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World Cup Alex Grimm / Getty Images Seven weeks after Noahkai Banks was born in Hawaii, he moved to Germany with his family. Now 19, Banks is a central defender for FC Augsburg in the German Bundesliga. He’s also considered to be one of the U. S. men’s national team’s most promising prospects and currently finds himself the subject of a flurry of conversation. Advertisement As a dual national, Banks has an important decision to make in regards to his international future. It’s not only important for him but could be, depending how his career arc progresses, be similarly vital for the fates of two international programs. Banks could choose to represent his birth country and potentially feature as the youngest player in the 2026 U. S. World Cup team, having already represented the U. S. in several youth squads. Or he could wait for legitimate interest from the German national team and become part of the next generation of Die Mannschaft, and all its iconic history. Meanwhile, U. S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino is actively recruiting him. A home World Cup begins in June, and it’s setting up to be the most important in American soccer history. But the possibility of wearing Germany’s colors and aligning with a four-time World Cup-winning program, could materialize if he holds his current position. “It’s a difficult decision regarding my nationality. I’m very torn, ” he said in a recent interview with Sky Sport Germany. “Hopefully I’ll have a long career ahead of me, so I want to think carefully and speak with my family. I don’t want to make it dependent on a World Cup. I’m just happy to be in this position and to be able to make this decision. We’ll see what happens. ” Banks didn’t move back to the U. S. . His German is fluid and native. His English is eloquent with a noticeable accent that’s typical of a German national. His daily culture and his understanding of professional football is shaped by his Bavarian upbringing. Banks is the very picture of a dual-national athlete. Players like him from around the world are often burdened with the repercussions that come with national team allegiance. To choose one country over another can alienate the player from a spurned fanbase. It can also endear him or her to the opposition. In Banks’ case, a U. S. uniform is not a foreign object. The German-American has played for the U-17, U-18 and U-20 U. S. national teams. He also had a positive experience in September with Pochettino’s senior side, albeit not as an active matchday player, as the Argentine manager introduced him to the USMNT’s new culture. Advertisement “Even though playing at a World Cup is a dream, I don’t want to make my decision dependent on a World Cup, ” Banks told Sky Sport. “I feel connected to both nations. ” A dual-national player’s choice comes down to myriad factors that go well beyond the field of play. Culture and heritage becomes mixed with sporting potential. The recruitment strategies of a coach or a national team federation can blur the lines between loyalty, pride and self-satisfaction. The emotional tug-of-war for the player can either be a struggle or a revelation. Following the Tuesday release of the U. S. squad for two upcoming March friendlies in Atlanta, Pochettino confirmed talks with Banks, but described his role in those conversations as more of a father figure, noting the player’s age. “He is thinking a lot, ” Pochettino told reporters. “He is in a situation that is not easy for him. He was very clear he was not available to be selected. ” The speculation and increased interest in Banks has intensified of late among American soccer fans and pundits. His recent comments have been met with considerable disappointment by some on social media, while well-known former U. S. internationals have offered their own points of view. Among them is Landon Donovan. Donovan is arguably the greatest U. S. player of his generation. He’s also a dual national. His father is Canadian. But Donovan, by his own admission, never gave his national team allegiance a second thought. “It never once, literally never once occurred to me to even contemplate playing for Canada because I feel American. I am American, ” Donovan said on a March 10 episode of his podcast Unfiltered Soccer that he co-hosts with former U. S. goalkeeper Tim Howard. Donovan and Howard briefly touched on the topic of dual nationals during that episode, specifically regarding Banks. Donovan offered a solution that he felt would curtail the indecision and rhetoric around dual national players, prefacing it by rejecting any suggestion his stance was xenophobic. Advertisement “The easiest way for FIFA to cut this all out is just say where you were born is the country you will play for, ” Donovan offered. “Maybe it’s fair. Maybe it’s not fair. “Noahkai Banks grew up in Germany. You might get born in a country because, you know, the woman is a couple weeks early or whatever, and that sucks, but like, that would just cut out all of this. ” It is a shortsighted stance, but one that is also informed by his own experience as an American soccer legend. Donovan featured in over 150 games for the U. S. senior national team. He played in three World Cups and delivered for his country in some of the biggest moments in national team history. One could label Donovan a nationalist in the most positive sense of the word. Someone who is bound by the idea of collective sacrifice and pride for the shirt. That said, nationalism can also be exclusionary. And whether Donovan meant to or not, his pride for the U. S. national team in this current scenario may have clouded his judgment. If Donovan had his way, several accomplished members of the current U. S. player pool would not be considered. Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Sebastian Berhalter and Cameron Carter-Vickers were all born abroad, for instance. But Donovan is not alone on this island of exclusivity. In February, former Mexico international Hector Herrera was asked about the possibility of Spanish-born midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo playing for Mexico at the World Cup this summer. Fidalgo, 28, became a naturalized Mexican citizen earlier this year after living in Mexico City and playing for Club América for five seasons. “If I were the boss of the (Mexico) national team, I wouldn’t bring in foreigners, ” Herrera told reporters in Houston. “There’s a reason everyone is born in their own country and should play for their own country. I have a friendship with (Fidalgo), I love him dearly and I admire him greatly as a player, but I would prefer to give the opportunity to a Mexican. ” Advertisement Nationalistic pride has always been a central theme in the arena of global football. In many ways it’s what makes major international tournaments so special. But when it comes to dual national players, the fervor of patriotism can sometimes cross a line and become toxic, or as Donovan duly noted, can be interpreted as xenophobia. Herrera didn’t cross that line, but he mentioned Obed Vargas as a player who is emerging in the same midfield position as Fidalgo. Vargas, 20, was born in Alaska to Mexican immigrant parents. After playing for the U. S. at the U-20 level, Vargas completed FIFA’s one-time switch protocol in 2024 and chose to represent Mexico. “(Mexico) is the team I grew up watching, ” Vargas told reporters during his announcement. “It’s a way for me to honor my family, my culture. My whole family is Mexican. ” Herrera accepts Vargas’ heritage, but he doesn’t appear to accept Fidalgo’s or that of other recent naturalized Mexicans. Does Herrera have a problem with Milan striker Santiago Gimenez playing for Mexico? Gimenez was born in Argentina but raised in Mexico. If Donovan and Herrera had their way, for instance, Vargas would have been forced to leave his feelings aside and play for the U. S. “I swear on my life, ” Donovan said on his podcast. “I would have cut off my hand to play for our national team, and most people would. ” And conversely, many people wouldn’t, which brings us back to Banks. Banks is mulling a decision that will change his life. And yet, Banks, who has been fully immersed in German culture since before he could walk, eventually rising through the ranks of the Augsburg academy, may decide that the stars and stripes is not the best fit for him. Playing for Germany in the future is understandably worth waiting for. Under FIFA’s one-time switch system, Banks can choose the country he’ll represent, and that may end up being the country where he grew up and not where he was born. FIFA’s own protocol can get mired in administrative red tape, but it’s working. Donovan’s birthplace proposition would force Banks to play for the U. S. and subject himself to the type of scrutiny that Donovan himself has derided. Advertisement I’m a Colombian-born dual-national who moved to Northern Indiana with my family before the age of two. I admit that the Banks situation, and that of other multi-national players, can sometimes feel personal. Being part of two different cultures, and loving two different countries, can be both a blessing and a curse. Whatever decision Banks makes should be accepted with grace. On the podcast, Donovan and Howard empathized with Banks. They have both witnessed firsthand how the politics of dual national call-ups can affect a World Cup-bound side. The 2014 U. S. team included five German-Americans: John Brooks, Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler and Julian Green, plus two other players with dual European citizenship (Aron Johannsson and Mix Diskerud) were selected by German head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Donovan, of course, was controversially left off of the 2014 U. S. team that reached the round of 16 of that World Cup in Brazil. In his new book, “Landon Donovan: A Memoir, ” Donovan described the uncomfortable and painful emotions he felt after Klinsmann ended his dream of representing his country at a fourth World Cup. “And in my mind, I’m thinking something like: Jurgen is taking a handful of players who really think of themselves as German, some of whom wouldn’t give a f— if we go out after three games and they never stepped foot in America again, ” he writes. “The challenge I have, ” Donovan stated present-day on his podcast, “is if you have to recruit someone and convince them to play for your national team, that’s a problem. ” Howard, who had Hungarian eligibility through his mother, in turn flagged what is often the most contentious detail of any country’s debate about dual national players. “It causes its own problems when someone doesn’t just jump at the opportunity to play for the U. S. ,” he said. Banks is in the eye of a storm that should be considered a privilege instead of a verdict. He has been honest and diplomatic with his public statements. It is a monumental decision that a relatively small number of players ever get to make — an enviable decision, and also a challenging one. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Felipe Cardenas is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer in South America, North America and more. Follow Felipe on Twitter @Felipe Car