There is a new generation of US stars emerging at Europe’s elite clubs. And among this talent-rich class is a player who – in soccer terms at least – is American only by chance.
Sergiño Dest, an 18-year-old full-back who signed his first professional contract with Ajax in December last year, was born and raised in Almere in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a US serviceman father. He hadn’t even visited the States until a trip to New York City – his father’s hometown – in 2014, and hadn’t considered representing the US until the possibility came up in a phone call.
“I was in touch with Ajax about a player that possibly could join them,” former US under-20 assistant coach Dave van den Bergh, who played for Ajax in the 1990s, told the Guardian. “And I asked, ‘Are there any other players in your system you know of that have American passports?’ They came back to me and said, ‘We have a kid in the under-17s who has dual citizenship, would you want to take a look at him?’”
After watching tape of Dest in action for the club’s prestigious youth academy, Van den Bergh saw a player of serious potential. Dest represented the Netherlands at youth level in his early teens, but had seemingly fallen off the national radar since, something that has become the US’s gain.
“I don’t think he ever saw [playing for the US] as a possibility, because he wasn’t aware of us scouting in the area,” Van den Bergh says. “But once the opportunity presented itself, he was very much in tune with America, with his heritage. He was immediately honored. He said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do. I want to represent the United States.’ Once the opportunity arose, he took it with both hands and never looked back.”
After cutting his teeth at the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, Dest was key to USA’s success at the Concacaf Under-20 Championship last November – they beat Mexico in the final – impressing sufficiently to be named in the team of the tournament.
Dest was again one of the standout performers for the US at the recent U-20 World Cup, where his offensive adventure, precision in possession and focus in one-on-one situations helped his side upset tournament favourite France during a run to the quarter-finals.
“Concacaf competition is not the same as the Word Cup or those type of competitions, so physically and technically he was superior to a lot of the players he played against,” US Under-20 head coach Tab Ramos told the Guardian of Dest’s performances for his team this past year. “He had quite an easy time and made us a lot better.
“The mentality of our team is that our two central defenders are really the only ones who stay home all the time, and I really like for everyone else to be free enough to attack, so he fits in really well to the system we play.”
It is not only Dest’s talent that could soon see him become a major asset for the US at senior level. His attacking style of play could change the way Gregg Berhalter’s side operates, allowing increased creative responsibility to be funnelled to the full-backs, borrowing from Pep Guardiola’s approach at Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Watching Dest in action recalls images of Brazilian full-backs Dani Alves and Marcelo, who the teenager models his game on. He is effectively a playmaker from defence, roaming forward at every opportunity. “He’s almost one of those Brazilian outside-backs who can hurt you,” Ramos says, “because, at times, they’re almost like a No 10 – they have that kind of skill. His strength is his unpredictability when he attacks.”
And although Van der Bergh concedes Dest “can give you a little bit of a heart attack” when attempting to dribble his way out of tight spaces deep in his own half, he believes the teenager’s expressive style should be encouraged: “Ninety-nine out of 100 times he pulls it off. And we don’t want to take that out of his game; I think that’s what sets him apart.”
Dest’s offensive instincts were honed higher up the pitch – he began his career as a winger with Almere City – and they have been kept sharp by occasional outings on the outside of a front three as he has progressed through the youth ranks at Ajax.
Brian Tevreden, now the CEO of Belgian side KSV Roeselare, was an Ajax coach on secondment with Almere City when he first encountered a 12-year-old Dest. Tevreden recommended Ajax sign the youngster, and he oversaw Dest’s development in Amsterdam at under-14 level. “He came in as a right winger, but after six months, for a tournament, there was a problem at right-back, so I asked him to play there,” Tevreden says. “He did fantastic, and two weeks after, he got selected for the Dutch national team [at youth level].
“What I like about him is he is not panicking when he is under pressure, which is what you see with a lot of defenders who are not comfortable on the ball. He will pass by them or dribble by them. The pass in between the lines, he does very well.”
Dest made his debut for Ajax’s second team, Jong Ajax, last season. It provided the firmest test of the teenager’s career to date by pitting him against the professionals of the Dutch second division. But he proved himself more than capable of handing the pressure. He made 17 appearances and grabbed his first goal, which he scored in front of 25,000 fans in a 5-2 win at FC Twente.
Van den Bergh credits Dest’s rapid rise through the ranks with Ajax and the US to his work ethic and maturity. “He does so much stuff on the side, whether it’s strength programs, speed programs, looking at video of his next opponent. It’s remarkable how seriously he takes all those aspects of his game; it doesn’t stop with practice or 90 minutes of a game. He’s really committed to his craft and to getting better.”
Ramos agrees. “He’s a great kid,” Ramos says. “He’s a bit introverted, but he’s super-nice, he’s a great person. He’s good to his team-mates. He’s a team player. He’s a giver rather than a taker. He always gives good effort. He’s a great player any coach would want to coach.”
Dest has been promoted to Ajax’s first-team squad for pre-season. Ajax’s last campaign saw them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and claim a first Eredivisie title in five years. Breaking into such a successful team will not be easy, but it is a challenge Dest is ready for.
Few nations have influenced soccer as profoundly as the Netherlands, from the Total Football of Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels to European greats such as Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp. In Dest, the USMNT has a Dutch-born, Dutch-schooled star of the future.