Euro 2016 is in the books, but Sebastian Giovinco’s agent is still confused why the Toronto FC star was left off Italy’s squad.
Italy head coach Antonio Conte left Giovinco, who won the 2015 MLS Landon Donovan MVP award after scoring 22 goals in 33 games for TFC last year, and New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo off of his preliminary squad for the Euros in May. Giovinco previously played for Conte at Juventus and on the Italian national team.
At the time of the decision, Giovinco led MLS with eight goals, to go along with five assists, in 12 games.
Italy showed well at the tournament, winning Group E and beating Spain in the Round of 16 before falling to Germany in a penalty kick shootout in the quarterfinals. Andrea D’Amico, Giovinco’s agent, recently told Mediaset television that he still didn’t understand why his client was left off the Azzurri squad.
“Considering that over the course of the season he had scored more goals than the whole of the Italy attack, and that Conte was the man who really wanted him at Juventus, the decision [to leave him out] seemed to be quite unmotivated,” D’Amico said.
“You’ve got a lad who was the top goal scorer in his first year in America, who provided lots of assists and the player who scored the second-best goal in a league which is certainly not like the Chinese one. I never saw any technical explanation for it. It’s nothing to do with distance either, because if that were the case then all of the Argentinians who play in Italy wouldn’t be considered for their country either.”
Through 17 games, Giovinco ranks fifth in MLS with eight goals, and is tied for third with seven assists. The 29-year-old and his Toronto FC teammates will return to action on Wednesday, when they take on Columbus Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium (7pm ET; TSN2, MLS LIVE).
Italy, who will unveil Giampiero Ventura as their new head coach this weekend, play next in September, when they take on Spain and Israel in a pair of World Cup qualifying matches.
