It Might be Time to Start Letting Go of JAB

John Anthony Brooks is a special talent, but will he be a Yank?


Over the last several months, I feel as though I have run the gamut of emotions when it comes to John Anthony Brooks.  Over the summer, there was the beginnings of a buzz about a 20 year old central defender that had been playing in the US youth ranks who had a very real chance of getting significant minutes in the Bundesliga with newly promoted Hertha Berlin.  That alone was enough to send my imagination into overdrive with the possibilities.  Could we really get a Bundesliga defender at the beginning of his career?  Could he be a star on our back line for the next ten years?  Is there any way to get him into the fold in time for Brazil 2014?

But as the months since the initial excitement have gone by, a sense of dread has begun to build.  Brooks scored in his first game in the Bundesliga for Hertha, and despite missing several weeks with an injury he has gotten strong reviews from his debut season in Germany's top flight.  He has been almost universally praised for his calming influence on the defense, and his ability to distribute out of the back effectively.  Both are traits in a center back that are highly prized by Jurgen Klinsmann, and JAB seems a natural fit considering the pipeline of German-American players that has been established over the course of Klinsy's tenure.  But as crazy as it sounds, it feels like Brook's is almost playing  too well.

The timing of his injury could not have been worse for the USA's interests, because it forced him to miss the last chance we'll have to cap tie him before the World Cup in June.  It's not impossible that Jurgen will call him into January camp in preparation for the World Cup, but he would be stepping away from his professed desire for unit cohesion ahead of the world's largest soccer tournament.  Jurgen would be taking the place of a Besler or Goodson, both of whom have played quite well in qualifying, and giving it to a player with almost zero international experience.  As much as I love JAB's talent, the thought of throwing him into the fire with a back line that he has very little experience playing with is not an inviting one.  Above all else, I want what is in the best interests of the National team for the World Cup in Brazil.

But as soon as I assert that to myself, I am brought back to Neven Subotic and what could have been back in 2009.  Had Subotic decided to play for the USA instead of Serbia, we could very well be sending a back line to the World Cup that featured a central defender from the back to back Bundesliga champions.  The very idea makes me shiver.  But instead we are left dealing with a central defense comprised entirely of players from MLS and Liga MX.  I have actually been pleasantly surprised with the play of Gonzales, Besler, and Goodson (not so much Orozco), but there is absolutely no comparison to what Subotic could have brought to the table. 

So now, while I'm fully supportive of making the decision that is best for summer 2014, I am also terrified at the possibility of watching JAB star for Germany in Russia and Qatar.  And make no mistake: the moment that Germany offers Brooks a legit shot at playing time he was absolutely take it.  I can't hold it against him, the guy grew up in Berlin after all.  And if he continues to play the way he is in the Bundesliga, I have a hard time imagining that Germany won't give him a very serious look.

So what would it take to get Brooks in the fold?  One writer thinks that Klinsmann will have to promise him playing time in Brazil, but I don't think it goes quite that far.  If Jurgen told Brooks that he would have a chance to compete for a starting spot, I think that would be enough to entice him into the US camp.  It is clear that he won't be getting a call up from Germany for Brazil at the very least, and no player wants to miss out on an opportunity to go to a World Cup.  But is it worth using a roster spot on somebody that has no experience with the team?  Could he really be a viable player having been thrown into the fire right off the bat?  Part of me thinks that he would do just fine, considering he is playing against some of the top competitioin in the world week in and week out.  But another part of me worries about mental mistakes, and miscommunications with teammates that don't speak the same first language.  I don't mind working some things out on the fly, but the World Cup is not the right place to do it.

All of this is why I have decided to take a step back, and start to attempt to divorce myself from my love and excitement for John Anthony Brooks.  In the course of a few months, I have gone from never having heard of this guy to pinning my hopes and dreams for the USA's future firmly on his decision.  I have allowed myself to imagine a future with a bonafide Bundesliga star manning the US defense, and it's time to get my feet back on the ground.  Repeat after me: John Anthony Brooks will never play a meaningful game in an American shirt.  Hurts doesn't it?  But just imagine how much it will hurt if we allow our collective expectations to run away with us.

And besides, just think of how pleasantly surprised you'll be when he ends up starting for the Yanks in Brazil.