When the US hosts archrival Mexico next week in a World Cup tuneup, the roster will be almost entirely MLS-based. But all eyes will be trained on one of the rare exceptions: phenom Julian Green.
The talented 18-year-old has come up through the ranks at Bayern Munich, champions of the German Bundesliga. Green — a dual citizen of Germany and the US, with a German mother and American father — played for Germany in qualifying for the UEFA U-19 championship, but later chose to throw his lot in with the Americans.
“Julian is very ambitious,’’ coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a US Soccer Q&A. “He knows about his qualities. He knows about the club where he trains every day with Arjen Robben, with Franck Ribery, with big players who are on the big stage for a long period of time. I think he has the confidence to come in and say, ‘If the coach gives me the chance to play there, I want to show him that I want to go to Brazil.’”
Green — who came to US camp before a recent friendly against Ukraine to get a feel for the team — applied to FIFA for a one-time change of association that lets him play for the US. After being given the green light by FIFA on Monday, he declared his soccer citizenship as American. The US hosts El Tri in Glendale, Ariz., on April 2 in front of an expected crowd of 47,000.
“We tell him the same as we did when he came into camp prior to the Ukraine game: To make himself feel comfortable, to get connected with his teammates, to get to know them,’’ Klinsmann said.
“I know we have awesome leaders in our group that will put a hand around Julian and make him feel comfortable, make him feel welcome. Also just to enjoy the training sessions and show us what he is capable of doing. There’s no reason to be nervous at all. It’s just a one-step-at-a-time process that he’s going through.’’
Led by Seattle’s Clint Dempsey, LA’s Landon Donovan and Toronto’s Michael Bradley, 19 of the 22 players on the roster are based domestically. The Puebla duo of DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Orozco play in Mexico.
“Everyone knows the clock is ticking,’’ Klinsmann said. “This is a huge opportunity for our players to show where they are at and to make their case. We expect them to give a really strong performance against a Mexican team that is now basically coming back on track. They need to prove now that they badly want to go to Brazil.’’