These days, the U.S. men’s national soccer team will take any victory it can get. And on Monday it scored a significant one, off the field.
Sergiño Dest, an 18-year-old defender with dual nationality, announced he has committed to the U.S. program after considering an opportunity to play for his native Netherlands.
“Of course, it was a tough decision for me when the Dutch team showed their interest,” he said in a statement released by the U.S. Soccer Federation. “But I have built up a very good feeling with Team USA over the last couple of years and I strongly believe in the plans and potential of U.S. Soccer.”
Dest played for the United States at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup and the 2019 U-20 World Cup, then made his senior national team debut this fall. However, a player is not tied to a country for good until he appears in a FIFA-sanctioned competition.
With the Dutch federation expressing interest, Dest kept his options open by skipping two U.S. matches this month in the CONCACAF Nations League, an event that would have locked him into the American system. That decision, coupled with the fact he has lived entirely in the Netherlands, raised speculation that he would abandon the rebuilding U.S. team and commit to the Dutch squad.
However, after he and his father met with U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter and USSF sporting director Earnie Stewart in Amsterdam last week, Dest decided to stay with the American team.
Dest’s mother is Dutch, his father is Surinamese American.
An expected appearance in a Nations League match against Canada on Nov. 15 in Orlando or Cuba four days later in the Cayman Islands would lock him into the U.S. program forever.
“In all of our discussions, Sergiño expressed the comfort he feels within the group and his appreciation for the commitment the Federation has made along the way,” said Stewart, who also is Dutch American and played for the U.S. team between 1990 and 2004.
“As a dual national myself, I understand the choices that these young players face. Our job is to provide a clear pathway and maintain honest and open communication, and then ultimately it comes down to a personal decision.”
Dest, who will turn 19 on Sunday, is the starting right back for Dutch club Ajax, one of European club soccer’s best. This season, he has appeared in nine Eredivisie league matches, one domestic cup game and six UEFA Champions League matches.
In the past two weekends, he posted three assists overall against Waalwijk and Feyenoord. In between, he started against Chelsea in a Champions League match and was responsible for allowing Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, a U.S. teammate, to cross for the winning goal.
For the U.S. friendlies last month, he started at left back against Mexico and Uruguay.
“He is an exceptional young player with a bright future,” Berhalter said.
In the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Canada in Toronto, the United States will need to defeat Canada and Cuba next month to win its Nations League group and strengthen its FIFA ranking ahead of 2022 World Cup qualifying next fall.
