U.S. administrators and coaches often fail to project the future of players. And the U.S. soccer system lags behind those of Europe and South America.
Let's use Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as examples. Both Messi (Barcelona) and Ronaldo (Sporting Lisbon) were recruited to clubs as 12-year-olds. Messi, like Rossi, was slight of build; in fact, he was given steroids because it was thought he could be suffering from a physical defect which stunted his growth.
Rossi also got into the club system as a 12-year-old, leaving New Jersey for Parma. Scouts at Barcelona, Parma, and Sporting recognized the innate talents of these players, making that a priority over size and strength. Ronaldo matured early physically. Messi and Rossi will never be much bigger or stronger than they were when they were in their late teens, but their exceptional savvy and skill more than compensate for lack of size.
The MLS' recently-established development program is a crucial step toward recruiting young talent. MLS teams must have incentive to bring in promising youngsters, or else the Rossi-type players will continue to either get away or simply not be given a chance.
Rossi's transfer for 11 million euros from Manchester United to Villareal two years ago is a record move for a U.S.-born player, one which will likely be broken the next time he moves. After scoring twice in Italy's 3-1 win over the U.S. in Rustenburg Monday, Rossi, 22, has established himself as a key part of the Azzurri for next year's World Cup.
The last U.S.-born player to score for Italy was Alfonso Negro, in a 2-1 win over Norway Aug. 10, 1936 during the Berlin Olympics. Negro was born in Clinton, Ind., near Terre Haute, returning to Italy with his family as a youngster and performing for Fiorentina.
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