photo courtesy of mlssoccer.com
American soccer fans across the country received a belated Christmas gift last night. Steven Goff of the Washington Post reported first early Tuesday morning that Gedion Zelalem is now a United States citizen. In the report Goff also mentioned that Zelalem seems set to represent the United States on the national level. Steven Goff has been following the Zelalem story as his father has worked towards United States citizenship which has cleared the way for his son, Gedion to become a citizen as well.
Gedion Zelalem is now a U.S. citizen. At his request we have started the FIFA process which would allow him to be eligible for the #USMNT.
— Sunil Gulati (@sunilgulati) December 30, 2014
Sunil Gulati, President of the United States Soccer Federation, has announced that they have begun the process of getting Zelalem eligible to play for the USMNT. This has to be a delight for many American soccer fans. Ever since it was reported that Zelalem would consider the United States as an option to play for, fans have been hoping for this day.
Gedion Zelalem currently is a part of Arsenal and their academy. He has played for the first team on two occasions, the latest being against Galatasaray in the Champions League just this month. He has garnered a lot of comparisons to former Arsenal playmaker, Cesc Fabregas, because of his passing ability and vision of the playing field. We can only hope he turns out to be similar to Cesc Fabregas.
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With Zelalem looking set to play for the USMNT in the future, this continues a trend under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann of dual internationals choosing to represent the United States. Zelalem will join players such as Julian Green, John Brooks and Aron Johannsson among others who have chosen the United States over other countries.
Fans will hope Gedion Zelalem can provide that creative spark that seems to be lacking in the United States midfield. A midfield that includes Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya and Mix Diskerud, it does lack a true creative playmaker. Zelalem is more a deeper lying playmaker, but his vision of the field allows him to make incisive passes leading to scoring chances.
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No doubt, fans of the USMNT are overjoyed about this kid, and the hype that is coming along with him. He will need to be eased into the senior squad before he can really be evaluated, but this summer will provide chances for him, whether it is for the US U-20 team or the the Gold Cup for the senior roster.
There is plenty of reasons why we should be very excited to have Zelalem representing the United States. Whether or not he pans out for the national team remains to be seen, but he has tons of promise. He will definitely be a big part of the USMNT picture as they get ready for the Olympics next year and the World Cup 2 years after that.