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If you've been paying attention to Major League Soccer at all this season, there's a good chance you've heard the name Kwadwo Poku. The New York City FC midfielder is having a fantastic season. Now it appears as if the Ghana-born player could have a future with the United States Men's National Team.
The 23-year-old Poku told NYCFC radio broadcaster Roberto Abramowitz that he's working on acquiring U.S. citizenship and that he wants to play for the USMNT.
@Poku told me exclusively after practice that he's working on getting his U.S. citizenship and wants to play for the US National Team.
— Roberto Abramowitz (@RobAbramowitz) August 28, 2015
Poku is a true rags to riches American soccer story. Just two years ago he was playing his club soccer with Georgia Revolution of the fourth-tier NPSL. A year later he moved up to the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks before joining New York this season.
In a midfield that boasts such names as Lampard, Pirlo, and Diskerud, he has unarguably been their best this season. The mixture of power, pace, and technical ability he possesses has been a nightmare for MLS teams to try and contend with.
In 2014, Poku got married to a U.S. citizen making him eligible to apply for his own citizenship after three years. The Silverbacks didn't sign him until he got his green card, which was early in the year 2014. If this was the case, he could gain citizenship in the early part of 2017. Which would be very useful considering how massive that year will be on the competitive front for the national team.
With his fantastic form, it's unclear if moving abroad would affect his ability to gain citizenship in the same time frame.
If he gains citizenship and is picked for the team he could be available for six World Cup qualifiers, the Gold Cup, and possibly the Confederations Cup if the U.S. qualify.
Poku has had a tremendous start to his MLS career and while we should not be quick to label him a star, his physical talent and production on the field is hard to not get excited about. Be on the look out for more news regarding the player and the U.S. national team in the future.