Jedi Robinson has private motivation to summon the power for US vs. England

DOHA, Qatar — Jedi Robinson has been awaiting Friday’s match for months.

When the United States males’s nationwide crew was positioned into a bunch with England within the World Cup draw earlier this 12 months, Robinson says he “couldn’t have been happier.” That’s as a result of, for the beginning left again for the USMNT, this one is private. 

Robinson grew up in Liverpool, England, however was ignored by the Three Lions when he was a child arising by way of Everton’s academy, which finally led him to affix the U.S. nationwide crew as an alternative. And regardless that Robinson had that childhood in England and now performs within the Premier League, the 25-year-old says he doesn’t have any shut associates on the English nationwide crew nor any household or associates with divided loyalties. 

“They’ll all be rooting for me,” Robinson says. “Nobody will probably be supporting England.” 

Antonee Robinson of USA through the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between USA and Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
(Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Americans enter Friday’s match in opposition to England, one of many World Cup favorites (2 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), underneath barely extra strain to complete within the prime two of Group B after a 1-1 draw in opposition to Wales on Monday. As underdogs, they’ll want the”Star Wars” fan who selected the nickname Jedi at 5 years outdated — a nickname he nonetheless prefers to his given title (“I really feel bizarre being known as Antonee”) — to summon the power in opposition to England. 

“That means quite a bit to have the ability to play in opposition to [England] and present what I can do on that stage,” says Robinson, a dual-citizen by way of his father, who performed soccer at Duke and was his childhood coach. “That’s gonna be wonderful.” 

Robinson wasn’t the most important star at Everton and handled accidents, which impacted his minutes on the sector. When he was 16, a time he calls the “make-or-break” interval of his early profession, Robinson had not been known as into England’s U18 nationwide crew, getting bypassed in favor of the “favourite guys,” he says. He was known as in by Team USA, nonetheless, and determined to make the most of that chance. 

“I used to be going by way of a time the place I wasn’t taking part in as a lot as I needed to and it didn’t really feel like I used to be one of many gamers that folks appeared to suppose would make one thing of themselves within the sport in comparison with different [English] gamers,” Robinson says. “That’s when the States first reached out to me. I bought a U18 call-up and I by no means bought a call-up for England.  

“To get known as up for the U.S. simply made me really feel 10-feet tall and improved my confidence quite a bit from there, particularly getting back from accidents.” 

USA participant Antonee Robinson in motion through the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between USA and Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. 
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)

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After the USMNT didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Robinson turned a part of the youth motion initially ushered in by then-interim coach Dave Sarachan, who was rebuilding the squad with rising expertise. Around the identical time, a number of the most essential gamers on this squad taking part in in Qatar – together with captain Tyler Adams, Walker Zimmerman and Weston McKennie – additionally made their senior nationwide crew debuts. 

“It was large for me to get known as up at the moment,” Robinson says, who earned his first senior crew cap on March 28, 2018, when he performed a full 90 minutes and had an help in a 3-0 win over Bolivia. 

“When I bought the call-up from the lads’s [senior] nationwide crew,” he provides, “it was a no brainer. It impressed hope in me as a participant on the time.” 

England’s U21 crew ultimately reached out, however Robinson remained loyal to the USMNT. 

Now with 30 caps and two targets, Robinson has developed into one of the crucial essential and beneficial members of this American squad. He’s the one true left again on Gregg Berhalter’s roster, and the primary one the USMNT has had in fairly a while. He’s naturally left-footed and performs on the identical aspect of the sector as Christian Pulisic, who typically cuts inside, permitting Robinson to get large, make runs and ship in harmful crosses. 

Timothy Weah of USA celebrates scoring with crew mate Antonee Robinson through the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between USA and Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
(Visionhaus/Getty Images)

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Due to a minor damage, Robinson missed the September friendlies in opposition to Saudi Arabia and Japan — the 2022 World Cup’s early Cinderella groups who’ve pulled off the most important upsets to this point with wins over world powerhouses Argentina and Germany, respectively. Berhalter began Sam Vines, who lately broke his leg and didn’t make the 26-man World Cup roster, in opposition to Japan and Sergino Dest, who extra typically performs proper again, in opposition to Saudi Arabia. In Qatar, Dest and Joe Scally could be substitute choices on the left aspect ought to Robinson not play a full 90 minutes. 

Lack of depth at left again has been a persistent challenge for the U.S., going all the way in which again to Frankie Hejduk within the 2002 World Cup, making Robinson all of the extra crucial. Hejduk, who was a right-footed midfielder within the 1998 World Cup, was transformed to left again within the 2002 match as a result of the Americans didn’t have stronger choices. The similar factor occurred to midfielder Eddie Lewis, who delivered the cross on Landon Donovan’s purpose in a 2-0 Round of 16 victory over Mexico on the 2002 World Cup however performed left again 4 years later. Same for Jonathan Bornstein in 2010 and DaMarcus Beasley in 2014, although he later embraced the place swap because it helped extend his nationwide crew profession.  

Since his call-up to the USMNT, Robinson’s profession has steadily risen. He’s a daily starter at Fulham, the place he helped the membership win the EFL Championship and promotion again to the Premier League for the 2022-23 season. He performed a key position for the U.S. in qualifying, taking part in 13 of 14 matches through the Octagonal. He scored two crucial targets, the primary an equalizer in a 4-1 win at Honduras in September 2021 and the second being the successful purpose in a 1-0 victory in opposition to El Salvador in January. He celebrated these targets, as he all the time does, with again flips.  

His girlfriend hates it and worries he’ll break his neck, he says, however, “Unfortunately, I’m assured so I’m going to do it.” 

“It’s a kind of muscle-memory issues,” provides Robinson, whose different abilities embody taking part in piano, the power to resolve a Rubik’s dice and card methods. “I simply know I can do it. It’s all a part of the enjoyable in having fun with the sport for me.” 

As the England match approaches, Robinson isn’t the one U.S. participant with a private stake. Yunus Musah and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been additionally born in England and are actually dealing with their dwelling nation in a World Cup.  

Antonee Robinson of USA prepares to take a throw in through the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between USA and Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. 
(Visionhaus/Getty Images)

“It’s a particular sport, for certain,” Musah mentioned this week. 

But for his half, Robinson could be mendacity if he mentioned he wasn’t a bit further motivated for the England match. 

“I need to win each sport,” he says, “however I do need to beat them greater than anybody, I feel.”