Part Time Patriots

FIFA's adjustment of who is eligible for a national team seems to benefit the US. Under the new rules a player who has appeared for a national team at youth or olympic level, or only played in friendlies can then pull on another shirt, provided he meets citizenship requirements. There is the well publicized case of Jermaine Jones, the German holding midfielder who played three friendlies for his country but never appeared in competition. He has an American father and is thus eligible for the US team and recently stated his desire to play for them. And then there is this: Edgar Castillo, born in the US and an American citizen wants to play for America despite having appeared in olympic qualifiers for Mexico.

Of course this is good for the US, which is good for the game domestically, which I like. But I have to admit I am not crazy about this rule. In my opinion players should have very compelling reasons to wear the shirt of a country they were not born in. Those situations exist, for sure, but legitimate reasons for doing so do not include not being able to get a game (Jones) or the new coach doesn't like me (Castillo). Pablo Mastroeni moved here as a child and grew up in the US, that is legitimate. Players whose families escaped persecution or political turmoil can play for the country that gave them asylum. Even someone who has heritage from outside their homeland and makes their career in the old country, without being tapped by their national squad, has an okay argument. Guys like Mauro Camoranesi and Mariano Pernia I don't have a huge problem. with. But I hate the idea of players jockeying around the world trying to find what shirt will give them the quickest route to appearing on the biggest athletic stage in the world. It is cheap and opportunistic and against everything international football should be about.

And before Mexicans start crying about losing Castillo, consider how many Argentines and Brazilians have made up their national team over the last decade. Guys that couldn't make their real national teams, but had no real connection to Mexico.