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BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
So, after scoring two goals against his country of birth, Giuseppe Rossi has become a really hot international item down in South Africa. He is both coveted abroad and reviled in his former home by people who are just trying to act like they care about something they really don't care that much about.
This is just a case of American soccer fans trying to act passionate. Stop posing, people. Rossi is as Italian as espresso and just because that specialty has enjoyed success on these shores, too doesn't mean it's not still an Italian drink.
Everyone, including the 400 people on Facebook who have labeled Rossi a traitor (Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley are so far not reported to be among them), knows that Rossi made a smart, bold and justified move by staying with the Italian soccer federation throughout his young career. They're just trying to act like European soccer fans.
Born in Teaneck, Rossi left Jersey when he was 12, and by that time his father, an Italian immigrant, had done most of his coaching and training. After that, in the Parma youth program and under the guidance of the Italian national soccer federation and then in England and Spain, Rossi became a genuine international talent. Yes, he may have kicked his first ball in Northern Jersey, but overall The United States and New Jersey Youth soccer had little to do with his development.And it is thoroughly doubtful that the people who claim Rossi is a traitor to American soccer were also arguing that Tab Ramos should have been playing for Uruguay, where he was born, or that Freddy Adu, who was born in Ghana and moved to the U.S. when he was eight, should have been playing for Ghana.
But all this misses the most interesting point about the 22-year-old Rossi, who is now being tentatively pursued by Juventus. More than a bi-national star, Rossi represents a new twist in the impressive development of American soccer of the last two decades.
It used to be that, in the days following the frat boys of 1990, American soccer depended on mercenaries from real soccer-playing nations, guys like Roy Wegerle and especially Thomas Dooley, who couldn't sing two bars of the Star Spangled banner or tell you the difference between Jersey City and a Devils Jersey.
Dooley was German, the son of a U.S. military man, and didn't speak enough English to order a slice of Pizza when he first came over. And although Wegerle was steeped in American culture having gone to the University of South Florida and played in the old NASL, he was about as American as beans on toast.
But in the old days the United States needed players from other countries just to compete. Fifteen years later an American player is making an impact for one of the most successful and revered international sides in footballing history. Yes, it's a bit of an anomaly, because we've already established that he is more Italian than American. But it's still an interesting turnabout, and with the quality of youth soccer in America growing each year, it's bound to happen again.
However, what is more likely to occur in the future is that players like Adu, who immigrate from developing countries to the United States, will choose to play for America rather than for Nigeria or Honduras or Korea or even Uruguay, because the U.S. will offer a better chance to make the World Cup, and perhaps even advance in it.
That's what Rossi did, and you can't honestly blame him. The guy had a dream to play for the Azzurri, took a challenging route to get there, and by always choosing to play for Italy's youth teams, never wavered or tried to hedge his bets.
Now Juventus has joined Inter Milan and Genoa as two of the top Italian clubs looking to sign him. Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, the chairman of Juventus already seemed to be negotiating with Rossi when discussing his up and down performance down in South Africa this week.
"Rossi is a great player and he was fundamental against the USA," Gigli said in an interview with Tuttosport, "but less so in the second game and this means players values go up and down."
Apparently his performance Sunday against Brazil will go a long way in determining his wages. Rossi said that playing in the Serie A is his dream, but if he can put together an impressive run during the remainder of this friendly tournament, he could find himself anywhere, including back in England, or perhaps he will remain in Spain.
The last time he played in Italy was a big success. On loan to Parma from Manchester United, he managed to score nine goals in only 19 games.
So don't be mad at Rossi. There are bigger issues facing American soccer, like developing a league good enough to keep its best players and also prepare them for stiff international competition. When that day comes, there will be five or six Rossis playing for the U.S.
