Top 10 USMNT-Eligible Players Who Chose Not to Play for the U.S.
There are some big names on this list. Which player do you think would help the USMNT most?
The United States Men’s National Team has the competitive advantage of representing a ‘melting pot’ of cultures. Whether your ancestors came to the U.S. through immigration or they are Native Americans the U.S. is blessed with a cultural influence that spreads not only domestically, but internationally. Following the Second World War the United States decided to spread its influence by establishing military bases around the world. From Germany to South Korea and everywhere in-between, the United States has citizens on just about every continent in all corners of the glob. Without diving too far into politics or geopolitical history let’s stick to the topic at hand, and stick to this week’s topic.
As the world becomes increasingly globalized so do the people that inhabit it. Many of those military personal, immigrants, etc. may have decided to settle in the states for good while others have emigrated & started families elsewhere outside of the U.S. I won’t continue to bore you with the specifics but this is an important side note before I break down this list.
I want to take a minute to analyze the current USMNT starting linuep. I will use the Nations League Final against Mexico as our standard XI considering Berhalter picked his ‘best XI’ available to represent the U.S. in this final:
Just in this lineup alone Brooks, Yedlin, Dest, Reyna, and Pulisic all possess the ability to play for a European team through their mother, father, or even grandparents. In fact Sergino Dest was originally representing the Netherlands, and JohnBrooks (Germany), before they decided to make the permanent switch to represent the USMNT.
Fortunately for the USMNT players like Dest, Brooks, Yunus Musah, and in the past Jermaine Jones & Fabian Johnson have also picked the U.S. over other countries (countries they may have even been born and raised in).
So what other players could represent the U.S.? Which global super-stars have ties to the USMNT, but decided to represent a different country?
Before I break down the ‘Top 10’ eligible USMNT players I would like to set the guidelines for the list. In order to be considered for this list a player must still be active. The players on this list will be chosen for the full-body of their time as a pro, potential, and overall influence for club, and country.
So without further ado…here are the Top 10 USMNT-Eligible Players Who Chose Not to Play for the U.S.:
10) Jeremy Toljan | 26 | Sassuolo
Jeremy Toljian was born in Germany to an American father and a Croatian mother. The Sassuolo left back currently plays his soccer in Serie A and has also represented Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund, and Celtic in his career thus far. Toljian has played the majority of his international career for Germany at the youth levels. At 26 years old he is eligible for U.S. citizenship through his father but he has turned down multiple call-ups for the USMNT. An intriguing player competing in Italy his opportunity to represent the U.S. has most likely passed him by with players like: Dest, Robinson, and Cannon in the mix.
9) Darren Randolph | 34 | West Ham United
Darren Randolph was at one time eligible to play for the USMNT through his father. Darren was born to an Irish mother and an American father Ed Randolph (his father was signed to play in the Irish Basketball League). At 36 years old Darren has had quite the career. A player who has represented teams in the Scottish Premiership, English Championship, and Premier League, Randolph has competed at some of the highest levels in European soccer. Darren made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2012 and it is safe to say that with the likes of Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and other goalkeepers back in the 2012 in terms of playing time, he made the right choice representing Ireland.
8) Gōtoku Sakai | 30 | Vissel Kobe
Gōtoku Sakai was born in New York City, New York on March 14th, 1991. He was born to a German mother and a Japanese father, but was eligible to represent the U.S. through being born on U.S. soil. Sakai has played his soccer in the German Bundesliga for VfB Stuttgart, and Hamburger SV. Saki has also played in the Japanese J1 League having come up as a professional through the Albirex Niigata youth system, and now Sakai finds himself playing for Japan’s more high profiled club, Vissel Kobe (thanks to the recent signings of David Villa, Andres Iniesta, and Lukas Podolski). Having represented Japan 42 times including in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sakai announced his international retirement following the World Cup. A talented defender, Sakai could have found himself a spot on the USMNT during his prime.
7) Rogelio Gabriel Funes Mori | 30 | Monterrey
Rogelio Funes Mori was born on March 5th, 1991 in Mendoza, Argentina. The current Monterrey striker has been playing in Liga MX since 2015. Rogelio has additionally suited up for the likes of River Plate and Benfica. In 2001 Rogelio Funes Mori and his family…including his brother, Ramiro Funes Mori (who may be featured further down this list) moved stateside to Arlington, Texas. Once in Texas Rogelio Funes Mori dominated the local soccer-scene during his time in the U.S. In the 2008 season while in high school Rogelio Funes Mori scored 40 goals in one season leading his team to District Champions and the eventual Area Finalist. Rogelio and his twin brother Ramiro would lead their high school team to a record of 24–2–1.
Rogelio Funes Mori would later be noticed during the realty show, Sueño MLS. Rogelio would end up winning the competition and subsequently landing himself a spot on FC Dallas’s academy team. In total he spent 7 years in the U.S. before returning to Argentina where he would make his professional appearance for River Plate in 2009. At Monterrey Rogelio Funes Mori has proven to be on of league's best strikers. In Liga MX he has won a league title, two domestic cups and the CONCACAF Champions League. Rogelio Funes Mori also recently tied Humberto Suazo to become the club's all-time top scorer in all competitions. In a strange turn of events he is currently representing the Mexican National Team scoring his first goal for El-Tri this year against Nigeria.
6) Ramiro Funes Mori | 30 | Villareal
Arguably the more internationally well known brother of the Funes Mori duo is Ramiro. Ramiro Funes Mori was also born on March 5th, 1991 in Mendoza, Argentina. Ramiro moved to the U.S. with Rogelio back in 2001 and also was signed by FC Dallas’s Academy team. Like Rogelio he would then sign for River Plate spending three years in their academy before making his pro debut in 2011. After solidifying himself as one of the best young defenders in the Argentine Primera División, Ramiro Funes Mori would make a move to Premier League for a fee of £9.5 million. He would play for Everton for four seasons before moving to La Liga in 2018. In 2018 Ramiro would transfer for an undisclosed fee to Villarreal where he’d eventually be part of the team that beat Manchester United this past season to win UEFA Europa League in 2020-21. With 26 appearances for Argentina’s National Team it is safe to say that Ramiro Funes Mori would be a fixture for the USMNT had he decided to represent the U.S.
5) Vedad Ibišević | 36 | Unattached
Vedad Ibišević was born on August 6th, 1984 in the city of Vlasenica of the former soccer powerhouse, Yugoslavia. Although he is currently unattached to a team he has yet to formally announce his retirement and for that reason, he is eligible for this list. Ibišević would move to the United States with his family in 2001 where he would play for Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He would go on to play college soccer for the St. Louis Billikens in 2003. During his freshman year Vedad would score 18 goals and four assists in 22 appearances. It would be during his time competing in the Premier Development League that Ibišević would be spotted by then Paris Saint-Germain's Bosnian manager, Vahid Halilhodžić. The rest would be history.
Vedad would go on to spend the majority of his career in the German Bundesliga representing: 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart, Hertha BSC, and Schalke 04. Ibišević would make 83 appearance for Bosnia and Herzegovina during his international career. In addition to being the 2008 Bosnian Footballer of the Year and scoring 28 goals for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vedad also scored in the 2014 World Cup vs. Argentina. Vedad Ibišević is the best product of a proud Bosnian community in St. Louis.
In a 2008 New York Times article Vedad Ibišević was interviewed and asked the question, “…Could you have played for the U.S. and did you ever hear from the national team,” Vedad responded:
I have a green card and my sister is a citizen. But I never had anybody coming up to me asking me, nothing really…at the time I would have considered it, I really liked the whole situation with St. Louis, and probably if someone would have approached me I probably would have played for the U.S. national team. It is difficult now to talk about because it already past. It would have been possible of course, after all that I got by moving to America, it was very nice, I would of course considered giving something back.
4) Neven Subotic | 32 | SC Rheindorf Altach
Neven Subotic is mostly known for his time suiting up for the Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund. Like Veda, Subotic was also born in Yugoslavia on December 10th, 1988. Subotic’s family would move to the United States in 1999 settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. Neven Subotic would then move a second time with his family to Bradenton, Florida. Although the family originally moved there to support his sister Natalija in pursuing a tennis career at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Subotic would be the one to benefit most out of the move to Florida. At the time Bradenton, Florida was the base for the U.S. U-17 National Team.
One day while Subotic was training at the park her was spotted by the team’s head coach, John Ellinger. Subotic would be offered a spot in the residency camp. It wasn’t long before he was once again spotted by a scout this time in the Netherlands. Subotic would catch the eye of the Bundesliga side, 1. FSV Mainz 05. He would first play for their second team and then eventually appear in 34 matches for Mainz 05. Neven Subotic would hit it off with then head coach, Jurgen Klopp. Klopp would bring him over to Borussia Dortmund and the rest was history. Neven Subotic was capped 36 times with Serbia including his appearances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
3) Thomas Delaney | 29 | Borussia Dortmund
One of the stars of Denmark’s Semi-Final European Championship run was Thomas Delaney. Delaney is an Irish last name and like many Irish Americans, his paternal great grandfather moved from Ireland to the United States during the Great Famine. Delaney was born in Denmark but his father has U.S. citizenship due to being born and raised in the U.S.A. Through his fathers side Thomas Delaney could represent the USMNT.
Delaney spent his youth career at F.C. Copenhagen. He would come up through Copenhagen’s youth ranks to make his professional debut in April of 2009. At 29 years of age Thomas Delaney was quick to become a professional and he has enjoyed a sustained career for Copenhagen, Werder Bremen, and most recently for Borussia Dortmund. Delaney was a member of Denmark’s 2018 FIFA World Cup squad and he was also included on the 2020 EURO team scoring in the quarter-finals vs. the Czech Republic.
2) Giuseppe Rossi | 26 | Unattached
Giuseppe Rossi is notoriously the one player that the USMNT fans can’t get over. The prolific Italian National Team, Serie A, and La Liga striker was born & raised in Teaneck, New Jersey to Italian immigrants. In addition to being first generation Italian-American his parents were also Italian teachers at local schools. Giuseppe Rossi not only spoke the language but understood Italian culture, and after years of the USMNT knocking on his door, he committed to play for Italy in 2007. Rossi would go on to represent Italy 30 times, scoring 7 goals.
Giuseppe Rossi represented several teams over the years at the club level. Rossi played in the Premier League for the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United. Rossi would play in Serie A for Parma, Fiorentina, and Genoa. He would additionally play in La Liga for Villarreal, Levante, and Celta Vigo. The most success Rossi found was in the 2010-2011 season for Villarreal where he scored 32 goals in 56 appearances for El Submarino Amarillo. Rossi would return stateside to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer during the 2020 season. He is currently without contract but has not officially announced his retirement from soccer.
1) Trent Alexander Arnold | 22 | Liverpool FC
Last but certainly not least, Trent Alexander Arnold. TAA is one of the best right backs in the world and he is only 22 years old. The Liverpool FC club legend currently represents England but at one time was eligible to play for the USMNT through his maternal grandmother. Since being capped for the English National Team in 2018 he has gone on to play 13 times for the Three Lions. Trent Alexander Arnold is the youngest on the list but there are many who say that he is currently the best right back in the world. Considering it’s only taken TAA five professional seasons to reach this status, I would say the sky is the limit for Trent Alexander Arnold. One thing is for certain, we would love to have him suiting up for the USMNT (if only).
So that does it for the ‘Top 10 USMNT-Eligible Players Who Chose Not to Play for the U.S.’ I hope you enjoyed this selection and let me know, did I miss anyone? I’d love to hear of other soccer stars who could have represented the United States.
I look forward to next week’s article and in the meantime, GO USMNT!