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...it seems talent DOESN'T abound ... out of 18 million "soccer" players... few qualify as talented 
Tutored in Germany, Playing for the U.S.
By BRIAN SCIARETTA
Published: November 10, 2011
As the United States men’s soccer team begins ambitiously looking toward the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it is beginning to redefine itself in a somewhat striking way, absorbing an increasing number of players who were born and raised in Germany and learned to play the game there with great skill.
All of these players have a similar profile. They have mothers who are German and fathers who were stationed in Germany as members of the United States military. As such, the players are American citizens, which allows them to join, and potentially bolster, a United States squad that over the last two decades has become competitive on the world stage, but hardly formidable.
The phenomenon that these players represent is not new. As far back as 1992, Thomas Dooley, a German-American player, joined the United States team, and he became the captain for the 1998 World Cup. He, too, had a German mother and a father who had been in the American military. But the current trend is more profound.
When the United States team takes on France on Friday afternoon in an exhibition game at the Stade de France north of Paris, about a quarter of the American roster — Timothy Chandler, Jermaine Jones, Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson and Alfredo Morales — will be more familiar with Germany than with the United States.
All five play professionally in the German Bundesliga, one of the elite leagues in the world, with a level of play significantly higher than that found in Major League Soccer, the top North American professional league.
Waiting in the wings behind those five are other German-American players who may also compete for a spot on the national team as 2014 draws closer. David Yelldell, a goalkeeper, made his United States national team debut against Paraguay in March. Six other German-Americans are on a separate roster being put together for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
All of this is occurring as the United States team is being guided by Jurgen Klinsmann, a former German star who replaced Bob Bradley as coach in late July. Klinsmann is clearly intrigued by the emergence of numerous players with a background in soccer so similar to his, and his presence as coach may make it easier for them to become integral members of the American team.
Full Hundred
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/sp...0soccer&st=cse
Tutored in Germany, Playing for the U.S.
By BRIAN SCIARETTA
Published: November 10, 2011
As the United States men’s soccer team begins ambitiously looking toward the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it is beginning to redefine itself in a somewhat striking way, absorbing an increasing number of players who were born and raised in Germany and learned to play the game there with great skill.
All of these players have a similar profile. They have mothers who are German and fathers who were stationed in Germany as members of the United States military. As such, the players are American citizens, which allows them to join, and potentially bolster, a United States squad that over the last two decades has become competitive on the world stage, but hardly formidable.
The phenomenon that these players represent is not new. As far back as 1992, Thomas Dooley, a German-American player, joined the United States team, and he became the captain for the 1998 World Cup. He, too, had a German mother and a father who had been in the American military. But the current trend is more profound.
When the United States team takes on France on Friday afternoon in an exhibition game at the Stade de France north of Paris, about a quarter of the American roster — Timothy Chandler, Jermaine Jones, Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson and Alfredo Morales — will be more familiar with Germany than with the United States.
All five play professionally in the German Bundesliga, one of the elite leagues in the world, with a level of play significantly higher than that found in Major League Soccer, the top North American professional league.
Waiting in the wings behind those five are other German-American players who may also compete for a spot on the national team as 2014 draws closer. David Yelldell, a goalkeeper, made his United States national team debut against Paraguay in March. Six other German-Americans are on a separate roster being put together for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
All of this is occurring as the United States team is being guided by Jurgen Klinsmann, a former German star who replaced Bob Bradley as coach in late July. Klinsmann is clearly intrigued by the emergence of numerous players with a background in soccer so similar to his, and his presence as coach may make it easier for them to become integral members of the American team.
Full Hundred
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/sp...0soccer&st=cse
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