The immediate sting of American-born Guiseppe Rossi’s two goals for Italy in a 3-1 win over the United States on Monday was far easier to bear than the lingering throb of the painful truths he exposed about the state of soccer in this country.
Although the 22-year-old Rossi was born and raised in New Jersey, he and his Italian immigrant parents did only what was logical 10 years ago when he was offered a spot in the training program at Parma — they took advantage and moved to Italy. He’s been there ever since, playing at such clubs as Manchester United before moving to his current team, Spain’s Villareal.
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Rossi’s love for his parents’ homeland and desire to play international soccer for the Italians instead of the United States was never in question, and for every player that spurns America, there are cases such as Freddy Adu, who chose the Red, White and Blue over his country of birth, Ghana, and German-born and -bred Jermaine Jones, the son of a former U.S. serviceman who recently stated he wants to switch his international allegiance.
But lagging player identification and development programs in the United States made Rossi’s choice to leave American soccer behind an easy one.
It is up to the U.S. Soccer Federation to build the kind of domestic youth training structure that attracts the best American-bred players. When young players are convinced the best place to hone their skills is in America, only then, when they have a choice, will they come to the same conclusion about playing for the U.S.
