Noel Buck Is Keeping His National Team Options Open
Buck: "My options are open, and I hope people don’t hate me for that."
When it comes to choosing a national team, Noel Buck hopes that fans understand that he isn’t ready to commit to the United States or England.
Buck appeared in a U.S. U-19 camp last summer but is also eligible for the English National Team because of a United Kingdom passport.
On May 31, Apple broadcaster Taylor Twellman noted that the talented 18-year-old was going to earn a call-up to the English U-18 team. The remark came weeks after Buck was left off the U.S. U-20 World Cup squad.
After Saturday’s 3-1 win over Orlando City, Buck confirmed that he did speak to England. The Arlington native was dealing with a minor quad injury at the time but he isn’t sure he would’ve accepted the call-up even if fully healthy.
“There was [a conversation with England],” Buck told The Blazing Musket. “The injury was unfortunate timing but I don’t think I would’ve gone anyway.”
Buck didn’t pinpoint a singular reason for why he wouldn’t have attended the English youth camp, though he did say that he loves being a regular contributor to the New England Revolution.
“I’m still so young,” he said. “Unless I’m being called up to the senior national team, I’m not thinking about what my allegiance is but, you know, I love to play here. I love to get a lot of minutes against great opposition. So I think it’s a call that everyone chose.”
Buck admitted that it’s “pretty cool” to receive attention from both the United States and England, but he’s trying to “stay present” and “take it game by game.” He noted that he’s looking “to improve myself every day.”
The midfielder isn’t ready to solidify his international future, but he’s certainly happy with the options he has because both programs have solid players.
“England would be pretty cool but it’s obviously really hard to get on that team. There’s a lot of quality players,” Buck said. “And the same with the U.S. You know, the youth system is very good and we have a lot of good, young players. But my options are open, and I hope people don’t hate me for that.”
Several of Buck’s teammates have represented the United States, including DeJuan Jones, Bobby Wood, and Omar Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said that he hasn’t yet spoken to Buck about suiting up for the Stars and Stripes, but might look to sway him soon.
“No, I have not talked about that yet, but I will get in his ear,” Gonzalez said. “So, you know, he has a really bright future. So there might not be enough time to talk to him so I might need to talk to him soon.”
He's a peacock, gotta let him spread his wings and fly.