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American to wear Canadian jersey

By JIM MORRIS

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2005/08/25/1188073-cp.html

BURNABY, B.C. (CP) - Making your national team debut is a career highlight for any athlete. But wearing the Maple Leaf for next week's women's international soccer friendly against Germany will be even more special for Martina Franko, who only last month received her Canadian citizenship.

"It's such a great honour," Franko, who was born and raised in California, said Thursday following a practice with her new compatriots.

"I feel so at home here more than in the States. The only thing that is in the States right now is my family. Everything else is here. I feel more like a Canadian."

Franko, 29, is a workhorse on the pitch who can score goals as a forward then be hardnosed on the back when playing defence. A member of the Vancouver Whitecaps of the W-League, Franko logged a team-high 1,227 minutes in 14 games, and was third in scoring with six goals and five assists for 17 points.

For coach Even Pellerud, adding Franko to the national team is like Christmas in August.

"I've been waiting for that to happen for a long time," Pellerud said with a grin. "She has emerged to be maybe the best player in Canada in the W-League. She's consistent, always very focused. She's always composed whether she plays forward or back. She will be good for us."

Franko played at Colorado College, a NCAA Division I school. Her 107 career goals made her the second all-time scorer in school history.

After leaving university in 1998, Franko was travelling in Europe when she met her future husband, a Canadian.

They were married and moved to Squamish, B.C., about 50 kilometres north of Vancouver, seven years ago.

Franko first joined the Whitecaps in 2003 and began the process of becoming a Canadian.

"We started up the citizenship in order to play sooner with the national team," she said. "We tried to push the process faster than it would have taken. I would still be living here and playing soccer in Canada even if I wasn't with the national team now."

Veteran national team midfielder Andrea Neil laughed about Franko being the team rookie.

"She brings in a heck of a lot of experience," said Neil, who plays with Franko on the Whitecaps. "She can play so many different positions. She's a wonderful athlete, good technically and a good tactician. We're lucky to have her."

Franko helped lead the Whitecaps to a 13-1 W-League record. Vancouver advanced to the W-League Final Four but lost 2-1 to New Jersey in the semifinal game.

"The competition throughout the year is great," said Franko. "It's great training. A good portion of the national team is on the Whitecaps so it's wonderful to train with them all year round."

Pellerud is leaning toward playing Franko on defence when Canada plays the defending World Cup champion Germans Thursday night at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, and the following Sunday at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.

He has veterans like Kara Lang, Amy Walsh, Amber Allen, and the seemingly ageless Charmaine Hooper all able to supply firepower up front. But injuries have reduced the Canadian defence.

"I have a lot of good options up front when all our player are present," Pellerud said.

"Martina could be another one. I think short term I will look forward to having her in a defensive position for this series. Long term, I don't know yet."

Franko just became a Canadian citizen July 13, but already some of her American friends tease her about the way she talks.

"I think Canadians have a little bit more of a sing-song," Franko said. "I say hey a lot. People are always thinking I'm saying eh."

Being a new-born Canadian, she's already looking forward to her first game against the U.S. women.

"It will be exciting," she said.

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quote:Originally posted by Krammerhead

Nowhere in that article did it state that Franko has dual citizenship.

I agree with you. The headline reads biased to me. There are many women players that play for Canada who were born elsewhere and we don't refer to them as being so so wearing a Canadian jersey. The writer of that article chose his words poorly.

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quote:Originally posted by Krammerhead

Nowhere in that article did it state that Franko has dual citizenship.

Why should it, neither Canada nor the USA governments care a jot what other citizenship one holds? I doubt very much that Franko renounced her US citizenship when she became a Canadian citizen ergo she now has dual citizenship. She can call herself a Canadian or an American as she wishes, so can newspaper reporters.
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quote:Originally posted by Richard

Why should it, neither Canada nor the USA governments care a jot what other citizenship one holds? I doubt very much that Franko renounced her US citizenship when she became a Canadian citizen ergo she now has dual citizenship. She can call herself a Canadian or an American as she wishes, so can newspaper reporters.

Well then, it's nice to know I have a dual citizenship because I never renounced anything either.

Still if I were were playing for Canada after the effort of getting my citizenship I'd hate for headlines to read that I was anything but Canadian wearing a Canadian jersey.

The headline still sucks.

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