Giuseppe Rossi has played in some of the world's biggest leagues, been an international for a World Cup-winning side, and endured a brutal injury history, but is turning his sights to MLS.
The 31-year-old has been out of contract since May, but in an interview with Glenn Crooks on Pro Soccer USA, Rossi revealed he has been training with the New York Red Bulls to stay in shape.
“This year, since I’ve been a free agent for longer than I expected, I asked if I could train with them just to have the possibility to be on the field with a very good team like the Red Bulls,” Rossi said. “I can keep fit and keep playing and have fun, which is exactly what I’m having – a lot of fun with those guys. I’m happy they are doing really good. They deserve it. It’s a great group of guys and I’m really pulling for them to take the title back home.”
Rossi has played in the Premier League (Manchester United, Newcastle United), Serie A (Parma, Fiorentina, Genoa) and La Liga (Villarreal, Levante, Celta Vigo) in his career. After finding a good spot at Villarreal, a series of knee injuries severely curtailed the striker's playing time since 2011, and the Italy international's career has not hit the promise expected of him.
Does Rossi want to play for the Red Bulls? The New Jersey native, who discusses why he played for Italy instead of the United States in the interview, said he's interested in featuring for either the Red Bulls or NYCFC.
“These are all possibilities I am keeping open, obviously,” Rossi said. “Coming home and playing home would be something amazing. It would be something amazing because this area in New Jersey is in my blood. I would love to be a part of the soccer culture that is around this area – the New Jersey/New York area – obviously, it takes two to tango, am I right? I would love to sit down to talk.”
You can read more from Rossi over at Pro Soccer USA.
