Originally from Yugoslavia, Preki was living and working in the US in 1985 but when he was offered a spot on the American national team he applied for U.S. citizenship which was granted on 25 October 1996. He made his debut for the United States on 3 November 1996 against Guatemala at the age of 33, making him one of the oldest players to make an international debut. Preki played a total of 28 games for the U.S., scoring four goals, one of them to beat Brazil at the 1998 Gold Cup. Two of those games, including one against his native Yugoslavia (now Serbia), came in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He made his last appearance for the national team in a 2–0 loss away to Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying on 5 September 2001.