Andy Najar will apparently end the mystery Tuesday afternoon. D.C. United has scheduled a press conference for 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday during which Najar will discuss his national team future and presumably pick which country he will represent, either his native Honduras or the United States. Najar, 18, burst onto the scene as an unheralded rookie when he signed with D.C. United as a Homegrown Player and started the first game of the 2010 season. The speedy winger created havoc on opposing defenses and was a very bright spot in an otherwise dismal campaign for D.C. last year, earning MLS Rookie of the Year honors. His national-team choice has been a point of contention for some time. Should Najar choose Hondruas, he could go directly into the senior squad for this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup (or the U-20 team for the World Cup should Honduras qualify). Should he chose the United States, he would have to wait out the citizenship process before playing for the U.S. national team.
as a Penn State fan this is the biggest recruiting decision show I've been a part of in a while. timing doesn't seem good for us though.
More like 4 more years. He got his green card just before the start of the 2010 MLS season, and need to have a green card for 5 years to apply for citizenship. Pre-9/11 we maybe could've got him and his family fast tracked, thanks a lot Bin Laden.
Najar watched those last two friendlies and thought "Shit I can't beat out that Chandler" But seriously I wish he'd pick us but with this timing you have to think he's going to go with his home country. Can't really blame him either he already is a celebrity there and will probably get very good pt if not start for them in the gold up.
would think if he was a couple years into the process that we'd have the better shot at landing him. oh well, at least the amount of youth talent we have in the coming up in the next few years will soften the blow of losing him.
Yeah it sucks we can't accommodate some of these kids sooner. Thank god others come as kids so we don't have to repeat this situation very often. I'd be pissed if Mwanga had to wait another 4 years till citizenship, then again at least Honduras is avg Congo is shit
I'd say 65-35 in favor of Honduras because he'd have to wait 4 years just to sniff practice with the USA. And I'm not sure he could apply for citizenship if he moved to Europe halfway through. Probably dead wrong on that last part though.
Where is his permanent residence? Of all countries I have a hard time believing that you'd want to consistently travel to Honduras especially when playing in WC's wouldn't be a given like it pretty much is here in the US.
I assume his residence is in DC. He wants to play for the USMNT but waiting 4 years while players the same age or younger get all that time to mesh hurts him. Don't know what is going through his head.
Chandler can and did play outside mid in the second half of the Paraguay game, but it was just a joke...
I can't see Najar picking any country besides Hondurus. If Najar could play for both right away I think the US would win out slightly, but nobody wants to wait 4 or 5 years possible more if Najar goes over to Europe to be able to play when Najar can play for at least an average team with a decent shot to qualify right away. Even if Najar picked the US, it would be difficult to sit and wait for years when he could play right away. Good player, but need to get his green card 2 years ago for us to have a legit chance in my opinion.
And with the case of Yura Movsisyan, moving to Europe could definitely increase the time in becoming a citizen. Our best chance would've been if his parents had received citizenship before he turned 18 y/o, which in turn would've given Andy citizenship, just like Adu many years ago. We're very fortunate Mwanga chose MLS instead of some of his French Ligue 1 offers.
DC United's Andy Najar chooses Honduras over US (AP) – 2 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — Hands stuffed in the pockets of his dark gray jeans, MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar slowly read a statement in Spanish to announce Tuesday that he wants to play international soccer for Honduras — and not his new home, the United States. "It was a decision that my heart told me," the 18-year-old D.C. United midfielder said, according to the translation provided by a team employee. "It came strictly from my heart." Born in Honduras, Najar moved to the U.S. when he was 13. He went to high school in Virginia, has a green card and eventually will be eligible for U.S. citizenship. The hardest part, Najar said, wasn't so much which country to choose but when to announce he'd made up his mind. "From the beginning," he said at a news conference at RFK Stadium, the home of United, "I was leaning toward Honduras." Najar (pronounced nah-HAR) listed three reasons for waiting to let everyone know: —he wanted to finish his high school studies, and that'll happen only weeks from now; —he wanted to play a full season with United, "to know if I was ready, physically and mentally"; —he wanted to focus during this MLS preseason on earning a spot in the starting lineup. "A lot has happened for the kid in a short amount of time, so I think he needed to focus on a full year of D.C. United," general manager Dave Kasper said. Najar had five goals and one assist in 26 MLS games with United last season, when he became the youngest player to win MLS rookie honors and the first to come directly from the youth academy level. United signed him from their youth ranks in March 2010. He's started two of United's three games in their 1-2 start this season. "One thing I've noticed this year is he's a lot more outgoing with his teammates. He's cracking jokes," Kasper said. "I think he's more comfortable to do that now, now that he's got a full year under his belt." The U.S. team is stocked with midfielders at the moment, and Honduras made it a national point of pride to have Najar wear its national jersey. While he said he didn't feel pressure from Honduran fans, Najar did acknowledge that the many "Honduras or U.S.?" questions he fielded became a distraction. Najar said he didn't ask other players for advice, instead seeking counsel only from "the most important people in my life," his parents. Not surprisingly, Tuesday's announcement was lauded in his country of birth. "We're very happy with Najar's decision," Honduras soccer federation secretary Alfredo Hawit told The Associated Press. "Each player has a duty to defend his country's colors and, by playing with our national team, we expect Najar to give his life on the field, along with his teammates." While the next World Cup isn't until 2014, Najar was asked whether he'll play in June's Gold Cup, the championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. "Obviously, if they call me," he said with a smile, "I'm ready to represent Honduras in the Gold Cup."
thats fine i get pissed when american born players play for whatever lesser country so i cant be upset about this
Yeah. I can't fault him. Separate question....he moved here at 13 and has a green card, but it would still take another 4-5 years to become a citizen?
You have to have a green card for 5 years to apply for citizenship, but I think his family was here on a tempory VISA or some other arrangment prior to them getting the green card, so his first 3-4 years in the country he wasn't working towards becoming a citinzen
OK. The article that I read earlier wasn't very clear about this (when he got a green card) and I wasn't sure how long the process took. Having done zero research, I'm under the impression that your clock on citizenship eligibility begins with getting a green card?
From the wiki page... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship_in_the_United_States#Naturalized_citizenship People applying to become citizens must satisfy certain requirements. For example, there have been requirements for applicants to have lived in the nation for five years (three if married to a U.S. citizen,) be of "good moral character" meaning no felony convictions, be of "sound mind" in the judgment of immigration officials, have knowledge of the Constitution, and be able to speak and understand English unless they're elderly or disabled.[36]
No they snuck in illegally. Here is a long but good article about his life. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/sports/18735.html
Good to see him playing for the country of his birth. It's annoying when guys switch allegiances just to play on better teams.
What about in Mwanga's situation where his father was murdered in his birth country and there is a civil war?
Birth country is a little too restrictive and personally I am all for making the process of changing affiliations more restrictive.