Feature: Why Soumare Chose Mali Over USA

On a day in which the American public could vote in for President an American with African roots, the American soccer public faces the loss, as a national team player, of an African with roots in American soccer. The Chicago Fire's defensive star Bakary Soumare has committed to play with his birth nation, Mali, though he had previously expressed his wish to play for the United States.

Soumare moved to the United States at 15 and played high school soccer at La Salle Academy in New York. He impressed enough there to earn a scholarship to one of the top soccer colleges in the nation, the University of Virginia. Soumare only played a year at Virginia, however. The Fire decided to take a chance with the athletic talent. Soumare performed well in 2007, his rookie season in Major League Soccer

This year, however, he has cemeted his reputation as one of the league's best. Soumare started 28 games for the Fire and despite his young age of only 22, became one of the squad's most dependable performers. He is currently nominated for MLS Defender of the Year along with the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall and Jimmy Conrad of the Kansas City Wizards. If Soumare claims the award, he would become the youngest winner in its 12-year history.

Though Soumare had been open to obtaining American citizenship and playing for the U.S. National Team, he reconsidered once he realized how lengthy the process would be.

Soccerbyives.com quoted Soumare as saying that because the U.S. had helped develop his soccer career, he felt connected to the country and wished to play as an American. But after Soumare found out that he would have to wait years, he thought about how short an amount of time athletes have to perform at the very top level.

The 2010 World Cup is less than two years away. The tournament is scheduled to take place in South Africa. Soumare probably thought of being able to perhaps play in the continent of his birth as a plus.

Though Mali has never qualified for the World Cup, it may now accomplish this feat by finishing first in a FIFA qualifying group that includes Ghana, Sudan and Benin.

Soumare believes not only that Mali can attain this goal, but that he can help them reach it. He will continue his club career in American soccer, but he has said farewell to his dreams of playing as an American.

The rules of citizenship and soccer are such that Mexico's Diego de la Torre, who was not born in the U.S., nor has spent any significant amount of time there, can entertain the idea of playing for the Americans. The Toluca player is eligible for U.S. citizenship through an American grandparent. Soumare, who has lived, played and worked in the U.S. for seven years now, does not have that option.

What might soften the blow for U.S. fans bemoaning that they have lost out on Soumare's size and skill is the fact that the U.S. has another player already on board who could also have decided to play for an African team. Oguchi Onyewu, with two Nigerian parents, could have represented the Super Eagles.

Of course, since Onyewu himself was born in the United States and therefore had automatic citizenship, he had an easier choice between two countries than Soumare. The U.S. would only be a possibility if Soumare was patient enough to wait years and lucky enough to avoid any injuries or other issues in the meantime.

Perhaps eventually Soumare will gain his American citizenship, play out a successful soccer career and retire to the U.S. Perhaps he will have a child who will also be talented enough to have international options. Perhaps that wish to give back to American soccer that Soumare has decided he cannot fulfill will be met by the next generation.

Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA