Noahkai Banks Caught Between U.S. and Germany

Noahkai Banks, a 19-year-old center back, previously turned down a U.S. men’s national team call-up in March to contemplate his international future. Recently, he received an invitation to join Germany’s under-21 camp for upcoming European qualifiers, according to reports from Florian Plettenberg at Sky Sports Germany.

If Banks decides to accept this opportunity, he will need to file a one-time switch with FIFA. This move would effectively tie him to Germany and eliminate any possibility of playing for the United States in the future.

Germany’s U21 coach, Antonio Di Salvo, mentioned to the media that Banks had made a choice. “We’ve been in contact with both of them for a while now and had focused our efforts,” Di Salvo explained. “I’m very pleased that we have been able to lay out a future pathway with Germany for them and that they agreed with it.”

This decision could be a setback for U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, especially as the September and October camps will spotlight the next generation of talent. The roster announced recently features young players, including 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, alongside other newcomers and 13 uncapped players, 12 of whom are 21 or younger.

Banks was part of a previous camp in September 2025 but did not earn a cap then. He has played for the U.S. at the under-20 level and was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, before moving to Germany. Over the last year, he has established himself as a regular starter for FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga, showing promise as a national team prospect.

If he hadn’t declined the March invitation, it seems likely that Banks would have been in consideration for the World Cup roster, as the U.S. team had some defensive gaps. Just under two weeks ago, Pochettino stated that Banks had not yet made a decision about whether to represent the U.S. or Germany, which ruled him out of the September camp.

As of Friday morning, Banks still lists the USMNT in his Instagram bio. Pochettino commented on the situation, saying, “Noki didn’t change his mind and is waiting still, no decision, and of course we cannot consider him for the next camp. That is the case. … Noki is still in the same situation that [he] was before the World Cup when we talked.”