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USMNT reportedly trying to convince dual-national defensive midfielder to file one-time switch

Crootin’.

FC Midtjylland vs Slavia Prague - UEFA Champions League Playoff 2nd Leg Photo by Lars Ronbog / FrontZoneSport via Getty Images

Despite not having seen his full team play together in nearly a whole calendar year, USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter is hard at work to improve his side’s future. American Soccer Now’s Brian Sciaretta reports that the U.S. head coach has been in contact with FC Midtjylland defensive midfielder Jens Cajuste to try and get him to switch from Sweden to the USA.

Cajuste, 21, has represented Sweden at the youth international levels but has ties to the U.S. through his Haitian-American father. New proposed eligibility rules from FIFA would seemingly allow Cajuste to be immediately able to play for the USMNT should he file a one-time switch. However, due to playing for Sweden’s U-21 team, would be ineligible to play for the U.S. U-23 team for any Olympic endeavors.

Twitter user Ben Green has put together a very comprehensive scouting report on Cajuste, who appears to be a very physically gifted midfielder with exception technical quality.

Cajuste has appeared 27 times for Midtjylland since joining the club in 2018.

The USMNT could undoubtedly use someone of Cajuste’s profile. While midfielders like Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are cornerstone pieces for the program for the next decade, depth at the defensive midfielder spot can never be too plentiful.

Only time will tell on if Berhalter can successfully recruit Cajuste into his setup. For now, all we can do is speculate and discuss possibilities. Cajuste Do It, in our opinion.