MANCHESTER, ENGLAND -- As you walk into Geoff Cameron’s home in the suburbs of Manchester, there’s a photo frame on the wall of the hallway.
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The final sentence from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1943 State of the Union address, along with an American flag, is hung up in that frame as it has been for many years in Cameron’s household.
“The State of this Nation is good—the heart of this Nation is sound—the spirit of this Nation is strong — the faith of this Nation is eternal.”
Most of us would agree that right now in the United States of America that’s not quite the case.
Cameron is a patriot, someone who loves his country deeply and someone who stands up for it each day overseas. For anyone who has ever lived overseas, they’ll likely agree that pride in your home nation perhaps becomes a little stronger each day you’re identified by your nationality.
Flying the American flag in England as the top American outfield player in the Premier League comes with a heavy sense of judgement every time something happens involving the U.S. Be it in sports, politics or anything else in-between.
Cameron has been on the frontline for five years.
“Guys here will always joke around and I say ‘hey, you wish you had this passport’ and I’m proud to hold the one I have,” Cameron said. “I am proud to be an American. I have an American flag tattooed on my arm because I believe in America, what we are as a country, how amazing the U.S. is and the American dream, a dream I’ve always dreamed. People have their different opinions and thoughts and that’s fine. What makes our country so great is that we are able to have our own opinions and the freedom to voice them. No opinion is wrong and no opinion is right. If I come out and say I am more conservative, does that mean I’m bad or wrong? No. It’s what I believe in.”
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 29: Geoff Cameron #20 of the United States Men’s National Team celebrates his first half goal against Guatemala with Graham Zusi #19 of the United States Men’s National Team and Clint Dempsey #8 of the United States Men’s National Team during the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier on March 29, 2016 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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Last month Cameron was asked for a statement by a U.S. media outlet on his beliefs about the recent travel ban imposed by President Trump.
“My comment was set up in a negative context, with an opening line that set a negative tone,” Cameron said. “It suggested that my statements were about religious beliefs, which is a total misrepresentation of me and all that I believe and stand for. It left room for people to believe that I was coming from a place of malice and that couldn’t be further from the truth. At the end of the day, I, along with my family and friends – the people that truly know me – know who I am and where I stand.”
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Ahead of the two big World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama in 12 days time -- Cameron will win his 50th cap on either of those games -- the USMNT star is totally focused on national interests on the pitch and securing two big wins.
“Like I said, the most important thing for me is going into these games [World Cup qualifiers] and focusing on that,” Cameron said. “I know I am going to get asked questions about this. My response will be that I’m not here to talk politics, I’m here to play a game. If you want to talk about the game, let’s talk about the game.”
Talking about the game, Cameron has had a tough time over the past four months.
He suffered an MCL injury against Hull City in October and has only just returned to the pitch after a long, hard road to recovery where nothing seemed to be working.
“Throughout my career I’ve been pretty healthy, knock on wood,” Cameron said, tapping his fingers on the counter top in his kitchen. “I had a pretty serious injury in 2010 when I did my PCL and MCL and I’ve had some little niggles throughout the years but those happen when you’re playing sports. I would say this one was the most frustrating because it wasn’t getting better. It was frustrating because there were days when I felt great mentally and physically but as soon as I started doing things, I couldn’t do it. Kicking a ball or cutting, I still had pain, the same pain I had when I first did the injury. The most frustrating part was that it happened with the last play of the game against Hull. The referee blew his whistle and the guy pushed me and landed on my knee and my knee went outwards and I didn’t think any of it. I tried to get back for eight or nine days until the next game and I didn’t train all week and I trained the day before the game and it wasn’t good. I still felt the same pain.”
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That led to Cameron traveling to the USMNT’s January camp, linking up with new head coach Bruce Arena for the first time, to try something different and meet the U.S. team doctor.
“One or two weeks led into two months, then two months led into three, and then three to four. It got to a point where I wanted to seek out another opinion, and it wasn’t about Stoke City or anything like that, it was just me trying to see it from a different perspective,” Cameron said. “I think the visit to the States helped me, I was able to see our national team doctors and they gave me a different perspective and a couple of injections in a different area and it seemed to help me out. I came back and had one or two more injections after that I was okay. I still get bits of achiness here and there but that’s normal being out for four months and then being able to train for a week and a half, then playing two games in four days.”
Has this been the most frustrating time in Cameron’s career so far?
“It was definitely the most frustrating time in my career but what hurts you only makes you stronger and I’ve been there before, but this was the most difficult because it was one thing after the other. I got sick, then I had a tooth problem and I was still dealing with the injury, it just wasn’t good. It was one thing after another and I just felt like… you get depressed a little bit because the only thing you want to do is play,” Cameron said. “That’s where you can take your frustration and anger out and your feelings out a little bit. You don’t really have that outlet because you are not able to play in training. You go into training every single day and it’s like Groundhog Day. You are not getting the reps you want, you are not getting the reps out on the pitch, seeing the guys train. You are missing Boxing Day. You are missing the busiest time of the season.”
Cameron revealed that the biggest challenge was to overcome the mental aspect of not being able to play every day.
Now, to his relief, Cameron is back playing.
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After a brief run-out at Tottenham he was thrown straight in to back-to-back 90 minutes in the space of four days as Stoke beat Middlesbrough and got an impressive draw at Manchester City last Wednesday. Stoke now host Chelsea at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday (Watch live, 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) as they look to stun the Premier League leaders and keep their push for a top eight finish going.
“I just wanted to play, man. I wasn’t even planning on traveling to the Tottenham game but I think Jono [Jonathan Waters] pulled up injured and I was fortunate and the gaffer said ‘Geoff, you looked well. We wanted to get you another week of training to get ready for Middlesbrough.’ I came on and the game was sort of already lost, and he just said get your fitness in and get out there and get a run in. We go home to my first game and I wasn’t expecting to start. I was expecting to hopefully get 20 or 30 minutes and I started and I felt like I was trying to pick up where I left off before I got injured. I was probably playing my best football, especially in the center of the park where I am most comfortable and most confident in that defensive role. I just tried to go in there and ease myself into it and sit in my role and my position, and that helped me adjust and get the 90 minutes under my belt.
“It was a quick turnaround with the City game. Usually I have no problem playing two games in that short span. I take care of my body and I’m very professional off the field. My fitness has always been great but it’s just a case that your muscles aren’t used to wear and tear so quickly. It takes a little longer to recover. I was just happy that I was fit enough to play against Man City and it was a huge result for us to get a point out of there. No one expected us to get a point out of this game, especially with these next two games. That’s why it was such a vital game against Middlesbrough to get three points to go into the two toughest games against Manchester City and Chelsea, who are arguably the two best teams in the league. Getting a point out of City is huge and we are looking to get three points this weekend against Chelsea.”
Are Chelsea the best team in the Premier League by quite a distance? Can anyone catch them?
“I wouldn’t say quite a distance. I haven’t played them yet this season. Just looking at them and watching them on television, for sure. They seem to be firing on all cylinders,” Cameron said. “They are playing some of their best football. They are not playing European games. Players are fresh and they aren’t traveling. Their main focus is on the Premier League and that’s helped them out this year. Tottenham, for me, is a team which is going to challenge them. Hopefully they will make the league a little bit more interesting at the end of the season. Their movement off the ball, they are quick, fast and they pressure. I’m sure that’s very similar to Chelsea but if we perform like we did against Man City and everybody works together as one I think we will be okay this weekend.”
For Stoke, they’re currently where they usually find themselves: ninth place.
Mark Hughes has guided the Potters to three-straight ninth place finishes in the Premier League and although they’ve had an up and down 2016-17 campaign, they’re still hopeful of catching Everton in seventh place.
“That’s the goal. To finish higher than we did the last couple of years. We would like to make the Europa League spot and just finish higher. We are set to beat our points record from last year and I think we are very close to where we were last year in points and we have a lot of games left,” Cameron said. “We break the season down into periods of where we can get points in certain areas. I think we are pretty close to that. Our main goal is that you always want to finish better and always want to improve on every year but finishing in the top 10 this year is even tougher than last year and the year before. This year, all the big boys are in it and teams around have improved their squad and they are in it. From 10th to 7th it is all pretty tight, then the teams behind us are just around the corner as well. It is all up for grabs and it should be set for an interesting end to the year.”
Cameron is now 31 years old and is contracted at Stoke through the end of next season. After Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride, he has the most appearances for an American outfield player in Premier League history and could overtake McBride’s total of 148 PL appearances by the end of this season.
When you look around at West Brom’s Gareth McAuley still playing regularly at 37 years old and John Terry hanging in there at Chelsea, how long can Cameron keep playing in the Premier League?
Many have lauded Cameron’s versatility as his main attribute as he’s played at center back, right back and in central midfield for Stoke over the past five seasons in England but this season he’s made the holding midfield role his own at Stoke when he’s been available.
What’s been the biggest improvement in his game since he arrived in the Premier League in 2012? Turns out familiarity breeds success.
“Everything. All around. Technical ability. Thought process. Speed. Endurance. Strength. Mental toughness. Awareness. All of that comes into play with experience. Knowing how to deal with games in certain situations in certain moments,” Cameron said. “The way you deal with that and get experience is by playing and putting yourself in those situations and those moments. This is my fifth year and you learn and lot. In your first year, especially, then it just becomes a natural thing. Then you kind of just see things which are very similar and keep happening over and over again and you get certain situations which are new in a game which you learn from whether you lose or win.
“You learn from the gaffer, you learn from your teammates and certain things they’ve experienced. It could be that at a particular moment we say ‘hey we need to tighten things up and buckle things up. We are starting to get exposed a little bit.’ You change your positioning a little bit. All of that plays it part. I think over the last five years I’m growing as a player and I’m improving and I have more to improve. I’m only going to get better.”
SANTA CLARA, CA - JUNE 03: Carlos Bacca #7 of Colombia and Geoff Cameron #20 of United States go for the ball during the 2016 Copa America Centenario Group match between the United States and Colombia at Levi’s Stadium on June 3, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Life has been getting better off the pitch too. Cameron has a new dog, Duke, who playfully interrupts our discussion on many occasions as he glances upwards with a tennis ball in his mouth. As well as adding Duke, Cameron’s family have been over to visit from Massachusetts plenty in recent months. Despite his love for his homeland he’s happy in England and he’s often at traditional British sporting events with teammates, soaking up the culture whenever he can, and he flicks the remote from FA Cup games to Premier League to La Liga to Scottish games on television.
“It’s been five years... I’ve got a new family member with Duke. An German Shepherd-Malinois mix. It is fun, man. I grew up with dogs and I’ve always wanted one and I just wanted to do it. Especially being injured for those four months, I think it helped me out a lot. Mentally it distracted me and gave me something to look forward to every day, going to the park and walking him and seeing him run because that was something I couldn’t do,” laughs Cameron. “He brought a smile to my face. He is a man’s best friend. It is an old saying but a true saying
“He is an amazing dog. Days like this on a Sunday, just relaxing, watching TV and then taking him for a walk in the morning and the evening, playing ball with him in the morning in the park and hanging out with him all day, it’s just great. It was a positive light during a tough, difficult time. My Dad was just over here for about a week and a half and he got to meet him and I’m excited to take Duke home for the summer for a month or two so he can meet my parents’ dogs and have some fun.”
Despite having fun with Duke on lazy Sunday’s, Cameron’s mind is never too far away from politics and the country he loves and represents.
Interesting times lie ahead.“There are things I disagree with when it comes to President Trump and there are things I agree with. No matter what, he is the President of the United States of America,” Cameron said. “As an American, we need to come together and have some reconciled agreement to say ‘hey, he’s our President. It’s no one else, it’s him.’ We need to support this person and hope he does well and hope he proves that he is a positive guy and he wants to make America great again. Not wish that he fails and wish that he does bad. What does that do? That’s like saying, let’s burn this place up and you’re in it. Because you are an American and you’re living in the country, let’s hope he fails and be part of that failure... No. You want to make sure he does well and hope that he does well whether you agree with him or disagree with him and that was my statement.”
“As an American soccer player for the national team, the most important thing I’ve seen is that we always do well in tournaments. We always do well, as a team. We believe in each other and whether you are white, black, Hispanic, Asian whatever ethnicity or religion, that doesn’t matter. Because we are here representing America, we come together and we work for one another. That’s what we’ve done throughout the history of playing soccer. Why don’t we do that as a nation off the field? It doesn’t matter. We should care about working together as one. That’s it.”
Pro Soccer Talk will be speaking in-depth with Geoff Cameron early next week about the USMNT’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.