Many fans in North America likely hadn’t heard of Luca Koleosho before the past week, but the 17-year-old quickly boosted his profile with two big milestones in quick succession.
First, Koleosho made his La Liga debut for Espanyol last weekend, becoming the youngest American-born player to feature in the Spanish top flight.
Koleosho was then handed a senior call-up for Canada just days later. Suddenly, the winger had emerged as the latest talented American-born teenager to break through in Europe. But will he actually play for the U.S. in the future?
The winger’s international future is now set to be a closely followed subject this summer as he prepares to report for his first senior national team camp.
Who is Luca Koleosho?
Koleosho was born in Connecticut to a Nigerian father and an Italian-Canadian mother, and grew up playing youth soccer in New York.
In 2016, Koleosho moved to Spain and joined lower division club CF Reus. After making an impression there, he joined up with Espanyol in 2020.
Koleosho spent most of the 2021-22 season with Espanyol’s Under-19 side but also featured for the club’s reserves in the Spanish fourth tier. On the final day of the season, he was rewarded with a senior debut in a gesture that shows how highly rated he is at his club.
Which country will Koleosho pick?
Koleosho holds eligibility for four different countries, making his international future an intriguing storyline to follow.
Canada appears to have struck a major blow in the fight for Koleosho, but ESPN has reported that the teenager is still keeping his international options open and likely won’t decide until later in the summer.
Koleosho has previously played for the U.S. at the U-16 camp and in an interview with American Soccer Now last fall, he expressed his desire to be called in by the U.S. again.
“I was with the U-16 back in 2019 and It was really good,” Koleosho said. “It was my first time and I knew one other kid that was playing in the same league as me in Spain, so I got there with him. And it was it was a really good experience. I think it would be great for me to represent my country and play for them. If they call me, I’d be really happy to go.”
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