Maren Haile-Selassie has earned a Switzerland opportunity
Last Wednesday, the Chicago Fire made headlines around the world with their 4-1 demolition of Inter Miami. While Swiss national team star Xherdan Shaqiri was often featured, it was his teammate and compatriot Maren Haile-Selassie who also stole the show on the night, scoring two goals off the bench and contributing what turned out to be the winner.
While Shaqiri arrived in his homeland this week to participate in Euro 2024 qualifying matches with the Nati, Haile-Selassie will stay back in Chicago with the Fire. The now-24-year-old native of Zürich has played for Switzerland at the U-18, U-19, and U-20 levels in the past, but is yet to receive a call-up to the senior national team.
“It's not that simple to go to the national team,” Shaqiri said Saturday when asked about his teammate’s national team prospects, “but Maren, we know his quality and he's still young and I think for sure his dream is one day to play for the national team.”
“I don't know if our coach watches so much MLS,” the Designated Player Shaqiri added. “We have a lot of Swiss players who play and who don't get called up, who play in good clubs.”
What is true is that national team coach Murat Yakin did have a chat with Haile-Selassie earlier this year after visiting Chicago for a game.
“After the game, [Yakin] called me in check and then we spoke a little bit,” Haile-Selassie said in June. “I think he came here to watch, it was his first time. We talked a little bit.”
Despite the two goals from the winger in front of more than 62,000 fans, a national team reward for the games this month was not on the cards. Switzerland were scheduled to play Israel and Belarus, though the first game, originally set to be played in Tel-Aviv, has been postponed.
The progress of Shaqiri has been closely followed by fans in his home country. Some say he is even more famous in Switzerland than the country’s president, in the bracket with recently retired tennis legend Roger Federer as the most beloved people in the nation. However, even the attention on the Fire thanks to Shaqiri has not yet been enough to reward Haile-Selassie.
It’s not just the Miami game in which the former Zürich, Xamax, and Lugano winger has been electric. Haile-Selassie is the Fire’s top goalscorer this season in MLS and has found the back of the net seven times in 2023. In addition to Miami, he scored important goals against Atlanta United, the Philadelphia Union, and rival St. Louis City. He has also added four assists in the league, mostly playing as a right winger but occasionally on the left side or as a wing-back.
The exciting winger still has plenty of growing to do if he wants to reach his potential, but it he continues his current vein of fine form, a call-up could be in his future. If everything goes to plan, the next time Shaqiri steps on the plane to Switzerland, he could be joined by his younger teammate, Haile-Selassie.
Read more about Maren Haile-Selassie:
https://meninred97.com/maren-haile-selassie-making-a-splash-where-everything-is-bigger/
