North American soccer has lately grown quite fond of the concept of "hype trains" for promising young players – shorthand, of course, for collective enthusiasm or even outright euphoria about their talent and potential, even when we know they’re still young and far from being proven stars.
So if you’re leery of the Gedion Zelalem Hype Express as it chugs down the tracks, maybe you’d better stop reading right here.
The German-born, Maryland-raised Arsenal wunderkind was handed his first start in a US uniform early Tuesday as the US U-20 national team met New Zealand in their second match of the U-20 World Cup, and he did not disappoint.
Zelalem earned a mention on the stat sheet when he slotted a lovely pass for Paul Arriola to hammer home the third goal in the 4-0 US romp:
but it was the other highlight-reel stuff that has people talking. Stuff like this cheeky nutmeg:
And this outrageous rabona cross, which suggests that the young playmaker has gotten quite comfortable at the youth international level, and with quite remarkable speed:
Allllllllllll aboard!
What’s your favorite moment from Zelalem’s impressive 90-minute outing? Should we prioritize the skills that led directly to a tangible end product on this occasion, or is a dazzling bit of flair and flavor worth getting equally (or more) excited about?
