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Canales Daily: The Magic Passport To European Soccer
Yes, Anton Peterlin's story is inspiring, but the unsung hero is his European Union passport.
Jul 6, 2009 5:23:13 PM
By Andrea Canales
It seems a bit of a soccer fairy-tale, straight out of the movies they make in California - an overlooked talent gets signed by a major European team.
Indeed, the story of Anton Peterlin seems to fit the standard elements of the dream tale.
He went to a small soccer college, Cal Poly, that advanced no further than the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. Peterlin also played with the Ventura Fusion of the Premier Development League, one of the lower tiers of U.S. soccer play.
To go from that to Everton, regularly one of the top ten squads in the English Premier League is akin to a mere mortal ascending Mt. Olympus.
Then again, Peterlin had an ace in the hole - his European passport, courtesy of his Danish/Slovenian heritage.
All of Peterlin's laudable soccer skills aside, the European Union community agreement makes it much easier to sign anyone to a European team if they have an EU passport.
Otherwise, they count as foreign nationals and many leagues have specific requirements limiting the work permits available to such players. In many cases, they need to be signed to high salaries and/or have played in a certain number of matches for their national team.
Peterlin has never played with the U.S. national team, though he may one day progress to that point. Or he could also join the teams of Denmark or Slovenia instead, if that opportunity arises.
Peterlin's American teammate at Everton, goalkeeper Tim Howard, used his mother's Hungarian heritage to help him obtain a passport that eased his way to Manchester United, where he began his career in England before moving on to Everton.
Like Peterlin, U.S. defender Jay DeMerit used his Danish ties to obtain a passport that allowed him to sign for lower club teams in England until he was spotted by Watford, where his play improved to the point where he began receiving national team callups and caps.
I remember watching Everton coach David Moyes observing out at a U.S. men's national team camp training last year. He nodded approvingly several times as players performed in a scrimmage game. It was clear that he rated the U.S. players.
Yet without that EU passport, signing players becomes a hassle. The appeal process for a work permit is also rather fickle, voted on by a board with revolving membership.
Moyes is a talented coach, and Peterlin's story may soon progress to even higher levels of success, but I do think it's silly for any who think Major League Soccer missed out on a great player.
There are talented American players who will not have the opportunity Peterlin does - not because they aren't as skilled or as athletic, but simply because they have no EU passport options.
It's an ideal scenario for all involved to have Peterlin, who does have that passport, sign abroad and potentially leave an MLS spot free for another player who has no choice of options overseas.
It doesn't make the story less remarkable, but it's not the whole tale if one leaves out the part about the passport being the fairy godmother in this Cinderella epic.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America
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It seems a bit of a soccer fairy-tale, straight out of the movies they make in California - an overlooked talent gets signed by a major European team.
Indeed, the story of Anton Peterlin seems to fit the standard elements of the dream tale.
He went to a small soccer college, Cal Poly, that advanced no further than the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. Peterlin also played with the Ventura Fusion of the Premier Development League, one of the lower tiers of U.S. soccer play.
To go from that to Everton, regularly one of the top ten squads in the English Premier League is akin to a mere mortal ascending Mt. Olympus.
Then again, Peterlin had an ace in the hole - his European passport, courtesy of his Danish/Slovenian heritage.
All of Peterlin's laudable soccer skills aside, the European Union community agreement makes it much easier to sign anyone to a European team if they have an EU passport.
Otherwise, they count as foreign nationals and many leagues have specific requirements limiting the work permits available to such players. In many cases, they need to be signed to high salaries and/or have played in a certain number of matches for their national team.
Peterlin has never played with the U.S. national team, though he may one day progress to that point. Or he could also join the teams of Denmark or Slovenia instead, if that opportunity arises.
Peterlin's American teammate at Everton, goalkeeper Tim Howard, used his mother's Hungarian heritage to help him obtain a passport that eased his way to Manchester United, where he began his career in England before moving on to Everton.
Like Peterlin, U.S. defender Jay DeMerit used his Danish ties to obtain a passport that allowed him to sign for lower club teams in England until he was spotted by Watford, where his play improved to the point where he began receiving national team callups and caps.
I remember watching Everton coach David Moyes observing out at a U.S. men's national team camp training last year. He nodded approvingly several times as players performed in a scrimmage game. It was clear that he rated the U.S. players.
Yet without that EU passport, signing players becomes a hassle. The appeal process for a work permit is also rather fickle, voted on by a board with revolving membership.
Moyes is a talented coach, and Peterlin's story may soon progress to even higher levels of success, but I do think it's silly for any who think Major League Soccer missed out on a great player.
There are talented American players who will not have the opportunity Peterlin does - not because they aren't as skilled or as athletic, but simply because they have no EU passport options.
It's an ideal scenario for all involved to have Peterlin, who does have that passport, sign abroad and potentially leave an MLS spot free for another player who has no choice of options overseas.
It doesn't make the story less remarkable, but it's not the whole tale if one leaves out the part about the passport being the fairy godmother in this Cinderella epic.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Introducing "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
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