Report: Subotic chooses Serbia

According to a report out of Serbia picked up by Fox Sports, the Borussia Dortmund defender and former U.S. Under-17 national team player has decided to play for the Serbian national team. (U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati has called the report untrue)

Subotic has yet to speak publicly about a decision, but if he has chosen Serbia then it would end a lengthy saga that saw Subotic flirt with the possibility of playing for Germany before FIFA stepped in and ruled he would be unable to because he wasn't a German citizen before playing for the United States on the youth level.

This news comes less than a month after Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare made the decision to play for Mali rather than wait for citizenship and a chance to play for the United States.

Unlike Soumare, Giuseppe Rossi and Edgar Castillo, Subotic actually played for the United States on the youth level, making his decision an unfortunate one for the U.S. national team pool.

What do you think of this news? Surprised? Relieved that the saga is over? Upset that he didn't pick the United States?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[kidsqueya]

It seems like Fox just picked up the Serbian story w/o doing much digging. It's *seems* like the Serbian article was pretty much a fan-boy fluff piece.

Having said that, it does seem to be that he's leaning heavily towards Serbia.

Disappointing.

But still not official. :(

[William]

His call, but it sounds like his experiences with the US youth teams weren't good.

Best of luck to him no matter whom he chooses in the end.

[Mig]

Yeah, best of luck to the kid. Disappointing but the US defensive depth is pretty good and getting better all the time. Maybe young Franklin will continue to develop into something special.

[Krista]

Hope me makes it official soon. Knew he wouldn't pick the US just wish he would come out and finally say it.

[Chase]

This is unfortunate if true, especially seeing how the US development system basically enabled this kid to be playing where he is today, grant it he had to impress last season in Bundesliga2 to make it up to BD, but wow, what the hell did Rongen do to this kid. That said, it's his choice, have fun in Serbia, I've heard it is one of the most peaceful and friendly place on Earth...

[John]

Agree with Krista. Seems he knew all along that he would represent Serbia rather than the USA. For that matter, I have much more respect for Rossi since he outright stated that he would play for Italy. Rossi did not keep up the hopes of USA fans unlike Subotic.

[victor]

As long as we don't lose any world class strikers, I'm okay.

[John]

It is assumed that one of the reasons why Subotic spurned the USA was because of how Rongen mistreated him during his time in the youth level. Though I agree that he was overlooked at that time, if Subotic really wanted to play for USA, he would have forgotten about this incident because it is pretty evident that he was sought after by Bradley and the senior squad. It would be unfortunate if Subotic uses this excuse for not picking the USA team. If this is his reason, all I can say is, "Grow up"! Michael Jordan was not good enough for his high school varsity team and got cut. Did he quit? No, he persevered and became the best basketball player ever.

[Chase]

Also wanted to point out, I hope that around the 2010 and 2014 we aren't constantly making "what-if" teams with Subotic, Rossi, Castillo and anyone else that comes along and decides not to play for us...lets just forget about these guys...

[Jonathan]

If he really feels more Serbian than American (he was born in Yugoslavia afterall), good luck to him. Nevertheless, I wonder how much the Rongen situation contributed to his decision.

[beckster]

wow...Ives...up early this morning!

[Skinn]

Let it go. Whatever his reasons are, they're his reasons and he doesn't have to justify them to anybody but himself.

[Wispy]

Victor -- gosh, wouldn't it be great if we had some to lose?

[Tim]

Yeah, his decision actually makes some sense, Rossi is playing for a country he really never lived in.

[Tim]

btw this is Rongen's fault.If Rongen kept him the the US program, then he probably would've already represented us.

[Ryan]

don't care don't care don't care don't care don't care at all.

Boca and Gooch are fine by me, Conrad, DeMerit, and Califf are all fine too. Let's focus on an actual American now, shall we? Chad Marshall please!

[paul Lorinczi]

The US Development system got him where he is today? Why? Because he played on a US National Team?

We give Bradenton way too much credit.

He is where he is because he went back to Europe and was developed by the club teams he has played.

It is too bad because he is a different quality of player we could use in defense.

[Tim]

How reliable do you think the report is Ives??

[beckster]

Skinn...get some coffee...just an obsevation. Ives tends to post really late into the night and gets started later in the morning. Goff goes early in the morning, earlier at night...no big deal!

[Steve]

I still hoping the original Serbian story was bogus

[Adam R.]

You can't make anybody want to play for the US. And if they don't want to, then f' off.

I'll take Chad Marshall out there bleeding for the shirt rather than someone who's only out there because he couldn't play for Germany.

[Jags98]

If its b/c of Rongen, why would he pick the USA? The coaches are all the same from top to bottom. Bradley and the rest of the gang suck. Arena looked so good b/c of the era or players coming up and why is it that the only job offer is LA. Now the players are all leaving and Cobi is put back on the field. His results could have been even better if he used more than his favorites.
Its ok to be critical, its your national team. The old guard needs to be removed.

[Barksdale]

Agreed, Adam R.

I urge US fans to focus on who we do have, not those we don't.

[Mario in SJ]

Its a shme but I dont think any of us is surprised. Now we need to move on!

Chad Marshall looked pretty good against Chicago. Seemed to have command of the area, stepped up with great timing to disrupt the attack and had a very good goal (header) over Brian McBride.

Good luck Neven, but we will manage.

[Johnny]

I am really angry! F You Subotic!

[mikeK]

He's celebrating his choice by scoring twice before the break for his club...

[LJ]

Marshall Law in the back field baby!!!

Subotic is good, and I don't wish him anything bad. But we have Marshall, and once he starts playing with the MNT you will start to see how good this kid is and is going to be.

[craig KING]

Get over it! Stop crying. We are plenty deep at that position. If his heart doesn't bleed the red white and blue give the position to an American who does. Not some transit who doesn't appreciate the opportunities in this country!

[BlueWhiteLion]

i too, question the report, but having said that, it doesn't surprise me. On an online poll several months ago, I picked him to go there. No hard feelings, though I was hoping to see him in the Red, White, and Blue. He seemed more European in his upbringing and allegiance, and with the Serbia family ties . . . those run deep. I think I have changed my opinion of Rossi, too. I had the impression he was born here and lived here till he was like a teenager. Now I get the impression he left the states as a little kid. No wonder he picked Italy.

Hey, IIIIII will pick the US team, if they want me.

:)

[Bonji]

It is too bad, but one player does not make a team.

[j]

>>

Dude, the war is long done.

A lot of fans will use this an excuse to blame Rongen or some perceived poor management structure within the US Soccer program as the reason why Subotic was put off committing to the USA.

If I recall correctly, he was born in Yugoslavia and his family only left because of the war.

As an American married to a Serb, I can tell you the ethnic pull of the homeland can be very strong, especially people that were displaced because of the conflict. So I can't blame him and wish him best of luck. That said, if the US and Serbia face each other, I'll have no sympathy for him if he were to get burned on a US goal.

I quite enjoyed visiting Belgrade when I was there. Beautiful women, good food and great parties.

[Eric from Tucson]

The kid lived in Yugoslavia and Germany and then moved to Utah and then Florida. He probably just doesn't like the United States. I mean Utah and Florida are run by conservative religious wing-nuts and geriatrics.

[Kevin]

Well, I suppose it's better he represent the country he loves the most.

Cheers, Neven, and good luck unless you play against the US of A!

[Original Aaron]

BlueWhiteLion, I'm pretty sure Rossi lived here till he was 14 years old

[Matt]

There might be some truth to Eric from Tuscon's point. From a typical European point of view, Utah and Florida give a terrible cultural impression of what the US is.

[Jess]

I agree with Ryan. We have good centerbacks right now a beast-like Marshall waiting in the wings. Who cares about Subotic! Imagine a Gooch, Marshall, Boca, Parkhurst platoon in 2010? We're fine

[doug]

wow!!! this has got to be the biggest F-U!! in the short history of the USMNT. US Soccer has no one to blame but themselves. Good luck to Subotic, who now will be known as the Serbian Ryan Giggs. Great club player, who will never make it to a World Cup

[Dominghosa]

Original Aaron, if you re-read BWL's sentence, you'll notice he's talking about Italy, not U.S.
As for my thoughts on this, I'd rather take Subotic than Bocanegra in central defense.

[Dominghosa]

Oh, and over Marshall.

[adam]

Well crap.

[Jim Steverson]

Given some basic truths about the US in terms of immigration, citizenship, and asylum, these situations are something to be expected with the USMNT. It happens and increasingly so in a pluralistic society.

That said, the USSF does need to be more proactive about identifying talent, developing players, and encouraging an involvement in and connection with US national teams.

If Subotic doesn't "feel American," that's fine. Good luck with Serbia and I'll happily draw attention to your success and American connections. But these are complicated matters and the time where the USSF could really make a difference in influencing that choice has long since passed.

I'm sure the USMNT will be just fine and I hope the same can be said for Subotic. The lesson that really comes out of this for me is that the success of the national team is directly related to the success of youth programs in the US. And that isn't anywhere near where it needs to be.

[irishapple21]

Well, I guess it makes sense, since he was born in Serbia and feels more of a connection to them. He only lived a few years in the US. It's not like a Giuseppe Rossi situation where he's turning traitor to the land he was born and raised in. Still, it's sad, because he could have been part of something big in the US, whereas in Serbia, he's going to be part of the team that's not really ever going to go anywhere.

[Javier]

this is on Rongen, and i hope more is made of that. comparing this to judas-eppi rossi is ridiculous.

[Ben]

If this is true, this highlights a few things Bradley needs to do.

1. Get Marshall and Parkhurst involved in the team ASAP. They are better than Califf. Much better.

2. Spector needs to stay healthy longer than a month at a time so we can see what we have there.

3. Possible return of Gibbs to serious consideration for 2010. When healthy, which isn't often, he is an excellent CB IMO.

Obviously, Gooch and Boca are the starting CBs through 2010, barring injury. Depth is the key, and identifying other young CBs is now increasingly vital. Subotic and Soumare were both 2014 guys for us, anyway. If we cannot identify other CBs in the next 6 years, then we are not that good of a NT program anyway

[BlueWhiteLion]

original aaron: thanks. I really don't know his history. I had read a post that said he moved when he was three, but I wasn't sure if that was a believable one. Either way, the dude was a young teen. I have gone from being p o'd at him (out of my passion for the US, and my own history of living in different cultures while staying true to the US) to wishing him well.

Tucson dude . . . you overstate your case about Florida run by right wing geriatrics. But I doubt that any of that stuff affects a young boy. Culture shock happens, but at that age, he prob was not into politics to the point it affected his US outlook.

[John]

1. You can never have too much talent.

2. It's laughable that people would blame this on Rongen. Just look at Adu. Originally he was supposed to be upset with Nowak, wanted to get away from him and was much happier to play with Rongen who supposedly gave him more freedom. Now Adu is singing a different tune, talking about how he didn't know it at the time but Nowak was preparing him for Europe and how he learned a lot. Heck, if someone doesn't like Bob Bradley as NT coach, why would that affect your decision? The days of Helmut Schoen (where someone stays as NT coach for a decade or longer) are long gone. To say he would pass the USA because of someone who will NEVER be a candidate for a NT coach and coaches at a level Subotic won't play at anymore--that's just downright silly. Rongen has a pretty good rep for talent spotting and encouraging creative players to take risks. And as a former coach, I can tell you that even the best coaches don't connect or hit it off with all players--sometimes personalities just don't mesh.

If this is indeed Subotic's decision (and the article does seem like a fluff piece), I bet he's thinking that as someone who is going to play his career in Europe, it makes sense to play for a country that is IN that continent, where coaches see you regularily, where you don't get pulled out of your club for dozens of Concacaf games every qualifying year, where you don't have to fly across the Atlantic for camp.

I think Soumare's decision was stupid and short-sighted and he'll come to regret it. I suspect Subotic's decision was based on family pressure but a cold-hearted, objective evaluation means that life is easier for a Euro club player if he's playing for a Euro NT (as long as he's based in Europe).

[jig]

well he certainly looks to have some sort of weight of his shoulders if this report is indeed true. two goals today for BVB.

[jpc]

another dummy... learns to play here, given his opportunity here, played for the youth national teams... will he play for the senior team? of course not. Instead, he wants to play for Serbia, fine country. I wonder if he's gonna move there too? he should if he loves it so much.

[Mike Caramba]

I've always disliked Rongen. He had one good year in MLS with the most stacked team in the league. Then he led them downhill. He went to the first (and still greatest) dynasty in the league. Then he led them downhill. He went to another storied club and led them downhill. And he couldn't hack it at Chivas. My question--why was he ever hired for the USMNT system? Say all you want about his great off-the-field influence, but he is still one of the poorest in-game managers I've seen. This is far from a compliment: he manages his team the EXACT same way I manage my team on Championship Manager. Same subs at the same time, every single game (see Dax McCarty in youth World Cup). He seriously subbed defender-for-defender to get Tim Ward in for extra time in our last game...Tim Ward went on to gift the game-winning goal (and did his best to let in a few others). I don't care if we got the the QFs. Arena got the QFs, too. We had great games against Poland and Brazil, but were outplayed three other times. Rongen rant over.

That said, I don't think Rongen is entirely to blame for Subotic. My guess is that Subotic was on the fence...not really sure where he wanted to play...and Rongen's comments/actions were the tipping point. It's not the same as taking Landon Donovan and turning him into a German. I think Rongen is an idiot for picking college kids over a talent like Subotic, but I have a hard time believing it's the ONLY reason he's left the US.

I still think Rongen needs to be fired and it kills me that he is a de facto lifer. Yes, he may have a bad tourney and get fired years down the line, but we all know he'll just get shuffled around--that's the way of the US Soccer system.

[Charles]

Why dump on Utah and Florida? If you want to inject politics into this then maybe he didn't want to play for a country that bombed his own countrymen. Wasn't that done by a conservative, wing-nut U. S. President? Oh wait that was a democrat who dropped those bombs on innocent people and the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. Of course when a democrat drops bombs or blows up aspirin factories it is justifiable. Have a nice day and enjoy your freedom clowns.

[Oranje Mike]

Disappointed, yes but not upset or angry. Subotic is Yugoslav/Serbian by birth and lived in both Germany and the United States. This isn't even in the same ballpark as Rossi.

[ciaofornow]

So Ives where will u fit him in American Aboard ...since he wasn't born here..

[Adam]

Hey Eric,

Nice sweeping stereotype and overgeneralization... He could always go to Tucson to hang out with a bigot like you! Then he'd really appreciate the U.S. - we just need more people like you.

Love,

Adam in Utah

[Jonathan]

Charles makes some good points.

In case you guys don't know, exYugos are very proud of their respective (now) many countries and cultures. That spills over to their football team.

In Serbia and Germany he IS the jock, the man, etc. While in the US, some section of population will automatically label him as effeminate, a lesser athlete, and of dubious hetero status. At best he will be just like an Olympian, praised and discussed when it's that time of year (or cylces).

[Joamiq]

Goddammit.

[eric]

I'm with Tim - still in denial until I hear something official.

But it's easier if he goes vs losing other players because CB is our best position, and Subotic has totally legit reasons to play for Serbia, so I would be fine wishing him well.

[doc soccer]

two goals today for our boy. also van der vaart came out this week and said he was player of the year in the bundesliga. he is better than both goooch and bocanegra and would be the most talented player on teh team. he shoots better from distance than any other player the u.s has to offer and hes a centerback. that being said im pissed about this but expected it in teh end after rongen pissed him off. would exactly did rongen say about him?

[The Athority]

Guys,

Forget about the politics of Utah and Florida. Rongen left him off the team for a big tournement and that left him with a bad taste in his mouth, period.

As for those telling him to move to Serbia if he loves it so much...GET REAL.

Is that why Solomon Kalu was tryng to get his Duth citizenship just before the 2008 WC? No.

In the 1990's the US had a bunch of guys who's Grandmother's 4th cousin were from the US, and they played for us. Some didn't even speak English.

[Bill in Md.]

Subotnic a 2014 guy? Yes, and a 2010 World Cup guy.

Someone on this thread mentioned Soumare's decision. I thought he was pursuing U.S. citizenship and wanted to be capped by the USMNT? Has he accepted a call-up from Mali?

[michael]

It's true!Radomir Antic (national coach) said that Subotic will play for Serbia starting with next spring in WC qualifications.
btw Serbia have very very young and talented team with best youn player in Holland -Sulejmani,great Man Utd defender -Vidic,Chelsea young defenders- Ivanovic and Rajkovic,CSKA Moscow best player Krasic and best goalscorer in Belgium Jovanovic,Alex Ferguson's target Ljajic... and many other... Very talented generation up to come.

[leo n.]

im glad that subotic went to serbia. he has a better chance there even though i bet he wont get much playing due to serbias strong defenders ie ivanovic, vidic. serbias an over all better team then the US, they are at the top of their group for fifa beating austria, lithuana,faro islands and now demolishing bulgaria 6-1. he will be more recongized there.