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It’s been a good week for Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi. He played in yesterday’s 2-0 away win against AC Milan. And, while his team lost midweek, he scored from the penalty spot Wednesday, giving his side its only goal in a 2-1 home loss to league leaders Napoli. The goal was Rossi’s ninth of the season and the New Jersey born striker is currently Serie A’s leading scorer, sitting atop a list that includes names like Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Balotelli.
Eleven match days in and Rossi is on the cusp of a breakout season with the Viola in Italy. The anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered at Villarreal in Spain now seems to be behind him and has more than justified the 10 million euros the Italian outfit splashed for him in the transfer market last January.
His recent hat trick against Juventus led a brilliant comeback against the reigning Serie A champions, inspiring his side to come from 2-0 down to win 4-2.
Of course as inspiring as his performances have been this season, the subject of Giuseppe Rossi will always remain a sore one for American soccer fans. In a nation where the at times still-struggling Jozy Altidore competes with a relative unknown quantity like Aron Johannsson to lead the line; watching a player whose Twitter bio reads, “Been around the world… Hometown is always NJ,” but still opted to play for Italy not the U.S., blossom into one of the deadliest strikers in Europe leaves a bittersweet taste in one’s mouth.
In 2006, Rossi was courted by then-USA coach Bruce Arena ahead of the World Cup. But by then the striker had made the decision to play for Italy.
While it remains a difficult pill for U.S. fans to swallow, it’s not impossible to see the player’s side of things. After all, Rossi was in his teens at the time, on the books at Manchester United and playing on loan at Newcastle United. By then he’d already represented Italy at just about every level from U16 to U21.
Most teenage players at that stage in their careers, if offered a chance to play for a team that had a pretty good chance of qualifying for the World Cup or a team that had a pretty good chance of winning it could hardly be blamed for choosing the latter.
Yet despite his 20 goals for Italy, Rossi has yet to feature for the Azzurri in a major tournament, apart from the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2009 Confederations Cup (where he scored against the United States).
Although with the Fiorentina man on his current form and Balotelli floundering, it would seem that Rossi would have to be in the conversation for selection when it comes to Italy’s squad for Brazil next summer.
Still, with his club career in full flight again and with the country of his birth fielding a dynamic, capable, vastly-improved team that’s nonetheless, still crying out for a world class striker, one can only wonder if Rossi too from time to time allows himself to ponder what might have been.
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Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina, Italy, USA &amp; what might have been - World Soccer Talk

Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina, Italy, USA & what might have been

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As we enter July, the summer transfer market is sure to ratchet up to a fever pitch. Over the next few weeks we will focus on the top targets who may potentially make a move to or with Serie A. Today we focus on one of Italy brightest young stars, Giuseppe Rossi.
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Rossi began his professional career when Manchester United purchased his contract from Parma as a 17 year old. As a teenager, he was perhaps the most exciting prospect in the United States player pool, so people were a bit surprised when he didn’t blossom right away for United.
But blossom he certainly has. After joining Villareal in 2007, his game has improved every year and Rossi is now a bonafide superstar in the making. This season he scored 32 goals in 56 appearances for the Spanish side and is worth the millions many thought he would be worth when he was just that kid from Jersey who American soccer fans were begging to play for their national team.

Now it seems inevitable his career will continue an upward trajectory with a bigger club, with teams from all over Europe being linked with the striker. Rossi’s name has been mentioned as a potential target for nearly every club with money to spend, including the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Tottenham. A couple of weeks it looked like Barca was going to be the place, but that deal has apparently collapsed, leaving Rossi with many other options to choose from should Villareal get the price they are looking for.
Rossi has always professed his love for the Azzurri and has been quite open about wanting to play regularly for Italy. To achieve that goal, it would seem to me that a move to one of Serie A’s biggest clubs would make the most sense. But that possibility seems less likely each passing day.
Juventus had been the club most linked to Rossi, and they even made it known publicly how much they coveted him. But the Old Lady seems to have her sights set on Sergio Aguero and have said they would not sign more than one high-priced player. Also, Juventus can not offer Rossi Champions League football, something a player moving for big money usually looks for. He would easily become one of Juve’s top attackers but that door is rapidly closing. Should Juve fail in their attempt to sign Aguero, they may turn their attention back to Rossi.
Juventus is certainly not the only team on the peninsula who would love the services of this brilliant young Italian goalscorer, but right now they seem to be the only team showing any real interest. Fans of the Azzurri would love nothing better than to see Rossi take his game to the next level in Serie A. There is still a chance that might happen, if not a smaller chance than we once may have thought. While Rossi may not be the transfer target most likely to wind up in Serie A, he certainly is one whose international dreams may benefit most by making such a move.

Could Giuseppe Rossi Be Serie A Bound? - World Soccer Talk

Could Giuseppe Rossi Be Serie A Bound?

<div id="attachment_3164" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/04/Roman-Theater-Malaga.jpg"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>The Roman Theater in Málaga was discovered in 1951, and its origins date back to the time of the Roman Empire and Caesar Augustus.</div>
With El Clásico in the rear-view mirror, La Liga continues forward with a mid-week round that will help shape the European and relegation battles.
For Real Madrid, a mid-week match should be good for them so that they can move on quickly from a mentally and physically draining edition of El Clásico.&nbsp; With Barcelona holding a three-point lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker over Real Madrid, Los Merengues know that any slip-up in their final seven matches will spell certain doom if they have any aspirations of reclaiming La Liga from Barcelona.&nbsp; They journey to Andalucía and encounter an Almería side that were played off the pitch by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Despite that setback, Juan Manuel Lillo has led Almería to a second-half renaissance and sit a comfortable eleven points above the drop zone.&nbsp; He will have to right his defense that were dizzied by Athletic Club to counter an angry Real Madrid.&nbsp; Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín, and their teammates will want to prove a point that they have not given up on the season, and Manuel Pellegrini knows that if he does not win out, the axe will likely fall on him.
A few weeks ago, the teams involved in the fight for the final Champions League spot and the two Europa League berths mired in mediocrity, as none of them seized the race by the throat.&nbsp; Those same teams will regret not taking advantage of the previous situation because they now are all playing well with the season peaking to its climax.
Villarreal and Getafe currently stand as the first two teams outside of the final Europa League place, and they meet in the late Tuesday kickoff in a critical match that could eliminate the loser from European contention.&nbsp; Getafe has only lost one of their last seven matches with a 3-3-1 record.&nbsp; Getafe has adjusted well without Roberto Soldado as their lone striker.&nbsp; Miku continues to deputize for Soldado, and Manu and Pedro León have stepped up to share the scoring load with Miku in Soldado’s absence.
After Real Madrid obliterated Villarreal 6-2 in late February, the Yellow Submarine has sailed smoothly in La Liga.&nbsp; Villarreal has played even better than Getafe recently, losing only one of their last eight matches with a 5-2-1 record.&nbsp; Juan Carlos Garrido shifted from Ernesto Valverde’s 4-2-3-1 to a more attacking 4-3-3, and their recent results speak for themselves.&nbsp; The forward trio of Joseba Llorente flanked by Nilmar on his right and Giuseppe Rossi on his left has given stability to an attack that sputtered throughout the majority of the season.
Villarreal has only won twice in fifteen away matches this season, but they won their most recent away trip at Real Valladolid.&nbsp; While Getafe is light years ahead of the supine Pucela, Villarreal’s confidence remains at a season high, and it will be the jobs of Derek Boateng and Fabio Celestini to disrupt Villarreal’s passing football in the midfield.
Athletic Bilbao, in opposition to Getafe and Villarreal, control their own destiny in terms of European qualification.&nbsp; Two points ahead of Villarreal for the final Europa League spot and three points behind Sevilla for the final Champions League place, Joaquin Caparrós’ squad looks poised to return to Europe next season.&nbsp; At this point of the calendar last season, the only objective was the Copa del Rey final because they were well behind the European spots as well as far enough above the relegation zone to be secure in the top flight.
Athletic Bilbao travel to the Mestalla on Thursday night to face a Valencia club whose seemingly inevitable third place finish has suddenly come into question.&nbsp; Gutted by their elimination from the Europa League by Atlético Madrid, Los Che were a shell of themselves on Sunday when they lost to Mallorca 3-2, a score that hid their deficiencies that night.&nbsp; Sevilla and Mallorca are only five points behind them for automatic qualification into the group stage of the Champions League, and Valencia cannot continue to dwell on their continental dismissal.
Valencia’s defense took another injury hit when Hedwiges Maduro was forced to leave the Mallorca game early, and when midfielder Manuel Fernandes filled in for Maduro in central defense, the results were horrific.&nbsp; Already missing Bruno Saltor, Carlos Marchena, Jérémy Mathieu, Ángel Dealbert, and Miguel Monteiro, Valencia cannot afford to add Maduro to the training room staff’s responsibilities.
Although Éver Banega has apologized for his petulant behavior following his substitution in the second half of the Mallorca game, that ugly episode is an instance of the growing frustration in the Valencia squad over their recent poor play, and if they do not significantly improve by 10:00 PM local time on Thursday night, Athletic Bilbao will roll past them and give Sevilla and Mallorca a chance to move within two points of Valencia.
The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Note: ESPN 360 has rebranded itself as ESPN3.
Apr. 13
Real Valladolid vs. Sevilla – 1:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456
Getafe vs. Villarreal – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Apr. 14
Racing Santander vs. Espanyol – 1:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456
Osasuna vs. Málaga – 1:45 PM on DirecTV channel 457
Atlético Madrid vs. Xerez – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Mallorca vs. Real Zaragoza – 1:55 PM on Gol TV
Barcelona vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Apr. 15
Almería vs. Real Madrid – 1:55 PM on Gol TV
Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao – 3:55 PM on Gol TV
Unfortunately, the Sporting Gijón – Tenerife match at El Molinon will not be shown on US TV.

Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina, Italy, USA & what might have been

Fiorentina

Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina, Italy, USA & what might have been

Giuseppe Rossi

Could Giuseppe Rossi Be Serie A Bound?

Almería

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 32: Apr. 13 – Apr. 15