963 French Guiana (South America) 4 MD Patrick Vieira 23 Jun 1976 Senegal 6 MD Youri Djorkaeff 09 Mar 1968 Armenia/Monglia 8 DF Marcel Desailly 07 Sep 1968 Ghana 10 MD Zinedine Zidane 23 Jun 1972 Algeria 11 MD Robert Pires 29 Oct 1973 Portugal/Spain 12 FW Thierry Henry 17 Aug 1977 Guadelopue 13 MD Bernard Diomede 23 Jan 1974 Guadelopue 14 MD Alain Boghossian 27 Oct 1970 Armenia 15 DF Lilian Thuram 01 Jan 1972 Guadelopue 19 MD Christian Karembeu 03 Dec 1970 New Caledonia (South Pacific) 20 FW David Trezeguet 15 Oct 1977 Argentina
Pablo Mastroeni: Born and immigrated from Argentina. Oguchi Onyewu (Belgium/Nigeria) Also - doesn't Michael Parkhurst have Irish citizenship (I think your grandparents have to be from Ireland, nothing further).
Difference is that most of those players either went to France for soccer purposes or were from former French colonies, France could be called Africa best XI. Benny, Mastroeni, Jozy's parents, and the rest came to the US as immigrants first and soccer players second.
I can start a similar thread about Switzerland: - Diego Benaglio (Italy) - Eldin Jakupovic (Bosnia) - Johan Djourou (Ivory Coast) - Philippe Senderos (Spain/Serbia) - Ricardo Cabanas (Spain) - Gökhan Inler (Turkey) - Gelson Fernandes (Cape Verde) - Tranquillo Barnetta (Italy) - Valon Behrami (Kosovo) - Johan Vonlanthen (Colombia) - Hakan Yakin (Turkey) - Eren Derdiyok (Turkey) - Blerim Dzemaili (Macedonia) - Blaise Nkufo (DR Congo) It's an immigrant's world these days...
So did all of those French players who people think France picked off from Africa. You're simply incorrect that "those" (which?) players came to France just for soccer. Further, most of the French players of African descent were born in France--the ones that weren't came over as kids with their families. Finally, people born in France's overseas territories (like Guadeloupe or French Guiana) are French through and through, since those territories are an integrated part of France (and people there are very adamant about that). The French team is strikingly similar to the US team in terms of the demographics from which it is composed.