Football: Orlando City winger Harvey Sarajian, Griezmann’s teammate, commits to Armenia
- Published
- Place
- Orlando, United States
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Harvey Sarajian, a 21-year-old Orlando City winger in MLS, has decided to play for the Armenia national team, the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) announced on Tuesday, 10 November. Born in 2005 in Naples, Florida, he has an Armenian father and grandfather. Former Armenia striker Yura Movsisyan, the FFA’s ambassador in North America, played a direct role: he flagged the player to federation president Armen Melikbekyan and head coach Yeghishe Melikyan, then travelled to Orlando to meet him. “My Armenian heritage has always been an inseparable part of my identity,” says the player, who wants to “give the Armenian people something to be proud of”. Picked fifth in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, he has played 12 MLS games this season (2 goals) and scored 6 goals for Orlando’s reserve team.
Analysis
In Orlando, Sarajian plays alongside Antoine Griezmann. On 10 October, in his first start, he scored inside the first minute against Columbus after linking up with the 2018 World Cup winner. For Armenia, the recruit has a rare profile: 1.88 m tall, fast, technical and used to the physical pace of MLS. “His physical attributes, footballing abilities and potential are exactly what our national team needs,” says Yura Movsisyan, himself a former MLS striker.
Possible consequences
The FFA has not said when Harvey Sarajian could be called up. Armenia host Cyprus in Yerevan on 12 November in the Nations League before travelling to Latvia on the 15th.
