The United States Men’s National Team has a long-standing tradition of being a team comprised of multinational players. From the inaugural World Cup, the USMNT has called on multinational players to don the red, white, and blue kit. Here’s a list of notable players the USMNT missed out on.
Giuseppe Rossi – Italy
Rossi’s story actually parallels Jozy Altidore’s in many ways. Both are New Jersey natives that transferred to Villarreal as young starlets for around the same transfer fee. The stories diverge during their time at Villarreal together when Altidore appeared nine times netting one goal while Rossi stayed at the club for six years, appearing 136 times and scoring 54 goals. It’s not a stretch to say that had Rossi featured for the USMNT, he would’ve been the most successful outfield American player to play in Europe.
Neven Subotić – Serbia
Despite his emphatic comments, it’d be wrong to paint Neven Subotić as the bad guy. The 6’4” defender only decided to switch allegiances after US U-20 coach Thomas Rongen allegedly told him that he would never play for the U-20 USMNT. Naturally after being rejected by his adopted country, Neven’s abilities were solicited by his birth nation, Serbia. The former Utah and Florida resident has spent his entire professional career in Europe, winning the Bundesliga title twice and finishing runner up in the Champions League with Dortmund.
Andy Najar – Honduras
As just a teenager, Najar was garnering attention from Europe’s top clubs. After a few quality seasons with D.C. United, Najar packed his bags and set sail for Anderlecht in Belgium. Despite a quiet past couple seasons, Najar is still only 25 and has ample time to turn his career around.
Brede Hangeland – Norway
It’s fair to say that if Brede had been called up to the US squad, he would’ve felt out of place. When asked about his spell in the US, he said, “We were there for a short period in 1980/81 which is when I was born and then we went back home, so obviously I don’t remember too much about my time there.” The 6’6” central defender notched 217 appearances for Fulham and tallied 91 caps for Norway before retiring in 2014.
Vedad Ibišević – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Instead of starring on the US’ frontline, he played backup to Džeko for Bosnia & Herzegovina scoring 28 goals in 83 caps. At the club level, Vedad was most prolific at Hoffenheim scoring 48 goals in 123 games. Such a rate earned him a move to VfB Stuttgart in 2012. The 33-year-old now finds himself employed by Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga.
Jonathan Gonzalez – México
Even though Chief Scout for the USMNT Thomas Rongen – the same coach that allegedly told Subotić he’d never play for the U-20 side- reportedly visited his house three times in 2018 in attempts to persuade him to play for the red, white, and blue, Gonzalez still chose his father’s native country.
We don’t know if the midfielder will live up to the hype, but what’s certain is that the US would rather have him sitting on its bench than competing against them on the road to the 2022 World Cup.
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