Dual citizen Noahkai Banks declines invitation to USMNT March training camp – sources
FC Augsburg defender Noahkai Banks will not be joining the U.S. men’s national team for the forthcoming international window and remains uncertain about whether he will represent Germany or the United States at the international level, sources have informed ESPN.
The German publication Kicker was the first to report that Banks would not take part in the USMNT camp. The U.S. is scheduled to face Belgium on March 28, followed by a second match against Portugal three days later.
“Noahkai hasn’t reached a conclusion yet and aims to make the best choice for himself and his career; he is still undecided,” stated a source familiar with Banks’ situation.
After debuting last season, Banks, 19, has had a standout year with Augsburg, making 21 appearances and netting one goal.
The defender possesses both German and U.S. citizenship, as he is the child of an American father and a German mother.
He was born in Hawaii, but according to his mother, Nadine, the family moved back to Germany when Noahkai was seven weeks old. Banks’ parents eventually divorced, although Noahkai kept in touch with his father, Sedrick. He has resided in Germany ever since and joined Augsburg at the age of eight.
Banks represented the U.S. at the youth level during the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup, and last September he participated in a training camp with the USMNT, although he did not feature in friendly matches against South Korea and Japan.
With the World Cup approaching in less than 100 days and his absence from this camp, it appears unlikely that Banks will be included in the U.S. squad. A source mentioned that Banks has been managing a foot injury that sidelined him from last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
In a conversation last month with ESPN, Banks expressed positive sentiments about his experiences with the U.S. program and noted that he has maintained friendships with some of his U-17 teammates. He also valued the warm reception he received from the USMNT last September. “I really enjoyed the camp, to be honest, because I thought as a young guy, maybe I will get treated differently,” remarked Banks.
“But how the guys helped me to integrate into the team and the training was incredible, to be honest. Also, the prominent players like Christian Pulisic or Timothy Weah, we may not expect [the welcome], but it has been great.”
However, Banks also acknowledged during the interview that Germany had been in touch, presenting him with a challenging decision regarding which country he should represent at the senior level. He has previously indicated that he would take his time in making this choice and would not base it solely on one tournament.
FIFA regulations permit Banks to request a one-time switch if he opts to play for Germany.
