SANDY, Utah – Bradford Jamieson IV will look to translate his recent success with the LA Galaxy to the world stage later this month after being named to the U.S. squad for the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
The 18-year-old’s inclusion in the World Cup roster hardly comes as a surprise considering that Jamieson has been a regular for the side over the last two years while also scoring twice at the 2015 U-20 CONCACAF Championship in January to help the U.S. qualify for the tournament.
“It was a great feeling getting that email because I knew that I’d be heading to the World Cup, and that’s a huge step in my young career,” Jamieson told LAGalaxy.com. “It’s a blessing, I’m going to take this in stride and just enjoy it day by day… It’s a dream come true.”
The Americans will open the tournament in Group A against Myanmar, tournament hosts New Zealand and Ukraine. Although not an easy group by any means, it pales in comparison to the group of death that Galaxy players Oscar Sorto, Jose Villarreal and the 2013 edition of the U.S. U-20’s faced in Turkey when they faced France, Spain, and Ghana.
Jamieson is expected to remain with the Galaxy through their match against FC Dallas this weekend but will then join up with the squad on May 14 at StubHub Center before they depart for Australia two days later for a pair of pre-World Cup tune-up matches against Australia on May 19 and Serbia on May 24.
“Getting time with the first team puts me in a more confident and better prepared spot to face other teams from across the world,” said Jamieson who expects to be utilized out wide and up top with the U-20’s. “I’ve matured a lot since [qualifying]… having the experiences of playing against other players not only gives you games under your belt and it makes you a lot more comfortable playing in international games.”
Whether he can turn his first team success into youth international glory remains to seen but Jamieson will surely head to U.S. U-20 camp as a leader on a team dreaming of big things.
“I expect to play against teams that are top tier,” Jamieson said. “Every single person in the team has the same goal and that’s to win the World Cup.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
