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Meet Stade Reims striker Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu. He's 19-years-old and plays in Ligue 1. That all sounds fine, but what does this have to do with the United States Men's National Team? According to the player himself, he was born in Washington D.C. and is eligible and willing to play for the USMNT.
There's a more than fair chance that you've never heard of this player. That's nothing to be ashamed of because apparently the USSF hasn't either.
Siebatcheu did an interview with the French website FOOTU21 and had this to say (rough Google translation):
Q: Finally, you were born in Washington. Could you play for the United States in the future?
A: Yes, I also have US citizenship. I have never been contacted to integrate the youth teams. This is something that would interest me, why not. But I do not think of it for now, I'm focusing on my club. If you are good in the club, then you have what you deserve.
Oh, and did I mention that the kid is 6 foot, 3 inches tall and has already scored three goals in Ligue 1 this season?
Here they all are:
Oh, it's just him scoring an equalizer against a little club called PSG
Little is known about this player yet, I'm sure soon he'll be interviewed and hounded about his USMNT eligibility until the USSF finally takes notice. It's hard to ignore a striker scoring goals in a top European league.
The big question is, why does it take internet forums and Twitter to uncover these players?