Geoff Cameron is getting an education. The central midfielder/defender rapidly rose from Houston Dynamo star to Stoke fixture and United States national team centerback of the moment.
But can that recent success buy a guy a break? Nope, especially when it comes to the men in the middle of Premier League matches.
“Last week, I got absolutely smashed in a tackle playing for Stoke against Swindon. I complained to the referee and somehow I was the one who received a yellow card... The lads explained to me after the game that when referees hear my American accent, I should prepare myself for some funny treatment,” he tells ESPN.com’s Roger Bennett.
Point taken: Americans are gaining respect abroad but not that quickly. Hopefully Cameron’s strong play will help him get the benefit of the doubt soon enough. (Also, note the use of “smashed.” That’s very British of him, right?)
And then there’s the whole “Oh hey there, Geoff. Thanks for coming. Can you start at centerback in Azteca for us?” thing that Jurgen Klinsmann pulled a few weeks ago. But GC was cool with the whole affair.
“I prefer being thrown in as I didn’t have time to sit down and think I was about to go and mark Chicharito and worry that he is a hundred times better than me,” he says.
Yeah us, too. We hate when we have time to sit around and think about what a better blogger Steve Davis is than us. Put me in, coach.