Lionel Messi
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Personal info
- Sport: Football
- Position: forward
- Nationality: Argentina
- Birth date: 1987-06-24 (24 years)
Team history
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FC Barcelona 2004 - present
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Lionel Andres Messi is an Argentina international footballer currently featuring for the Spanish and European giants FC Barcelona. Messi is frequently considered as the greatest talent to have emerged in the sport of football after Diego Armando Maradona and is one of the best footballers on the player. In 2010 he won the first ever FIFA Ballon d’Or award to follow up up his Ballon d’Or award from 2009.
Lionel Messi was born in the Argentine city of Rosario and was soon snapped up by Newell’s Old Boys. At the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency that impeded him from growing.
Newell’s were unable to afford the money required for the treatment of this disease which was about 500 pounds per month. Then FC Barcelona came calling. Not only did they look after Lionel Messi’s probems, they also found work for his family in Barcelona and so came Messi to Spain.
Lionel Messi made his official debut for the Blaugrana against Espanyol Barcelona on October 16, 2004. He quickly progressed in the Barcelona first team and won the World Youth Championship with Argentina in 2005 and was adjudged as the best player in the competition.
From 2005-2006 season onwards, the Argentine wonderkid began to exhibit his class and quality. He threaded his way into the starting line-up that consisted of the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi, Deco and Samuel Eto’o among others and quickly became one of the most popular and most significant members of the club.
He won La Liga title with Barcelona in the 2005-2006 season and was one of the best players in the UEFA Champions League that season. Barca actually won the coveted silverware that season.
Lionel Messi played for Argentina in the 2006 Germany World Cup and in the 2007 Copa America.
Lionel Messi scored one of the best goals of all time agaist Getafe in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie in the 2006-2007 season. He dribbled around a host of players and scored in almost exactly the same way that El Diego had scored his second goal against England in the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup.
Messi became stronger and stronger as the years progressed and in 2008-09 emerged as the undisputed best player in the world as he led Barcelona to a historic treble - La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. He scored 23 goals in the league and gave 11 assists. He also netted nine times in the Champions League, including one in the final against Manchester United, and provided five assists,
Messi regained fitness under Pep Guardiola’s regime and had yet another phenomenal season in 2009-10, scoring 34 goals and providing 10 assists in the league besides finding the net eight times in the Champions League.
Messi, though, failed to perform at his best for Argentine in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa in the summer but recovered his form ahead of the 2010-11 campaign and is once again playing at his best week in week out.
Messi has consistently impressed with his intricate dribbling, sudden burst of pace, sharp shooting and humility. The 23-year-old’s talent and ability to keep his head down have made him one of most likable players on the planet.
Lionel Messi’s major personal achievements include:
Lionel Messi was born in the Argentine city of Rosario and was soon snapped up by Newell’s Old Boys. At the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency that impeded him from growing.
Newell’s were unable to afford the money required for the treatment of this disease which was about 500 pounds per month. Then FC Barcelona came calling. Not only did they look after Lionel Messi’s probems, they also found work for his family in Barcelona and so came Messi to Spain.
Lionel Messi made his official debut for the Blaugrana against Espanyol Barcelona on October 16, 2004. He quickly progressed in the Barcelona first team and won the World Youth Championship with Argentina in 2005 and was adjudged as the best player in the competition.
From 2005-2006 season onwards, the Argentine wonderkid began to exhibit his class and quality. He threaded his way into the starting line-up that consisted of the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi, Deco and Samuel Eto’o among others and quickly became one of the most popular and most significant members of the club.
He won La Liga title with Barcelona in the 2005-2006 season and was one of the best players in the UEFA Champions League that season. Barca actually won the coveted silverware that season.
Lionel Messi played for Argentina in the 2006 Germany World Cup and in the 2007 Copa America.
Lionel Messi scored one of the best goals of all time agaist Getafe in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie in the 2006-2007 season. He dribbled around a host of players and scored in almost exactly the same way that El Diego had scored his second goal against England in the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup.
Messi became stronger and stronger as the years progressed and in 2008-09 emerged as the undisputed best player in the world as he led Barcelona to a historic treble - La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. He scored 23 goals in the league and gave 11 assists. He also netted nine times in the Champions League, including one in the final against Manchester United, and provided five assists,
Messi regained fitness under Pep Guardiola’s regime and had yet another phenomenal season in 2009-10, scoring 34 goals and providing 10 assists in the league besides finding the net eight times in the Champions League.
Messi, though, failed to perform at his best for Argentine in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa in the summer but recovered his form ahead of the 2010-11 campaign and is once again playing at his best week in week out.
Messi has consistently impressed with his intricate dribbling, sudden burst of pace, sharp shooting and humility. The 23-year-old’s talent and ability to keep his head down have made him one of most likable players on the planet.
Lionel Messi’s major personal achievements include:
- FIFA Ballon d’Or: 2010, 2011
- Ballon d’Or: 2009
- Golden Ball: FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Golden Boot: FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Golden Boy: 2005
- World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
- Olimpia de Plata: Argentinian Player of the Year: 2005
- FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2006
- FIFPro World XI: 2007
- Best foreign player in La Liga: 2007
- France Football Player of the Year: 3rd place: 2007
- World Soccer Footballer of the Year: 2nd place: 2007
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2nd place: 2007
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Personal info
- Sport: Football
- Position: forward
- Nationality: Portugal
- Birth date: 1985-02-05 (26 years)
- Nickname: Ronnie
Team history
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Real Madrid 2009 - present
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Manchester United 2003 - 2009
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Sporting Clube de Portugal 2001 - 2003
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Seemant95
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Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who can play as a forward or a winger. He plays in Portugal’s national team and for Spanish giants Real Madrid. He was named Ronaldo after former US President Ronald Reagan who was his mother’s favorite actor. He is a brilliant football player .
Ronaldo is from Madeira and started playing football when he was three years of age and become passionate by the age of six. His favorite team was Benfica but he was signed for Sporting Lisbon’s youth school when he was only ten.
At Sporting Cube de Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo went from the under-16 team to the first team in one season. He scored two goals in his first team debut. Cristiano Ronaldo played 25 games and scored three goals for Sporting.
In 2003 Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo for 12.24 million pound sterling. He was bought as David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid to replace him as a right winger. In 2004 Ronaldo won the FA Cup with Manchester United. In 2006-07 Ronaldo won the FA Premier League with Manchester United. It proved to be a breakthrough year for the Portuguese.
Ronaldo continued to increase his status at United and established himself as one of the best players on the planet from thereon. In 2007-08 the Portugal international helped United to the double - Premier League and Champions League. He was awarded with the Ballon ‘dOr and World Player of the Year awards in 2008. Next season too he reached the final of the Champions League with the Red Devils.
In the summer of 2009 Ronaldo became the world’s most expensive player when Real Madrid paid Manchester United a record £80 million. Ronaldo signed a six-year contract with the Blancos. Despite his personal goalscoring feat in 2009-10, he failed to inspire Madrid to any title, but he scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in the 2010-11 campaign.
Ronaldo made his first cap for Portugal in 2003 and has since then feature in over 80 matches for his country, scoring more than 25 goals. He was in the runners up team in UEFA European Championship in 2004.
Major personal achievement:
*Premier League titles (3) *FA Cup (1) *League Cup (2) *Champions League (1) *FIFA Club World Cup (1) *Ballon d’Or 2008 *FIFA World Player of the Year 2008
Ronaldo is from Madeira and started playing football when he was three years of age and become passionate by the age of six. His favorite team was Benfica but he was signed for Sporting Lisbon’s youth school when he was only ten.
At Sporting Cube de Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo went from the under-16 team to the first team in one season. He scored two goals in his first team debut. Cristiano Ronaldo played 25 games and scored three goals for Sporting.
In 2003 Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo for 12.24 million pound sterling. He was bought as David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid to replace him as a right winger. In 2004 Ronaldo won the FA Cup with Manchester United. In 2006-07 Ronaldo won the FA Premier League with Manchester United. It proved to be a breakthrough year for the Portuguese.
Ronaldo continued to increase his status at United and established himself as one of the best players on the planet from thereon. In 2007-08 the Portugal international helped United to the double - Premier League and Champions League. He was awarded with the Ballon ‘dOr and World Player of the Year awards in 2008. Next season too he reached the final of the Champions League with the Red Devils.
In the summer of 2009 Ronaldo became the world’s most expensive player when Real Madrid paid Manchester United a record £80 million. Ronaldo signed a six-year contract with the Blancos. Despite his personal goalscoring feat in 2009-10, he failed to inspire Madrid to any title, but he scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in the 2010-11 campaign.
Ronaldo made his first cap for Portugal in 2003 and has since then feature in over 80 matches for his country, scoring more than 25 goals. He was in the runners up team in UEFA European Championship in 2004.
Major personal achievement:
*Premier League titles (3) *FA Cup (1) *League Cup (2) *Champions League (1) *FIFA Club World Cup (1) *Ballon d’Or 2008 *FIFA World Player of the Year 2008
Andres Iniesta
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Personal info
- Sport: Football
- Position: midfielder
- Nationality: Spain
- Birth date: 1984-05-11 (27 years)
Team history
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El Rey
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RSITHOLE
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Andres Iniesta Lujan is a young Spanish international midfielder currently playing for the Spanish and European giants FC Barcelona. Iniesta is a product of Barcelona’s youth academy and is generally deployed in an attacking midfield position.
Iniesta was actually born in the Basque city of Albacete and was spotted by Barcelona scouts when he was just 12 years of age. He was quickly drafted into the Barcelona youth system and young Iniesta rose through the ranks and made his debut for the senior side on October 29, 2002 against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
Iniesta secured a starting line-up spot for himself from the 2004-2005 season onwards under coach Frank Rijkaard and has progressed to become one of the best midfielders in the world. Iniesta’s ball possession is said to be superior to any other player in La Liga and his strength and tackles too have earned him massive accolade.
Iniesta established himself as a key figure in the team since the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the team’s coach in the summer 2008, helping Barca win three successive Primera Division titles and two Champions League trophies in three years.
Andres Iniesta is also a regular for the Spanish national side. He played for Spain in the 2006 Germany World Cup and won Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup with his nation.
Iniesta was actually born in the Basque city of Albacete and was spotted by Barcelona scouts when he was just 12 years of age. He was quickly drafted into the Barcelona youth system and young Iniesta rose through the ranks and made his debut for the senior side on October 29, 2002 against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
Iniesta secured a starting line-up spot for himself from the 2004-2005 season onwards under coach Frank Rijkaard and has progressed to become one of the best midfielders in the world. Iniesta’s ball possession is said to be superior to any other player in La Liga and his strength and tackles too have earned him massive accolade.
Iniesta established himself as a key figure in the team since the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the team’s coach in the summer 2008, helping Barca win three successive Primera Division titles and two Champions League trophies in three years.
Andres Iniesta is also a regular for the Spanish national side. He played for Spain in the 2006 Germany World Cup and won Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup with his nation.
Gerard Pique
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Personal info
- Sport: Football
- Nationality: Spain
- Birth date: 1987-02-02 (24 years)
Team history
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Real Zaragoza 2006 - 2007
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Gerard Pique is a Spanish football player who currently features for the European powerhouse Barcelona. He plays as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.
Pique developed at Barcelona’s fabled youth academy but left La Masia in 2004 to join English giants Manchester United. He was part of the first team from 2004 to 2008 and won the Champions League with the Red Devils in the 2007-08 season.
In the summer of 2008 Pique left United to reunite with his old club Barcelona and instantly established himself as a regular centre-back alongside Carles Puyol. He has since won the UEFA Champions League twice more and Spain’s Primera Division thrice in a row.
Pique made his international debut for Spain in 2009 and won the 2010 World Cup finals with his country in South Africa.
Pique developed at Barcelona’s fabled youth academy but left La Masia in 2004 to join English giants Manchester United. He was part of the first team from 2004 to 2008 and won the Champions League with the Red Devils in the 2007-08 season.
In the summer of 2008 Pique left United to reunite with his old club Barcelona and instantly established himself as a regular centre-back alongside Carles Puyol. He has since won the UEFA Champions League twice more and Spain’s Primera Division thrice in a row.
Pique made his international debut for Spain in 2009 and won the 2010 World Cup finals with his country in South Africa.
Giuseppe Rossi
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Personal info
- Sport: Football
- Position: forward
- Nationality: Italy
- Birth date: 1987-02-01 (24 years)
Team history
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Villarreal CF 2007 - present
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Parma FC 2007
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Newcastle United FC 2006
Giuseppe Rossi is an American-Italian footballer currently playing for the Spanish side Villarreal. Although Rossi was born in the USA, his parents were Italian immigrants and Rossi decided to pursue his international career for Italy. Rossi is recognized as one of the best young strikers in the world. He cans play right or left midfielder and center forward.
Giuseppe Rossi started his football in the youth team of the Itaian side Parma but was snapped up by Premiership giants Parma when he was 17 years of age. He played in the youth team of Man United for two years and was sent on loan to Newcastle United at the start of the 2006-2007 season.
Rossi impressed everyone at Newcastle but was sent on loan again in the second half of the season, this time to his former club Parma. He scored a marvelous 9 goals in 19 league appearances for Parma and helped them stave relegation from the Italian Serie A.
Villarreal signed Rossi from Manchester United in in 2007 summer for 10 million euros and the young Italian was in sensational form alongside Villarreal strikemate Nihat Kahveci in the 2007-2008 season.
Rossi holds dual citizenship and holds passports of both the USA and Italy. But he wants to play for Italy in the international arena and has represented Italy at all youth levels.
Story via NYTimes
“The son of Italian immigrants, Rossi joined Parma’s youth system in 2000, hoping one day to play for the Azzurri, Italy’s national team. The United States invited him to a training camp before the 2006 World Cup, but Rossi demurred, ignoring criticism that he was dismissive of American soccer and suspicion that he might be pursuing a father’s dream instead of his own.
After becoming the leading goal scorer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rossi, 22, made his debut with Italy’s senior team in October. Then, last Saturday night during a friendly against Northern Ireland in Pisa, Rossi blasted a left-footed shot from 20 yards and scored the maiden goal he had often imagined back when he was playing in his backyard in New Jersey.
“It was something I’ve been waiting for a long time,” said Rossi, who scored 12 goals last season for Villarreal in the Spanish League. “Something that I always dreamed about, playing with the national team and scoring with them. A great feeling.”
He made Italy’s roster for this month’s Confederations Cup, a kind of dry run for next year’s World Cup to be played here in South Africa. On Monday, Rossi is expected to play in Italy’s opening match against the United States, continuing what will amount to a yearlong audition for a World Cup spot as a forward or attacking midfielder.
Italy has won the World Cup four times, and is the defending champion, but Coach Marcello Lippi is seeking someone who can provide what is translated as “fantasy,” a creative attacking style based on refined touch and vision and reliable scoring.
“Rossi is a little champion,” Lippi said Tuesday after a blustery training session. “He has a lot of experience. He is a modern player. He can play with his left foot or right foot. He can play anywhere on the front line, in the middle or outside, the way Messi plays for Barcelona.”
Clearly, Rossi, who is 5 feet 8 inches, feels he made the right choice in choosing national teams. “Just me living out my dream,” he said.
His father, Fernando, now retired, was a successful soccer coach, and a teacher of Italian and Spanish, at Clifton High School. (His mother, Cleonilde, was also a language teacher.) Fernando Rossi heard about Parma’s youth team while the family was on vacation in Italy. Giuseppe showed inordinate skill for a boy, so an invitation was issued. He moved to Italy a month before his 13th birthday, and his father joined him, while Giuseppe’s mother and younger sister remained in New Jersey.
“I always thought for Giuseppe to go to the next level, he had to go where they live and breathe soccer,” Fernando Rossi said.
While Giuseppe played for various Italian national youth teams, he remained eligible to play for the United States until his 21st birthday. But when Bruce Arena, then the American manager, invited Rossi into a training camp before the 2006 World Cup, Rossi declined. His heart was set on Italy.
At the time, Rossi’s professional career was in an uncertain stall. He had been signed by Manchester United at 17, but found it difficult to crack the lineup, then was loaned to Newcastle United, where he was also underutilized.
If Rossi was not interested in playing for the United States, the United States was not interested in him, Arena told reporters at the time, saying, “We’re not chasing around 18-year-old players that can’t get games for their club team and tell me they want to play for Italy.”
On Tuesday, Rossi said Arena’s remarks had not bothered him much. Fernando Rossi, though, said in a recent telephone interview that he thought Arena had been “out of line.”
“It made it sound like Giuseppe was disrespectful,” Fernando Rossi said. “He just made a decision. A lot of people try to blame me, say I pushed the kid. I didn’t. He didn’t even ask for my input. He was big enough to make his own decision. We have to respect their choices. They are the ones who have to play the game. Giuseppe took a big chance that he would make the Italian team. It was his goal. He was born here, but he grew up soccer-wise in that environment.”
On Monday, opportunity will most likely place Rossi against the United States in the Confederations Cup. He and the American forward Jozy Altidore are both under contract to Villarreal. And midfielder Michael Bradley is a friend from youth soccer, Rossi said.
“It’s a great feeling, playing against the country I came from,” Rossi said. “I’ll be playing against friends. It’ll be a great game, I’m sure.”
A year from now, Rossi appears to have an inviting chance to return to South Africa for the World Cup.
“I’ll just keep trying to impress and see where it takes me,” he said, a youthful journey from New Jersey verging on a magical mystery tour.”
Giuseppe Rossi started his football in the youth team of the Itaian side Parma but was snapped up by Premiership giants Parma when he was 17 years of age. He played in the youth team of Man United for two years and was sent on loan to Newcastle United at the start of the 2006-2007 season.
Rossi impressed everyone at Newcastle but was sent on loan again in the second half of the season, this time to his former club Parma. He scored a marvelous 9 goals in 19 league appearances for Parma and helped them stave relegation from the Italian Serie A.
Villarreal signed Rossi from Manchester United in in 2007 summer for 10 million euros and the young Italian was in sensational form alongside Villarreal strikemate Nihat Kahveci in the 2007-2008 season.
Rossi holds dual citizenship and holds passports of both the USA and Italy. But he wants to play for Italy in the international arena and has represented Italy at all youth levels.
- NY Times Feature on Giuseppe Rossi
Story via NYTimes
“The son of Italian immigrants, Rossi joined Parma’s youth system in 2000, hoping one day to play for the Azzurri, Italy’s national team. The United States invited him to a training camp before the 2006 World Cup, but Rossi demurred, ignoring criticism that he was dismissive of American soccer and suspicion that he might be pursuing a father’s dream instead of his own.
After becoming the leading goal scorer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rossi, 22, made his debut with Italy’s senior team in October. Then, last Saturday night during a friendly against Northern Ireland in Pisa, Rossi blasted a left-footed shot from 20 yards and scored the maiden goal he had often imagined back when he was playing in his backyard in New Jersey.
“It was something I’ve been waiting for a long time,” said Rossi, who scored 12 goals last season for Villarreal in the Spanish League. “Something that I always dreamed about, playing with the national team and scoring with them. A great feeling.”
He made Italy’s roster for this month’s Confederations Cup, a kind of dry run for next year’s World Cup to be played here in South Africa. On Monday, Rossi is expected to play in Italy’s opening match against the United States, continuing what will amount to a yearlong audition for a World Cup spot as a forward or attacking midfielder.
Italy has won the World Cup four times, and is the defending champion, but Coach Marcello Lippi is seeking someone who can provide what is translated as “fantasy,” a creative attacking style based on refined touch and vision and reliable scoring.
“Rossi is a little champion,” Lippi said Tuesday after a blustery training session. “He has a lot of experience. He is a modern player. He can play with his left foot or right foot. He can play anywhere on the front line, in the middle or outside, the way Messi plays for Barcelona.”
Clearly, Rossi, who is 5 feet 8 inches, feels he made the right choice in choosing national teams. “Just me living out my dream,” he said.
His father, Fernando, now retired, was a successful soccer coach, and a teacher of Italian and Spanish, at Clifton High School. (His mother, Cleonilde, was also a language teacher.) Fernando Rossi heard about Parma’s youth team while the family was on vacation in Italy. Giuseppe showed inordinate skill for a boy, so an invitation was issued. He moved to Italy a month before his 13th birthday, and his father joined him, while Giuseppe’s mother and younger sister remained in New Jersey.
“I always thought for Giuseppe to go to the next level, he had to go where they live and breathe soccer,” Fernando Rossi said.
While Giuseppe played for various Italian national youth teams, he remained eligible to play for the United States until his 21st birthday. But when Bruce Arena, then the American manager, invited Rossi into a training camp before the 2006 World Cup, Rossi declined. His heart was set on Italy.
At the time, Rossi’s professional career was in an uncertain stall. He had been signed by Manchester United at 17, but found it difficult to crack the lineup, then was loaned to Newcastle United, where he was also underutilized.
If Rossi was not interested in playing for the United States, the United States was not interested in him, Arena told reporters at the time, saying, “We’re not chasing around 18-year-old players that can’t get games for their club team and tell me they want to play for Italy.”
On Tuesday, Rossi said Arena’s remarks had not bothered him much. Fernando Rossi, though, said in a recent telephone interview that he thought Arena had been “out of line.”
“It made it sound like Giuseppe was disrespectful,” Fernando Rossi said. “He just made a decision. A lot of people try to blame me, say I pushed the kid. I didn’t. He didn’t even ask for my input. He was big enough to make his own decision. We have to respect their choices. They are the ones who have to play the game. Giuseppe took a big chance that he would make the Italian team. It was his goal. He was born here, but he grew up soccer-wise in that environment.”
On Monday, opportunity will most likely place Rossi against the United States in the Confederations Cup. He and the American forward Jozy Altidore are both under contract to Villarreal. And midfielder Michael Bradley is a friend from youth soccer, Rossi said.
“It’s a great feeling, playing against the country I came from,” Rossi said. “I’ll be playing against friends. It’ll be a great game, I’m sure.”
A year from now, Rossi appears to have an inviting chance to return to South Africa for the World Cup.
“I’ll just keep trying to impress and see where it takes me,” he said, a youthful journey from New Jersey verging on a magical mystery tour.”
