On Tuesday, second-tier Bundesliga club Greuther Fürth footballers Julian Green and Maximilian Dietz spoke with US media. Teammates at a club level, the duo shared their desire to convince Mauricio Pochettino for a national team call-up. In addition to a wide range of soccer topics, they also touched upon the upcoming US presidential election.
US connection at Greuther Fürth in Dietz and Green
Green and Dietz played together in a double-pivot midfield in Furth’s emphatic 4-0 win away at Jahn Regensburg last month. While the former Bayern Munich player made the permanent shift to orchestrating the play from a defensive midfield position, Dietz returns to playing center-back in Alexander Zorniger’s back-three system.
“It’s a nice feeling to have Max on the field,” Green said about his compatriot. “It’s a good feeling to have another American around. I hope we’ll be here together for the next couple of years.”
If that happens, the 29-year-old all-rounder will have a strong chance at jumping into the top ten of Furth’s all-time appearance makers. On Saturday, he’s expected to make his 200th cap for the club nicknamed Cloverleaves. That wasn’t the initial plan as he spent the previous four years playing for three clubs before joining them in 2018.
“In the beginning, I didn’t feel like I’d be here for long, to be honest. But it’s very crucial to have a club that treats you as an important player,” Green said. “I’m happy that I found Furth. It’s like a home for me.”
Dietz shares that feeling. The 22-year-old is very thankful to his club for allowing him to participate in the Olympics last month. “I’m very grateful for them to release me, even though that means I missed the entire preseason.”
“A huge experience to play at the Olympics”
However, Dietz was unable to play a big part in the U23 tournament. Because of fitness issues, he missed the start of the preparation for the country’s first Olympics appearance in men’s football since 2008.
“It was a huge experience. Marko (Mitrovic) knew I wasn’t fully fit for the tournament, but he let me be part of the team. It was clear I wasn’t going to play 90 minutes,” he recalls their time in France. “It was a great group of players. We bonded well and played poker every night.”
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get as far as we wanted with our goal to get a medal. But we did well to represent the values of US soccer,” Dietz adds.
USMNT prospect under Pochettino
For both players, representing the senior national team is the main target. Dietz believes the squad that participates in the Olympic Games is ready to leapfrog. “Myself included, we’re ambitious to take the next step. But, in terms of chances, it’s up to other people to decide,” he said.
Green, who scored against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup at the age of 19, last played for USMNT in 2018. He also leaves the judgment to the decision-makers when pressed about his extended time away from the national team.
“It’s a question for the last coach (Gregg Berhalter). Everyone has their own style and maybe his own players he prefers a little bit more. That’s soccer. The decision relies on the coach,” he recounted.
On the subject of the national team coach, Pochettino is finally unveiled as the new man. Although they look forward to the ideas of the Argentinian, Green and Dietz believe their efforts will remain the same.
“I always have the same mindset. I’ll do everything on the pitch to be back to the national team one day,” Green said. Dietz adds “The new coach doesn’t have an impact on the change in my mindset. No matter the coach, you’ve to perform and you need to play consistently at the highest level at your club.”
They still see the chance at a fresh start for US soccer, though. “Of course, if there is a new coach, it’s the same as in club football. There is probably a chance for every player. I’ve to do my work here in Furth and I can’t control the other things,” Green mentioned. “My goal is to play for the national team”
Dietz shared his enthusiasm for getting to know the coach on his first days at the job. “I obviously have the goal of joining the men’s national team. I’m very interested in what a new coach has to say and what he wants to see from players that have the chance to play,” Dietz added.
A decent start to the new campaign for Green and Dietz at Greuther Fürth
Winning promotion with Greuther Furth would go a long way in boosting the chances of Dietz and Green. The Green and Whites had a great start to the season before the home draw to Elversberg and their first defeat at struggling Eintracht Braunschweig.
“We had a good start, but the last two games weren’t so good,” Green conceded. “I missed the first game. But the team started pretty well without me. And that’s important to us. Now we should make sure to stabilize that and develop further” Dietz adds.
Before October’s international break, Furth will have two challenging fixtures. After this weekend’s game against league leaders Fortuna Dusseldorf, they will travel to third-placed Magdeburg.
For Green, Germany’s second tier gets more interesting this season. “We say it every year that it’s the best second division, but this year is absolutely like that. There are lots of top teams. If we see the stadiums we play, it feels like Bundesliga,” he said.
“As last week shows, there are no easy games. Not only in terms of club size but also in its competitiveness,” Dietz agreed.
Green predicts a massive win for his former club
Green recalled his time at Bayern as “the best club in the world at the time” and “the best squad I ever had.” And he expects them to come out on top when they host defending champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
“Xabi (Alonso) was a great teammate of mine. A great player as well. I don’t know Vincent Kompany very well, but Bayern are much stronger than last season,” Green said. “It’ll be very tight, but I think Bayern will win in the end.”
Under the former RB Leipzig coach Zorniger, Green is now playing the Xabi role at Furth. For him, it doesn’t make a huge difference. “If you play a little bit deeper, you’re more involved in the buildup. If you play behind the striker, you’ll have more shots at goal and offensive actions,” Green explains. “It’s different, but I don’t really care as I can play both positions”
He values the importance of playing alongside top players, however. According to Transfermarkt, Furth’s captain Branimir Hrgota is the player who featured the most alongside Green.
“Branimir is a great player. If you play with good players, you understand the game of soccer well. I’m very happy he’s in our team and he’s the captain. It makes the game much easier for me. Our connection is always good,” Green concludes.
Registered to vote
In six weeks, the US will hold its presidential election. As citizens of the country, both confirmed to World Soccer Talk that they’ll cast their votes.
“I’m registered to vote, and I’ve also followed the election. I’m also in touch with my family at home,” Dietz said. Green followed suit as he assured us by simply saying “Same here.”
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
