Should Mike Magee get called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team?
Chicago Fire midfielder Mike Magee believes that he is ready to take on the best in the world at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Magee won the 2013 MLS MVP Award last year and nearly helped the Fire punch their ticket into the postseason. In the end, he arrived too little, too late.
Still, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a shot. At least, that’s what Magee thinks.
“When I got the call it was extremely humbling,” Magee told American Soccer Now’s Brin Sciaretta. “It was definitely a surprise. I think at that moment I looked up past winners. Once it sunk in, I looked at the all the other players people could have voted for. The finalists were me, Robbie Keane, and Marco De Vaio—that alone is incredible to be in a short list with those two names. That was good enough for me.
“What’s funny is that in my rookie year I was 18 years old and I scored eight goals. It seems like two decades ago. Ever since then I got moved to left midfield. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but all along I’ve always considered myself a forward— even if I was playing forward maybe only once a year.
“I did well with my chances in L.A. when I played up top, but with Robbie and Landon, I was well aware with where I stood and played within the team. So when I played [with the Fire], it was kind of like 10 years coming. I definitely needed to score some goals because I didn’t want to get moved back to the midfield.”
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Robbie Keane believes the Magee trade for Robbie Rogers paid dividends for Chicago, even though both sides didn’t benefit much from it in the long run. The Galaxy still made the postseason, and Chicago fell short. But it was still a bad trade.
And as a result of Chicago getting a shot in the arm, Magee is on his way to getting a shot with the USA Men. So, he’s preparing to get that call.
“I’ll never put it aside. I’m training as if I’m in that camp,” Magee added. “My glass is always kind of half full and I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t been on the back of my mind the last three years. It’s kind of been the one thing that has always kind of eluded me. I want it bad. I know I can help the team. There are a lot of good players. I know the quality I bring. I’m confident if I get my chance, I’ll do well with it.
“I don’t watch all the [U.S.] games but I watch most. I have some really good friends on the team. It’s still painful to watch when it’s a team you want to be playing for. At the same time, I grew up a fan of this team. When they get to the World Cup, hopefully I’ll be there, but if not I’ll be rooting for them.”
The question I want to ask you readers is this: Should Mike Magee get called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team? Sound off on the comments and give us your thoughts!