Pride or prejudice: Howard misguided in slagging foreign-born U.S. players

United States shot-stopper Tim Howard's career may be in its twilight, though his penchant for retrospective criticism is at its peak.

With Brooklyn-born Bruce Arena taking the USMNT's helm for a second time on the heels of Jurgen Klinsmann's sacking in November, Howard reckoned the program will head in the right direction with players who "truly believe in the shirt."

"What I think (Bruce Arena) will add is this ability to truly believe in the shirt and I think we lost that a little bit over the last couple of years," Howard told USA Today's Martin Rogers.

“Jurgen Klinsmann had a project to unearth talent around the world that had American roots. But having American roots doesn’t mean you are passionate about playing for that country.”

Related: Howard critical of Klinsmann's reign

Howard chose his words carefully, wisely treading with caution on a topic that many would say wavers between patriotism and a watered-down version of domestic enmity.

The 37-year-old continued, identifying the high number of European-born and European-based players as a threat to the concept of a squad which "truly believes in the shirt," as Klinsmann recruited a number of senior-team members from his native Germany.

"I know there were players that came in that it didn’t matter as much to," Howard surmised. "If you get enough of those players, one or two can get found out, but if you get enough of those players you lose sight of what you are all about. While it was a good idea in theory, it had its flaws. Bruce will 100 percent get that back."

Many, like Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler, John Brooks, and Bobby Wood qualify for USMNT duty based on having American servicemen for fathers. Klinsmann brought those players into the national team fold, and save for Chandler, the group has made near-instant positive contributions.

Apologies to Jozy Altidore, but Wood was arguably the U.S.' most influential striker in 2016, while Brooks and Johnson both offer versatility and composure in defensive positions. That trio, along with Chandler, all ply their trade in Europe, as do USMNT senior-team members DeAndre Yedlin, Julian Green, Geoff Cameron, Aron Johannsson, and Perry Kitchen.

Add shot-stopper Ethan Horvath to that list - a challenger to Howard's first-team role - and throw in other emerging talents like Lynden Gooch, Christian Pulisic, Gedion Zelalem, Danny Williams, Terrence Boyd, Matt Miazga, Emerson Hyndman, and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and it appears the USMNT's future is tightly tethered to talents playing abroad.

"I think there has been this rhetoric that has been spewed out over the last couple of years - players have to go to Europe," Howard, who enjoyed his best years in England with Manchester United and Everton, added. "If you want to go to Europe that’s fine, but I would guess that come 2018, 80 percent of our roster will be made up of MLS players."

If Howard's comments sound eerily familiar, recall Abby Wambach's abject and dull offering from October, when the former USWNT star displayed again that prowess on the pitch is not relative to perception off it.

On the heels of daft comments relating to foreign-born U.S. players from December 2015, Wambach conceded, "It's just my opinion, and I'm entitled to that."

While Wambach's comments were a bleak and strident version of Howard's that have morphed into a full-blown xenophobic avowal, the divide within the national team set-up is evident.

For fear of being simplistic, bigotry and preconception is not a black-and-white issue, but rather a problem with various grades and levels. While Howard touched upon a version that questions Klinsmann's tactics abroad, Wambach's rendition was an insipid one that spoke to animosity and injustice.

"To me, that just feels like they weren't able to make it for their country and earn a living, so they're coming here," Wambach said about European-born players.

"It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some guys that have never lived in the United States that play for the United States because they were able to secure a passport."

What, then, does Wambach think of Canadian-born USWNT standout Sydney Leroux?

Related: Wambach doubles down on remarks about foreigners in U.S. squad

In addition to questioning the motivations of foreign-born players, Wambach wondered if they have the inherent resolve needed to help forge the future of American soccer.

"But do they have that killer instinct?" she asked. "I don't know."

It would appear there's a lot that you don't know, Abby.

When Wambach made her comments in December 2015, several members of the men's team spoke out, including Alejandro Bedoya and Mix Diskerud.

The tandem - with nearly a century of caps between them - wasn't bashful in expressing their distaste for Wambach's comments, and while Bedoya's approach focused on the former striker's faults, Diskerud, who was born in Norway, was more calculated in his dissent.

"I'd love to sit down with Mix Diskerud and some of these other guys and talk to them about it," Wambach told Sam Borden in October. "I'd love to understand how much they love their country. I believe they can have love for both countries, but I'd love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too."

For his part, Howard's thoughts aligned with Arena's logic, with the former LA Galaxy boss calling up 32 players - all based in the United States or Canada - for the annual January camp for upcoming friendlies against Serbia (Jan. 29) and Jamaica (Feb. 3).

With MLS in its offseason and just two months before 2018 World Cup qualifying kicks off, Arena is assessing his squad with players close to home. It's not an unusual approach, nor is it a narrow-minded one, with the gaffer offering, "It's important that we come in and quickly establish an understanding of what we are about and how we go about building our team.

"As for the players, we are coming into this with an open mind, so it’s a huge opportunity for them."

Howard, who officially returned to MLS in June with the Colorado Rapids following a 14-year foray in England's top flight, remained critical of Klinsmann's approach after not voicing similar opinions during the German's six-year reign.

While others - compelled to see the U.S. take its next step toward world-class legitimacy - may value talent over national honor, Howard was adamant that a deeper pool of players doesn't necessarily help the program.

"It is not about where you play, it is about what you bring to the team and how much you care," he said.

Outspoken support for your current boss that doubles as lambasting of your former one is not an uncommon occurrence, but Howard's comments did offer an unfair generalisation, in saying: "Having American roots doesn’t mean you are passionate about playing for that country."

Like Wambach's comments from more than a year ago, Howard's are sure to ruffle feathers. When Wambach, the USWNT's all-time leading scorer, made her naive and shortsighted remarks, she also leaked a glimmer of equivocal accountability.

"If this is an ignorant opinion, I'll raise my hand in the end and say, 'My bad.' But I'd want to have that conversation."

No better time to have that conversation than now.