Brown, eligible for USA, called up by Germany: Goodbye to the American dream?

In an effort to revitalize their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, German coach Julian Nagelsmann has called up a player eligible to represent the United States.

Nathaniel “Nene” Brown: A Surprising Reinforcement for Germany

The left-back Nathaniel “Nene” Brown has been called up by Germany for the qualifying matches on October 10 against Luxembourg and October 13 against Northern Ireland. Nagelsmann has described him as “a great talent in defense”. These matches are crucial for Germany, who currently sit third in their group after an initial defeat to Slovakia last month, as they attempt to secure a place in the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Brown, 22, is eligible for both nations, but playing for Germany in an official match from the age of 20 would close the door on representing the United States in the future.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown has been called up by Germany for the first time.Brown, born in Germany to an American father and a German mother, plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. He was a key player in Germany’s under-21 team that lost the European Championship final to England in June. Brown has previously mentioned that he was contacted about the possibility of representing the United States, but he is satisfied to remain with Germany.

“Of course,” he said in a video published by Frankfurt in July, when asked if he had considered playing for the United States. “There was also contact, but I was born in Germany and I have played for the under-21s.”

Nathaniel “Nene” Brown

With Antonio Rüdiger of Real Madrid out due to injury, Nagelsmann will rely on Nico Schlotterbeck, defender for Borussia Dortmund, to lead the defense. Schlotterbeck returned this month after a five-month injury absence.

“Even if we are still missing some players, we are convinced that our team has the quality to do better than it has done recently,” Nagelsmann said. “With Toni Rüdiger out, it is enormously important to have Nico Schlotterbeck back.”

Julian Nagelsmann

Nick Woltemade from Newcastle could be the starting striker after Nagelsmann’s decision to leave out Niclas Füllkrug, who hasn’t scored for West Ham since April. Leroy Sané will also miss the matches after his signing for the Turkish club Galatasaray, while Dortmund midfielder Pascal Groß is also absent.