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Kenny Saief seals national team switch from Israel to United States

Midfielder Kenny Saief will be eligible to play for the United States after FIFA approved his switch of national team allegiance from Israel, U.S. Soccer confirmed on Thursday.

The move clears Saief, who plays his club soccer for Gent in Belgium, to appear for the U.S. at this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, for which he was named to the preliminary 40-man squad.

Saief needed to complete the one-time switch because he had previously played for Israel's under-19 and under-21 teams.

Israel had been expected to call him up for a World Cup qualifier against Spain in March before he suffered an abdominal injury, and the 23-year-old is now cap-tied to the United States instead.