Endeavoring to populate this new blog... We'll get a preview of the Confederations Cup before it goes down, but Monday's kick-off and the Jermaine Jones story bring the dual citizen issue to the forefront.The United States will face Italy on Monday in South Africa, and come face-to-face with an expatriot, if that isn't too cruel a term. Giuseppe Rossi, the 5'8" Villarreal striker, was born to Italian immigrants in New Jersey and spent his first 13 years in the United States. His mom was a teacher at a NJ high school, while his father coached soccer there.
At 13, he was good enough to go overseas, and his family moved to Italy. Rossi went on to play for Manchester United, Newcastle and Parma before moving to La Liga.
He never made a secret of his desire to play for Italy, and indeed chose the Azzurri over his birth nation when the time came to call a country. The Italians are a national team he felt -- rightly so -- had a much richer tradition and passion for the game than the States. I get it, but his path since then has felt anything but clean, including telling America he'd play for the States if they included him in the 2006 World Cup squad. Essentially, it was two-sided: hope for Sam's Army and a threat to Italy's higher-ups.
Maybe it's wrong, but when I read that Rossi roots for the United States, I think "Take a hike, pal." He's said Monday's game will be emotional for him. Terrific. I'll be emotional thinking that perhaps Landon Donovan would give a little more if you were pushing him. Perhaps he'd net a goal that wasn't in the waning moments or a PK earned by another player. Maybe he'd find a way to play off of Clint Dempsey a little better.
I'm not blind: I know Freddy Adu moved here when he was 8, and that a great many of American nationals have parents from outside the States.
So yes, I'm a little bitter, and I won't be pulling for Rossi come Monday.
Are you sure you're not bitter that he spurned Newcastle?
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