Julian Hall’s mother got a visit this week.
The Red Bulls youngster, just 18, has already caught the eye of Poland, his mom’s birth nation.
And the president of the country’s football federation is now in recruiting mode.
“We were of the same opinion,” Cezary Kulesza captioned a photo on X, in which he held up a custom Poland uniform alongside Hall’s mom.
“That the surname Zakrzewski [Hall’s mother’s maiden name] looks beautiful on a white-and-red jersey.”
Kulesza’s visit to New York is not likely to result in an immediate payoff for the striker, while his similarly precocious teammate, 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti, also qualifies to play for Albania through his parents (both countries were eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying in the playoff phase).
And while a spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s USA World Cup squad this summer is likely too soon a proposition for the New York-born pair, Kulesza’s cross-continental trip shows the urgency with which the US soccer federation may need to act going forward. Not to mention, the impression that both have made this season.
The teens have become core members of coach Michael Bradley’s squad, starting the first game of the MLS season — a 2-1 statement win at Orlando City — and most recently Wednesday, against rivals New York City FC in the US Open Cup.
If either Hall or Mehmeti (both uncapped at the senior level) sneaks into Pochettino’s group of 26, they’ll be joined by NYCFC’s goalie Matt Freese, who is expected to start this summer.
Entering Wednesday’s match in Harrison, Hall already had eight goals in all competitions, while the crafty Mehmeti has three assists in league play. Both have played for USA youth national teams (Mehmeti has also played for Albania’s U15s), and it likely won’t be much longer before the recruiting efforts — at least from their European sides — are stepped up.
For now, they’ll have a bit more time to mull over their potential options, though Bradley offered Hall some advice this week, on the back of Kulesza’s not-so-subtle pitch to his mom, Agnes.
“I would give Julian the advice to follow his heart,” Bradley told reporters.
The excitement surrounding the pair is not just limited to executives working to pluck them from the USA setup.
Hall and Mehmeti were the subject of a glossy New York Times profile this week, in which the paper charted their immigrant parents’ path to the USA, and noted how they still live at home.
Like Tyler Adams before them, the duo may well use their time at the Red Bulls as a springboard for success in both Europe and with the US men’s national team.
“I know he will be going away soon enough,” Mehmeti’s mother told the Times.
For now, these two starlets are plying their trade in MLS.
Perhaps the next World Cup will come right on time.
