As soon as I stepped on the field on the King Abdullah II Stadium in southeast Amman in June, Wessam Abou Ali stepped off. Palestine had just had their dreams of the 2026 World Cup ended by a last-minute Oman penalty that was as soft as they come. While some players in white fell to their knees or collapsed crying into the arms of coaching staff, the 26-year-old, with scrunched-up shorts, exited stage left to head to the United States and the global stage of the Club World Cup with Egypt’s Al-Ahly, after impressing so much on the African and Asian one.
Now, after this busiest of summers, the Danish-born star has signed for Columbus Crew – a No 9 for one of MLS’s best teams in need of one, and one who takes up one of the team’s allotment of designated player spots, to boot.
