U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson also reflected on Banks’ decision and the pursuit of dual nationals in general. Those pursuits, Batson said, are rarely straightforward, but the hope is always the same: to have a program full of players passionate about the USMNT.
“We want players who want to represent their country and represent U.S. Soccer, and our job is to give them the best platform to do that,” Batson said. “We know that there are millions of kids who are waking up every day in this country who are desperate to play for their national team, and it’s our job to create an environment where they can flourish. “
“I know that, wherever you live around the world, if you want to represent the U.S., you want to give it your all, and you’re good enough to play, we want you. It’s our job to create an environment to be able to scout those players, be able to engage them with youth national teams, be able to provide them opportunities to play at the highest levels of the youth, and ultimately, hopefully, to represent their country.”