Harvey Sarajian, a 21-year-old forward for Orlando City of Major League Soccer, the top professional league in the United States, has decided to play for Armenia’s national football team, reports Zartonk Sports.
Sarajian was born and raised in the United States, in Naples, Florida, and is Armenian through his father and grandfather. Orlando City selected him fifth overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and signed him to a first-team contract, and he scored his first senior goal for the club in a 3:0 win over Toronto FC in September.
Former Armenia national team striker Yura Movsisyan, now the Football Federation of Armenia’s ambassador in North America, played the central role in the move. He said he had followed Sarajian for some time and was struck by his form in MLS.
“I was convinced that he absolutely had to be called up to the national team,” Movsisyan said. He contacted FFA President Armen Melikbekyan and head coach Yeghishe Melikyan to share his assessment, then traveled to Orlando over the weekend to meet the player in person.
“He agreed to play for our national team and was very happy about the opportunity. Harvey’s father and grandfather are Armenian, so the whole family was very excited to hear the news,” Movsisyan said, describing Sarajian as a tall, fast and technically gifted player suited to the demands of international football.
Melikbekyan welcomed the decision, saying the young forward’s professionalism and the experience he gained in the American league would bring “a new dimension and quality” to the squad, along with “new energy, competition and creativity.”
For Sarajian, the choice was personal. “I was born and raised in the United States, but my Armenian heritage has always been an inseparable part of my identity. When this opportunity arose, I saw it as a chance to reconnect with my roots, represent my family and give the Armenian people something to be proud of,” he said.
He called meeting Movsisyan “an exceptionally special moment,” given what the former striker achieved in Armenian football, and said their conversation left him eager to help the national team “achieve something great and memorable together.”
