German club Nuremberg, and not the German soccer federation, apparently blocked a Gold Cup callup for defender/midfielder Tim Chandler. His rapid rise from the fourth division withFrankfurt’s reserves has taken less than a year. He first started a league match for Nuremberg last February, scoring a goal and an assist in a 4-1 rout of Stuttgart, and a month later debuted for theU.S.
(So much for U.S. coach Bob Bradley‘s supposed reluctance to use young, relatively inexperienced players, and rumors that Chandler turned down the callup because ofdifferences with Bradley.)
“We wish and hope that he will progress further,” said Nuremberg coach Dieter Hecking. “He’s a cool guy, he keeps his feet on the ground.”Chandler, 21, played 14 matches as Nuremberg finished seventh.
Chandler, the son of a German woman and American serviceman, is still eligible to play for Germany since his only U.S.appearances came in friendlies yet has given no indication he intends to do so. And a spokesman of the German soccer federation (DFB) told SI.com that Chandler, who has dual-citizenship, is no longerunder consideration for a call-up.
I won’t believe it until I see him in a full national. We’ve seen this story repeated too often under the Bradley, Gulati, Flynn, Blazer era (error?).
I won’t believe it until I see him in a full national. We’ve seen this story repeated too often under the Bradley, Gulati, Flynn, Blazer era (error?).