Born in New York to an African-American father and a German mother, FC Bayern’s biggest prospect in goal could represent both the German and the US national teams.
A 6’5″ option in goal
Leonard Prescott was born in 2009 in New York, but moved to Germany at a young age. Since then, he has represented the German youth national teams, but has never represented a USYNT. Given the lack of depth the USMNT currently has in goal, Prescott could be a player the USSF should be watching closely in case he wants to represent the Stars and Stripes.
Prescott has not made his senior debut for Bayern München yet, but has featured in Champions League squads last season against Atalanta and Real Madrid – given Manuel Neuer’s recurring injuries – and a couple of Bundesliga bench appearances, as well. He’s been an important player for their reserve team in the Regionalliga last season but hasn’t had the chance to feature yet this campaign due to a meniscus injury.
At 17 years old, Prescott is 6’5 tall and has a very high ceiling having been developed in one of Europe’s best academies – FC Bayern’s – since he was 14, after signing from Union Berlin. He played 20 games last season for Bayern’s U19 team, and featured in the UEFA Youth League, though that did not go well for them, as they were knocked out in the group stage.
The International Tug of War between Germany and USA
Prescott has made a few appearances for Germany’s youth teams before and hasn’t been called for any of USA’s, but Transfermarkt states that the USSF is following the player closely and wants him to become a serious option for the upcoming World Cup, in which he would only be 20 years old.
Since his German appearances are only at youth level, he could still file a one-time switch with FIFA to commit to the USMNT if he wants to represent his country of birth before making an official appearance with Germany’s senior team.
USMNT’s alternatives
Looking at the latest options Pochettino used in these September-October friendlies, it seems pretty clear that Diego Kochen is the clearest and most interesting prospect the USMNT has in goal for the 2030 World Cup. However, questions arise as to who his back-ups could be. Brian Schwake made a case for himself against Canada with his confidence and saves from long-range shots. Freese, however, will be 31 years old in the upcoming World Cup, which is not old for a goalkeeper, but is under pressure from the US fans after his mistakes against Belgium. Brady is still relatively young at 22, but his limited playing time for the USMNT raises questions about his role in Pochettino’s plans for the future, since he only played 45′ in the last 4 friendly games.
Some other young prospects include the likes of Gabriel Slonina, who is 22 years old and is still at Chelsea, as well as Julian Eyestone, who a very tall goalkeeper, born in 2006. He is currently playing for EFL League Two side Rotherham, on loan from Premier League club Brentford. Another keeper who seems to have a high ceiling is AS Roma’s Giorgio De Marzi, who was born in 2007 and is currently the third-choice goalie for Roma’s first team.
Even if 2030 comes a bit early for Prescott, US Soccer needs to get him into the system now before Germany makes a serious move. Losing Nathaniel Brown and watching Noahkai Banks shift away needs to be a clear lesson for the USSF. When a 6’5″ keeper is developing at Bayern Munich, you don’t wait around. Locking down Prescott’s commitment early could settle the USMNT’s goalkeeping situation for the next decade.