Dual-national midfielder Kenny Saief accepts call-up to Israel national team

According to Soccer By Ives, U.S. dual-national Kenny Saief has received and accepted a call-up to Israel's senior national team by interim head coach Alon Hazan.

We first wrote about the 22-year-old midfielder here, where we discussed a rumored USMNT call-up that never came.

Saief currently plays with KAA Gent in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, where he has scored 2 goals and provided 4 assists in 27 appearances across all competitions during the 2015-16 season. Most notably, Saief played in 7 Champions League matches with Gent this season, who hold the distinction of being the first Belgian squad to advance to the knockout stages in 15 years.

It was initially reported that Saief, who was born in Panama City, Florida, would prefer to play for the United States despite having represented Israel at a variety of levels in the country's youth system. But, after finally receiving an invitation from Israel, Saief appears to be keeping his options open.

This call-up doesn't necessarily mean that it's time to completely write off the possibility of Saief suiting up for the Yanks in the future. Israel's match against Croatia is a friendly, so even if Saief participates in the match he'll still be eligible to file a one-time switch to become a U.S. national.

It is an honor to be asked to represent your country in international play. In terms of skill, Saief expressed last December that he thinks the U.S. is a better team. But the allure of regularly competing in shiny UEFA competitions like the Euro Cup could potentially sway this young talent.