It’s no secret that the United States has benefitted tremendously from its melting pot reputation. One need look no further than the US Men’s National Soccer Team for proof. The number of dual nationals (players that are eligible to represent multiple countries) that have opted to represent the Stars and Stripes is ever-increasing, and the resulting talent pool available to Jurgen Klinsmann is the greater for it. Of the 23 players initially called in by Klinsmann to face Cuba, only 5 (Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Perry Kitchen, David Bingham, and Jordan Morris) had no immediate connections to other national teams. Everyone else, at one time or another, could have been wearing a different jersey.
So who are the next dual nationals that American fans should be keeping an eye on? Names like Zelalem and Pulisic are already well known to most USMNT fans, but there are others that might be slightly less familiar. Some have already ripped the Stars and Stripes at youth level. Others have already appeared for other national teams, but remain eligible via FIFA’s one-time switch policy. Here are 20 players who could still represent the United States, even if some are far less likely to do so than others.
1 of 20
Bjorn Maars Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian)
24-year-old forward. Born in North Carolina to an American mother and a Norwegian father. Has been playing in Europe since he was 19. Eligibility: United States and Norway.
2 of 20
Valeri Anatolyevich Saramutin (Dinamo Moscow 2)
21-year-old defensive midfielder. Eligibility: United States and Russia (he has already appeared for Russia at youth national team levels)
3 of 20
Niko Hämäläinen (QPR)
19-year-old midfielder/defender. Born in Florida. Eligibility: United States and Finland (he is a regular starter for the Finland U21s.
4 of 20
Kik Pierie (SC Heerenveen)
16-year-old centerback. Born in Boston. Eligibility: United States and the Netherlands (has already appeared for Holland at U17 levels).
5 of 20
Kai Koreniuk (Vitesse II)
18-year-old forward. Born in Florida. Eligibility: United States and the Netherlands (he's played for the Dutch U16s and the US U17s).
6 of 20
Jorge Villafana (Santos Laguna)
27-year-old left back. Born in Anaheim. Eligibility: United States and Mexico (has appeared for the US U20s and U23s, but could still file a one-time switch to play for El Tri).
7 of 20
Marlon Fossey (Fulham FC)
18-year-old defender. Born in Hollywood but moved to England at a young age. Eligibility: United States and England (has already appeared for the US at U19 level).
8 of 20
Danny Barbir (West Brom U23s)
18-year-old centerback. Eligibility: United States and Romania (via his father). He has already appeared for the US U17s.
9 of 20
Kenneth "Kenny" Hasan Saief (Gent)
22-year-old midfielder. Born in Florida and moved to Israel at the age of 4. Eligibility: United States and Israel. He is likely already committed to the Israel National Team, having played for them twice in friendlies. He remains eligible for a one-time switch.
10 of 20
Niall Mason (on loan at Doncaster Rovers from Aston Villa)
19-year-old defender who was born in England to an American father and an Indian mother. Eligibility: United States, India, and England. His stated preference is England, should they come calling.