Might a future US national team star already be plying his trade in Vancouver?
No, he's not yet eligible to play for the US, but Whitecaps winger Kekuta Manneh, fresh off an MLS Team of the Week selection, is working hard to gain United States citizenship, a move that could lead to him helping the Americans' cause one day.
Speaking with MLSsoccer.com's ExtraTime Radio program on Monday, Manneh said he expects to receive his passport in August 2016. The 20-year-old, born in Gambia but living in the United States since 2010, has even gone to the length of maintaining a house in Washington state, near the Canadian border, in order to progress his quest to become an American citizen.
"If I have the chance, I would definitely want to play for the US, I definitely want to represent them," Manneh said in the interview. "I haven't decided if I want to play for the US or if I want to play for Gambia yet. It's a dream up there. But either choice would be great for me. I have family here, I have family in Gambia as well, so it would be great."
Manneh, currently in his third season with the Whitecaps, has scored 11 goals and four assists in 53 league appearances to date. Seen as one of the young players in MLS with the highest potential, his addition to the US national team could provide the program a skillset not common in the player pool.
But while he acknowledges hearing interest from both the US and Gambia, he's aiming to keep his feet on the ground and see how the process, on and off the field, plays out.
"I'm still waiting for that passport. My agent just informed me that the national team is interested and they've been keeping tabs on me. ... They tell me just keep my head down, don't think about it, it's a long process from now, just do what I've been doing and when the time comes we'll see what will happen.
"I'm still very young, and all I'm doing at this point is focusing on my Vancouver career. ... I'm not really worried about the national team right now. It will happen in the future, but they have definitely contacted me."
