Happy New Years, US Soccer: Gedion Zelalem Is An American!

By Sean Maslin | Dec 31, 2014

If Jurgen Klinsmann had a list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2015, getting Gedion Zelalem into the US Men’s National Team fold would have to be at the top. Klinsmann and US Soccer supporters can cross this resolution off of their list as the 17 year old gained his US Citizenship on Monday, clearing the path for him to play for USA.

Zelalem had previously been eligible for Germany, where he was born, and Ehtiopia, where his parents were born. Gedion’s family moved to the Maryland suburbs when he was 9 years old. While playing for the Olney Rangers, a local Maryland youth club, he was spotted by Arsenal scouts and was signed to a contract when he was 16 years old.

The citizenship process for Zelalem was a bit tricky. He became eligible to become a US Citizen through his father, who became a citizen earlier in the year. Since Gedion was under the age of 18, he was eligible to receive what is called a Citizenship Certificate. But his window was running out; he will be turning 18 on January 26th and would have been ineligible for a Citizenship Certificate after that date.

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While becoming a U.S. Citizen is obviously a fantastic achievement for him and his family, it still does answer the question of what country he would represent in international football. But according to the

Washington Post’s Steve Goff

, he will be playing for the United States. He had previously represented Germany at the U17 level, but was never officially cap tied.

Sunil Gulati, the President of the United States Soccer Federation, said in a tweet on Friday that “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.”

Although he is just 17 years old, Zelalem has already made 3 appearances for the Gunners in both the 2013-2014 FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. In April, he signed a three year contract extension with Arsenal.

As a midfielder, he possesses lightning quick speed and pace. He does lack strength, but one has to wonder if this is something that he will be able to pick up as he grows. He still needs to work on squaring his shot which again will come in time.

If he his paperwork can be approved by FIFA in a timely manner, Klinsmann will have to figure where he fits in the National Team structure. Given that he is 17, it would make sense for him to slot in with the U-20 team. But that squad is gearing up for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and the 2015 U-20 World Cup. Rosters are due for the CONCACAF tournament in early January.

Klinsmann, as evidenced by the situation with Julian Green, is more than willing to give talented young players from strong European clubs a chance to punch above their weight. Nevertheless, given the number of tournaments that both the senior team (2015 Gold Cup, 2016 Copa America,) and the U-20 team (2015 U-20 World Cup, qualification for the Rio Olympics) he will have ample opportunities to prove himself over the next few years.

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