Hertha Berlin defender John Anthony Brooks made his international debut on Wednesday night but not for the country where he was born.
The native of Berlin played a full 90 minutes for the USA in their surprise 4-3 friendly win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo and prior to the match, revealed it was not a hard decision to pledge his allegiance to the country of his father's origins.
"The US really wanted me, so it was not a hard decision to play for the USA. I talked a lot to my family. My dad, who is from Chicago, my mom, my sister, my grandparents, my agent all of them gave me advice," he told the USsoccer.com.
"Since I decided to play for the US, they have been very happy, congratulating me and wishing good luck."
And Brroks, who scored in Hertha's 6-1 opening weekend win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, said his adjustment to the US squad had been made easier by fellow German-Americans Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams.
"It is nice having Jermaine, Fabian and Danny Williams so I can talk a little bit of German with them [laughs]," he added.
"We can also talk about the Bundesliga, the US, and they can give me little clues. That's good for me."
