Arsenal has released the club’s final roster for their upcoming U.S. trip, and one of American soccer’s brightest prospects will likely take the field when the Gunners face-off with the MLS All-Stars.
Gedion Zelalem was named to Arsenal’s final roster on Monday afternoon. The squad, which also includes Petr Cech, Theo Walcott, Granit Xhaka and Jack Wilshere, will take on the MLS All-Stars on Thursday at Avaya Stadium before facing Chivas de Guadalajara three days later at the StubHub Center.
And here's who you can expect to see at #ArsenalUSA! pic.twitter.com/5rQeQOoh0s
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 25, 2016
The trip isn’t Zelalem’s first Arsenal pre-season journey with the Gunners, and isn’t even the 19-year-old’s first excursion back to the States. Zelalem was a part of Arsenal’s traveling roster in 2014 and played 45 minutes against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
Last season, the 19-year-old playmaker featured on loan for Rangers, and made 28 appearances for the Scottish club in the country’s second division. Internationally, Zelalem has featured for both the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team and U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team since announcing his commitment to U.S. Soccer in May 2015.
Here’s a closer look at the full Arsenal roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Petr Cech, David Ospina, Emiliano Martinez
DEFENDERS:Hector Bellerin, Krystian Bielik, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Rob Holding, Nacho Monreal
MIDFIELDERS: Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Chris Willock, Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Gedion Zelalem
FORWARDS: Chuba Akpom, Joel Campbell, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott
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What do you think of the roster? Which player are you most excited to see take on the MLS All-Stars?
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