“When I really had to choose, Orange suddenly wanted me”

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Dest: “When I really had to choose, Orange suddenly wanted me”

Sergiño Dest returned to his choice for the United States and with that the refusal of an international career with Orange. The rapprochement with the KNVB came much too late, says the 21-year-old right-back.

Dest made his debut as a United States international in 2019. It was the reward of his stormy breakthrough at Ajax, which also brought him onto the scene with the KNVB and national coach Ronald Koeman. However, the history of the United States Football Association was decisive for the then nineteen-year-old right-back.

“Because I grew up in the Netherlands, I didn’t really think about the United States but about the Dutch national team, but they didn’t want me, so my father and I said to each other: you have a US passport, then you can play. Then I thought: if possible i would like to tryDest told ESPN.

As a result, as a young talent for Ajax, Dest played many international matches as a youth international for the United States. The call from the KNVB came very late. “When I really had to make a choice, suddenly they wanted me to join the Dutch national team. Then I was like: you had all the time in the world and now you want me.

world Cup

Dest has now played seventeen caps for the United States and plays for Barcelona. To shine at the World Cup in Qatar is the big goal for him and his international colleagues. With the current second place in the CONCACAF qualifiers, Team USA is on track to place after painfully missing out on the World Cup in Russia.