Stuart Holden is set to make his long-awaited debut for Bolton in Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round replay at Tottenham. The USMNT midfielder, who was born in Scotland and moved to America aged 10, admitted he is aiming to book his place in the USA’s World Cup squad, despite not taking the easiest route to the finals in South Africa.
Holden joined Owen Coyle’s club for footballing and family reasons and will make his first start in the FA Cup clash with Tottenham tonight.
“I have always been confident of my own ability but I know there’s a risk element,” he said. “I could have taken the easy route, spent six months playing every game at Houston and if I’d been playing the way I had, then I would have probably been going to the World Cup.
“But in terms of my career, I didn’t want to make a decision based solely on one World Cup. It’s a decision that affects the next few years of my life. It’s the next step and I’ll never look back and have any regrets. I’m here on a short-term deal but I have come to contribute, and hopefully be here for years to come.
“You always dream of playing against the Arsenals, the Manchester Uniteds and the Chelseas. But any game I can get involved in excites me. I want to be a part of this club.”
