The U.S. men’s national team got some great news on Friday, as goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina—one of the most promising youngsters at his position in world soccer—announced that he has chosen to play for the USMNT over Poland.
The Chicago Fire keeper made his announcement on his Twitter account shortly before the USMNT announced its June friendly roster.
“I’ve known for a while now the unique privilege I have of being a dual-national,” the 18-year-old wrote. “Although I never thought much about it because I just love everything about my roots and heritage, that’s just me! But, I know that in sports you have to make a decision for who you want to compete for on the international stage.”
The goalkeeper continued later: “My heart is American. This country has given me and my family all the opportunities I could ask for. It’s pushed me and supported me through the good and the bad. I understand the privilege of wearing the badge, and the only time I’ll put my head down is to kiss it. America is home and that’s who I’m going to represent.”
— GAGA (@GabrielSlonina) May 20, 2022
Poland had made a concerted effort to court Slonina, with manager Czeslaw Michniewicz traveling to the U.S. to meet Slonina, and later calling the goalkeeper up for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches.
The USMNT, meanwhile, has had Slonina in its youth national team pipeline from the Under-15 level. Most recently, Slonina played for the U-20s in November and he has also been invited to two camps with the senior national team.
Despite only turning 18 earlier this week, Slonina has started all 12 of the Fire’s MLS games this season after emerging as their starting goalkeeper in the final third of 2021. Last year, he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to start an MLS match, and started 2022 off with three straight shutouts.
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