Former U.S. soccer player Eric Wynalda responded to the opinions of Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas about defender Noahkai Banks, who could choose to represent Germany over the USMNT.
"Maybe this is an old wound for Landon Donovan, who was cut from the USMNT and replaced by a dual citizen. Maybe Alexi [Lalas] is ticked off because the guy in '98, where he didn't get to play, fell into that category as well," Wynalda said, via USSP Soccer.
"Noahkai Banks is getting attention right now, not just because of the way he's playing, because it's kind of opened up this issue with certain people, namely Alexi Lalas and Landon Donovan."
"They basically have said they don't want anybody to represent our country that they know and love if they don't want to be here."
"I'm taking a different approach. I get where people are coming from. I get where this narrative is also coming from, from a network standpoint, so I understand that, maybe a little bit more than most, that that's kind of what it's like to work in that building."
Wynalda added, "But at the same time, this doesn't have anything to do with that. I mean, you can't, actually, you know, start your sentence by saying, 'Let me preface everything I'm about to say that I am not a xenophobe.' And then go on a xenophobic rant. It doesn't work that way."
Last week, Donovan said, via USSP Soccer, "Before everyone calls me a xenophobe, I want to preface this by saying this is not xenophobic."
"Look, I'm a dual national. My dad was born in Canada. But it never once, literally never once, occurred to me to even contemplate playing for Canada because I feel American. I am American."
German outlet Kicker reported earlier this month that Banks, 19, would not be nominated for the upcoming international matches despite several exchanges with the U.S. federation.
The reason is that "Banks is leaning more toward the German Football Association (DFB) and wants to keep the option open of playing for Germany in the future."
