During an innocuous Twitter Q&A between Julian Gressel and fans, the versatile Atlanta United star dropped a morsel of information that US soccer fans may find intriguing.
Should his form warrant consideration, the German-born Gressel would be open to switching nationalities and accepting call-up to the US national team.
Obviously, there are a number of qualifiers fans should know before imaging scenarios in which Gressel is added to the USMNT player pool ahead of the 2022 World Cup. It's possible, though.
Here's how the process works:
- Married to a US citizen on December 31, 2018, Gressel can apply for citizenship three years following whenever the marriage paperwork was filed. Roughly around the 2022 USMNT January camp is when that could happen.
- He would have to keep US residence until then, which isn't a given. The club and player reportedly aren't negotiating a new deal at the moment.
- Due to the fact that he never represented the German youth national team before becoming eligible for US citizenship, he would be eligible to switch should he become a citizen.
- Again: The coaching staff would have to decide he's worthy of a coveted roster spot. A lot of things change over three years.
Theoretically, this could all happen ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
It's impossible to answer with certainty whether or not he'll still be at Atlanta United in three years and if he'll continue the upward trajectory he's on to force his way into the picture, but at the very least, it's within the realm of possibility.
Until then, we wait.
