FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After he continued to the press the issue and impress with his play on the field this season, New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen finally earned the call-up to the US national team that seemed inevitable.
That time came when he received a phone call from USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann near the end of last week.
“When Jurgen called me, that’s when it started coming to fruition that this is possible,” said Nguyen, who had just helped the Revolution move past the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference semifinals. “It was a great call, and we had a good conversation. This is hopefully just the first. I've still got to keep going and keep pushing, and that’s the main thing.”
As Nguyen was putting together an MVP-caliber season for New England, the public outcry for him to get the international call grew more and more rampant. Yet Nguyen was never rattled when the call did not come, not even when the US came to his club's backyard in Massachusetts for training prior to an October match with Ecuador, played down the road in East Hartford, Connecticut.
It had been seven years since Nguyen last represented his country, and he knew if he stayed on his path, he would be able to realize his dream once again, only this time with more experience and maturity on his side.
“I was just a little teenager,” said Nguyen of his time with the national team back in 2007, when he made three appearances as a 20-year-old. “It was a great experience for me. I’ve grown so much as a player and a person. Obviously, I’ve got more years under my belt, too. It’s definitely a dream to be able to come back in and represent your country. I can’t wait.”
Nguyen will be joined for the upcoming camp in London by Revolution teammate Jermaine Jones, who understands the workings of Klinsmann first-hand and knew that Nguyen’s efforts this season would lead to this moment.
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“I’m happy for him,” said Jones, whose last US appearance came as a center back on Oct. 14. “He showed good games here in the league, has scored a lot of goals, and if you do that, it’s normal that the national team and Jurgen will call you in.”
Nguyen stated that the plan is to play in the first of the Americans' two upcoming friendlies, against Colombia on Friday, and he sees it as a golden opportunity to show that the call that Klinsmann made was worthwhile.
“Any time you can play for your country and represent your country, that’s the highest honor, the highest privilege you can have as a football player,” Nguyen said. “I’ve got to go up there and focus on the task at hand and try to prove myself.”
Craig Forde covers the New England Revolution for MLSsoccer.com.
