by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Jan 3, 2015

By Mike Woitalla

Gedion Zelalem, the 17-year-old Arsenal prospect who recently committed to the U.S. national team program, moved to Maryland from his native Germany at age 9. Prior to joining Arsenal’s youth program shortly before his 16th birthday, he starred for the Olney Rangers under Coach Matt Pilkington.

“As I watched him, I figured in order for him to reach his full potential, youth soccer maybe wasn’t the right place for him,” said Pilkington, who is now the boys Technical Director of New York City club Downtown United SC. “He outgrew our system. He outgrew youth soccer in the United States and next step was for him a find the right environment to continue his development.”

So while the Olney Rangers transformed into the Bethesda-Olney team that would finish runner-up to PDA at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-17/18 national finals, Zelalem moved to London. Pilkington had contacted Virginia-based Arsenal scout Danny Karbassiyoon, who was impressed sufficiently to facilitate Zelalem’s move, which was made possible thanks to his German (European Union) passport.

Zelalem has played on Arsenal’s academy teams, its U-19 team that competes in the UEFA Youth Champions League, its U-21 squad and he has appeared in an FA Cup and a UEFA Champions League game with the first team.

He has trained with youth national teams of both Germany and the USA and is also eligible for his parents’ homeland of Ethiopia, but upon getting his U.S. citizenship began the paperwork process to commit to the USA, which didn’t come as a surprise to Pilkington.

“He spent his formative years in U.S. and definitely has a strong connection,” said Pilkington. "He lived here from 9 to almost 16 -- so he spent a big part of his life in American culture. He comes back whenever possible to be with friends and see club teammates.”

A couple of years before joining the Rangers, Pilkington spotted Zelalem playing indoor soccer.

“He was smaller than most of the players,” Pilkington said. “But his first touch and his awareness gave him the ability to not get caught on the ball around other more physical players. His spacial awareness, vision and creativity stood out.

“He always seemed to have so much time. He never seemed to lose the ball. Never seemed to be rushed or forced … Even from an early age, he made good decisions on the ball. He understood how to play.

“He was very young when I first saw him but I did recognize he had some special qualities that were rare. There were subtleties to his game I’d rarely seen. It was a case of seeing how he would continue to develop.”

Pilkington said Zelalem thrived when he joined the Rangers.

“He was always a central player, whether deeper or higher,” Pilkington said. “We played with three central players so there was always a holding mid he would play in front of. He was always a creative, attacking midfielder but he would also drop deep and help build the play.

“He’s very, very good on the ball. And even with so much talent and ability, he liked to share the ball. He’d link up well. He was good in the team dynamic.

“He wasn’t a player who would dominate in certain respects but the things he would do in games, at the Dallas Cup or at Disney, coaches on the sideline would be amazed. He’d beat two or three guys and slip a pass that nobody expected. The way he could turn out of pressure -- coaches could see he had something special. And he was playing with and against older players. He was a ’97 [birth year] but was playing with 95s and 96s.”

Pilkington said the response he’d hear from college scouts was: “Who’s this kid? No way he’s going to college, right?”

Last July, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said, "I honestly think Gedion has the talent to become a great player, but that will be decided in the next two or three years because he has to show that he has the mental level required to be a top-level competitor.

"He is a creative player and he can create a spark, an opening with his passing, his vision through the lines. If he manages to develop his physique and keep his qualities, he can be a very important player. Let's hope he will do it.”