O'Neill & Magee called up to US World Cup Camp

There has been much talk since Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane took over as to who would be the next player to avail of the “granny rule” and tog out for the boys in green.

There are strong cases for both sides of the argument, but the reality is that many of our nation’s greatest footballing stars have been born on foreign shores.

Speculation on future “new signings” is ongoing and players like Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), Harry Kane and Kyle Naughton (both Tottenham Hotspurs), twins Michael and Will Keane (Manchester United) and Patrick Bamford (Chelsea) are all exciting young prospects plying their trade in the UK who are eligible to declare for Ireland.

Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney however maintains that O’Neill will not beg any player to play for Ireland, so it remains to be seen how many (if any) will declare.

Further afield though, in the bright lights of the MLS in America, there are two players of note who are also eligible to wear the green of Ireland.

Cork-born Shane O’Neill is one such player. Plying his trade for the Colorado Rapids, O’Neill was part of the US U20 World Cup team in 2013 where the 20 year old started the final two games – scoring against Ghana. (read Extratime.ie’s interview with Shane O’Neill from 2012)

American born 2013 MLS MVP Mike Magee is also eligible and though 29 years young, has never featured for his country of birth. Last year, Magee scored 21 goals to pip our very own Robbie Keane to the MVP award while his Chicago Fire team narrowly missed out on the playoffs on goal difference.

The chances of both of these players playing for Ireland suffered a knock today however, when both were named in Jurgen Klinsmann’s 26 man World Cup preparation camp in Carson California.

Whether either are interested in playing for Ireland remains to be seen, you would feel that the opportunity to represent his birth country at this summer’s World Cup will prove too big a pull for Magee.

With Irish born Shane O’Neill though, his declaration for another country would be unfamiliar territory and would mark one of the first major blows for the Boys in Green through an eligibility system with which they are usually the beneficiaries.