“I can never suppose this country so far lost to all ideas of self-importance as to be willing to grant America independence” King George III
Last summer I joined a rather unique, dare I say, elite club. I am one of the handful of Scrantonians with dual citizenship. Yes, I can now claim to be American and British. Sadly, the benefits of giving my oath to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II have been elusive. There are no tax implications - the UK and US are equally stuffed, so taxes are high and rising in both countries (especially for us dastardly bankers). I do get two votes rather than one, which means I could have participated in May's UK parliamentary election and the mid-term US vote this November. Still, watching the political dynamics in my native and adopted countries, I have a hard time getting excited about voting in either. I can't even use my new Britishness to whiz through Heathrow airport, the world's 3rd busiest, because I haven't had the time to get a British passport. The main reason of course is that I spend too much time going in and out of Heathrow airport with my American passport. Worst of all, most times I mention my British status to someone from Scranton, they look at me like I am some kind of a Euro-trash, socialist spy.
While the benefits of my Brit-American status have been elusive, I am experiencing my first true dual-citizen dilemma. What team do I support on June 12th when the US football (soccer) team meets England in the first round of the World Cup? As a true football convert, this is no small issue for me. So I begin with my brain - and review the hard facts. OddsChecker.com shows England at 4/7 odds - the clear favorite. It is easy to understand. The combined annual payroll of the likely starting 11 in England's squad is an astounding £65 million per year ($90 million with today's weak pound). For the US team, it is closer to £7 million. Ironically, England's David Beckham is the highest paid player in the US professional soccer league by a factor of 7 and will be sitting on the bench at the World Cup as he is "old", "slow" and now injured. As for current form, England breezed through its qualification round and is currently ranked 8th in the world. The US ranks 18th.
Despite the overwhelming odds (a US win pays 5/1) my gut tells me the match will be close. England's football history is probably most well known for its disappointments rather than its successes. England won the World Cup once, in 1966, and only then with the unprecedented advantage of playing every match at its home stadium of Wembley (in London). Since then, England has only managed one semi-final - a loss against Germany in 1990. To be fair, the US history in the World Cup is even more dismal - a semi-final in the first World Cup in 1930 was America's high-water mark. But in 1950, the only time the US and England met in the World Cup, the US managed a 1-0 victory, despite hard facts that look similar to those today. And even with its 18th ranking in the world, the US team had a remarkable run in last summer's Confederates Cup. The Americans defeated world # 1 Spain in the semi finals and nearly beat world #2 Brazil in the final. Sadly, Ranen couldn't bring himself to cheer on the US against Spain since his hero, Fernando Torres, is Spain's striker. I did manage to get him to cheer for the US in the final, but just barely.
Even my heart is conflicted. Deep down, I know my heart lies in America. I was born and raised there, went to school there, met and married Dina there and spent much of my early career there. When the Winter Olympics did find their way onto the BBC this year, which was occasional at best, I cheered for Americans - although the lack of any British athletes made it all the easier. Still, seven years in London and this place has grown on me. Sure, transport doesn't work, service is non-existent and the weather is complete crap. But one of the quintessential British traits is quiet resolution towards life's little challenges. And these days when the tube (subway) is closed yet again I find my old New York anger giving way to my new English shrug. Of course, both my sons were born in England and speak with proper English accents. And to be fair no matter what I say about this country, it is here that I discovered my love for football (soccer).
Socrates once said he was neither Greek nor Athenian, but a citizen of the world. Fair enough, but Socrates didn't have to deal with choosing between your native and adopted countries going head-to-head in the world's biggest sporting event. So what will it be? In the end, my wish is for a 4-4 tie. Wimp you say? Maybe not. Remember, modern football tournaments include a group stage followed by the knock-out stage. During the group stage, where England and the US will meet, the two teams with the most points make it through to the knock-out stage. With Slovenia (ranked 23rd) and Algeria (31st) the other teams in the group what could be better than a 4-4 offensive flurry in the opening match, followed by England and the US each thumping Algeria and Slovenia in their follow up games. After that, the US and England should enter the knock-out stage with little chance of meeting again. After all, if history is anything to go by, there is a high likelihood that both my teams will be eliminated well before the final match. By then, Ranen will likely get a chance to watch his beloved Spain go for football glory!
While the benefits of my Brit-American status have been elusive, I am experiencing my first true dual-citizen dilemma. What team do I support on June 12th when the US football (soccer) team meets England in the first round of the World Cup? As a true football convert, this is no small issue for me. So I begin with my brain - and review the hard facts. OddsChecker.com shows England at 4/7 odds - the clear favorite. It is easy to understand. The combined annual payroll of the likely starting 11 in England's squad is an astounding £65 million per year ($90 million with today's weak pound). For the US team, it is closer to £7 million. Ironically, England's David Beckham is the highest paid player in the US professional soccer league by a factor of 7 and will be sitting on the bench at the World Cup as he is "old", "slow" and now injured. As for current form, England breezed through its qualification round and is currently ranked 8th in the world. The US ranks 18th.
Despite the overwhelming odds (a US win pays 5/1) my gut tells me the match will be close. England's football history is probably most well known for its disappointments rather than its successes. England won the World Cup once, in 1966, and only then with the unprecedented advantage of playing every match at its home stadium of Wembley (in London). Since then, England has only managed one semi-final - a loss against Germany in 1990. To be fair, the US history in the World Cup is even more dismal - a semi-final in the first World Cup in 1930 was America's high-water mark. But in 1950, the only time the US and England met in the World Cup, the US managed a 1-0 victory, despite hard facts that look similar to those today. And even with its 18th ranking in the world, the US team had a remarkable run in last summer's Confederates Cup. The Americans defeated world # 1 Spain in the semi finals and nearly beat world #2 Brazil in the final. Sadly, Ranen couldn't bring himself to cheer on the US against Spain since his hero, Fernando Torres, is Spain's striker. I did manage to get him to cheer for the US in the final, but just barely.
Even my heart is conflicted. Deep down, I know my heart lies in America. I was born and raised there, went to school there, met and married Dina there and spent much of my early career there. When the Winter Olympics did find their way onto the BBC this year, which was occasional at best, I cheered for Americans - although the lack of any British athletes made it all the easier. Still, seven years in London and this place has grown on me. Sure, transport doesn't work, service is non-existent and the weather is complete crap. But one of the quintessential British traits is quiet resolution towards life's little challenges. And these days when the tube (subway) is closed yet again I find my old New York anger giving way to my new English shrug. Of course, both my sons were born in England and speak with proper English accents. And to be fair no matter what I say about this country, it is here that I discovered my love for football (soccer).
Socrates once said he was neither Greek nor Athenian, but a citizen of the world. Fair enough, but Socrates didn't have to deal with choosing between your native and adopted countries going head-to-head in the world's biggest sporting event. So what will it be? In the end, my wish is for a 4-4 tie. Wimp you say? Maybe not. Remember, modern football tournaments include a group stage followed by the knock-out stage. During the group stage, where England and the US will meet, the two teams with the most points make it through to the knock-out stage. With Slovenia (ranked 23rd) and Algeria (31st) the other teams in the group what could be better than a 4-4 offensive flurry in the opening match, followed by England and the US each thumping Algeria and Slovenia in their follow up games. After that, the US and England should enter the knock-out stage with little chance of meeting again. After all, if history is anything to go by, there is a high likelihood that both my teams will be eliminated well before the final match. By then, Ranen will likely get a chance to watch his beloved Spain go for football glory!
A Scranton Boy in Chelsea
P.S. I did get opinions from a few other Brit-Americans. Check out the video below!
