No matter where we come from, football brings pride to all of us, and we take pride in our national team. From Tahiti to England, international football has the power to divide and bring together entire nations.
One of the more interesting discussions happening lately deals with dual nationals, specifically in the U.S. where there’s an abundance of them. A major part of the U.S. Soccer program is made up of foreign nationals, and this topic has been consistently discussed for generations.
In 1950, the US Men’s National Team recorded their biggest achievement at the time when they beat strong England 1-0. Joe Gaetjens, the lone goal scorer, was originally from Haiti, and had never been a US citizen. He had previously played for Haiti and continued doing so with a total of 6 international appearances - 3 for Haiti, and 3 for the U.S.
40 years would pass until the United States would qualify for another World Cup, the historic tournament of Italy 1990. Two of the team’s stars, including captain Mike Windischmann, were foreign-born dual nationals. Other team members such as Paul Caligiuri were eligible for a foreign passport, which would enable them to play for another country. Since that tournament, the US National Team became more and more diverse, and dual nationals such as Earnie Stewart and Fabian Johnson became household names. Two major reasons led to the influx of dual-nationals on the roster - Immigration to the United States, and foreign based members of the U.S. Army.
The United States is a popular destination for immigrants due to the quality of life it offers compared to other parts of the world. For Example, Benny Feilhaber’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil in search of better economic opportunities. Other players like Jeremy Ebobisee and his family were simply looking to have a safer, more comfortable life. Immigrants bring their passion for football from all over the world along with diverse knowledge and skills.
A fascinating example is the story of one of Ajax Amsterdam’s emerging talents, Sergino Dest. His father, born in Suriname, moved to New York City, and became a naturalized citizen. He then moved to The Netherlands and settled down with Sergino’s Dutch mother. Dest was discovered by an American youth scout and played for both the US National U17 and U20 World Cup squads, both defeated in the knockout round.
After making it to Ajax’s squad at the beginning of this season, he was courted by Ronald Koeman and offered to play for the Dutch national team. After long deliberation Dest decided to keep playing for the US national team. The U.S. fans were ecstatic, and Dest will certainly be an integral member in the up and coming, youthful squad.
Another major reason for national diversity is the U.S. Army, which holds some of its biggest offshore bases in Germany. Naturally, the servicemen and women come in contact with the local population, and this often leads to romantic involvements and the upbringing of a dual-national family. As a result, some players such as John Brooks and Alfredo Morales, both German-born, Bundesliga players – are now playing for the US national team.
However, the U.S. has also lost some quality players who preferred playing under a different flag, even for a small country such as Derrick Etienne Jr. who plays for Haiti. The most notable examples are of Giuseppe Rossi and Jonathan Gonzalez. Rossi was born in New Jersey to Italian Immigrants. When he was 12 he was spotted by Parma and moved to Italy with his father. During his career, he played for the Italian national team, scoring 7 goals in 30 appearances.
Jonathan Gonzalez’s story is a bit more dramatic. Born in Southern California to a family of Mexican ancestry, he developed his talent in the academy of the Monterrey football club in Mexico, while playing for the U.S. youth team.
2017 was the tipping point for Gonzalez, when the US Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. Gonzalez wasn’t called up for camp although mostly young prospects were summoned. He took this to heart and decided that he would play for Mexico, although he has not quite yet made it to the national squad.
We should also consider Jurgen Klinsmann’s contribution to the matter. On the 2014 World Cup squad that he led, there were six dual nationals, and many more who had eligibility to another passport. Despite the diverse backgrounds, the team played well and managed to qualify from the “Group of Death”, overcoming the strong squads of Portugal and Ghana. Fabian Johnson was one of the team’s most valuable players and John Brook’s legendary 86th minute header game-winner against Ghana is many fans’ favorite memory of that summer. Jermaine Jones, another German-born representative in that squad, had a very strong tournament as well.
But the drama arose before the tournament even started, when local legend Landon Donovan was left out of the squad. He was not a sure fire-starter but definitely a valuable squad member with his ability and experience. It was no secret he and Klinsmann clashed before, but no one expected he would be left out. Much to everyone’s surprise, Julian Green was summoned instead. Green, born in Florida, spent most of his upbringing in Germany as the son of a US Army member. He was one of Bayern Munich’s brightest stars, and a dual-national. He had made his first team debut that year and was tearing it up with the Bayern II team.
At that point, he did not have any Bundesliga appearances, and had limited minutes in top tier professional football. This divided the fan-base and some would even say the squad. Landon was a beloved hero, one of America’s best. But times were changing, and players like Green were the hope for a mostly stagnant program. Green would score in his only appearance at the 2018 World Cup, in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
All in all, present days dictate that without dual nationals, the US Men’s national team would be in an entirely different place. They are an integral part of the squad and reflect the reality of the country itself, and the beauty of football.