SOCCER GLOBALIZATION Football without borders in the Lowlands

The country frequently referred to as the On the surface only 24 nations are Peetoom) have unmistakably Dutch "melting pot" is the USA and their U20 represented at the 2005 FIFA World names. team once again confirmed the reason Youth Championships (FWYC) in why. When we look at their squad we rea- . With these 24 nations A new 'old' continent lize that two of their key players were not come their fans, their chants, their European countries like Switzerland, born in the States: Benny colors and their native rhythms to liven Germany and the Netherlands can justly Feilhaber is a native of Rio de Janeiro, up the streets of Holland. However, in a be called “melting pots” as well. The while Freddy Adu was born in Ghana. world where borders have less and less Netherlands has long had a predilection Looking down the player roster, surnames meaning and people move around more for Surinam-based talent, which is under- like Nguyen, Kartunen, Kljestan, Ianni and freely than ever, this is by no means the standable considering Surinam was a Ochoa suggest roots from across Europe, whole story. A quick scratch of the sur- Dutch colony. However, the Dutch team Asia, and beyond. A frequent occurrence face reveals a mix of nationalities and has an abundance of players from other in the US as well as in the two other new backgrounds representing far beyond countries around the world. Hedwiges world countries at the finals, Australia and the 24 nations on the roster. Maduro is from Aruba, in the Dutch Canada, who are also predictably varied. Antilles. First round standout Quincy Australia has a large percentage of By: Maaike Denkers Owusu Abeyie is, like Freddy Adu, of names originating from former Yugoslavia, Ghanaian parentage, though the Dutch led by Spase Dilevski who has winger was born in Amsterdam. Collins Macedonian roots. As for the Canadians, no fewer than three of John was born in Liberia, while Haris Medunjanin is a refugee their players (Josh Wagenaar, Marcel De Jong, and Brad from Sarajevo. As for Ibrahim Afellay, whose tournament ended

4 BONUS unfortunately with an ankle injury, he had the choice of playing for Holland or for Morocco.

Germany tends to be more Teutonic, but they too are getting an infusion of African talent, possibly due to the vast amount of German coaches in Africa. Sahr Senesie has roots in Sierra Leone, while Marvin Matip has a Cameroonian father and a German mother. In addition, playmaker Michael Delura is of Polish descent, while Daniyel Cimen traces his lineage to Turkey. The Swiss are also getting in on the act as two of the greatest talents on the Swiss squad also trace their ancestors to the mother continent: Johan Djourou comes from Cote d'Ivoire, while Guilherme Afonso is from Angola. Henry Siqueira has a Brazilian passport in addi- tion to his Swiss one, Ferhat Cokmus too comes from Turkey, and Blerim Dzemaili is another player of Macedonian extracti- on. And then of course there's Philippe Senderos, born in Geneva to a Serbian mother and a Spanish father. In fact, even in East Asia, not as providers of talent to other countries, most notably Morocco exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think mel- and Turkey. But ethnicity isn't the entire story. As young as they ting pot, has an exponent of the new soccer globalization: are, many of the players participating in the FIFA World Youth Robert Cullen. He has a very un-Japanese name and has a Championship have already been transferred outside of their father from Northern Ireland. home country, and some have even had their formative years abroad. Many Australian players are based in England, while a Ethnicity large portion of the Benin team is based in France. However, On the other side of the equation, we find the nations that act the ultimate globetrotters are the Canadians: only three of them are based in Canada.

Global game Holland was home not only to the tournament, but also to a Honduran, two Moroccans, a Brazilian, a Swiss, and two Canadians. And of course there is one of the most prominent players of the tournament, of Argentina, who at the tender age of 17 has already been with Barcelona of Spain for five years. No other game is played in as many countries around the world as the game known as the "beautiful game". It might now be time to give another nickname: the global game.

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