CARSON, Calif. – Sebastian Lletget couldn’t quite believe his luck when he first stepped into the U.S. National Team locker room, just a short walk down the hall from his locker with the LA Galaxy.
After two years of impressive Major League Soccer performance and being hailed as one of the league’s most promising young talents, Lletget was named to the USMNT for the annual January camp earlier this month. The U.S. call had long been a goal of Lletget’s since he joined the Galaxy in 2015, and to be finally donning the Stars and Stripes was simply “surreal” for the midfielder.
“I can’t wait for what’s next,” Lletget said with a huge smile painted on his face. “It makes me feel good that my hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’m just glad. Everything happens for a reason. If this is my time, then this is my time.”
The training camp runs throughout the month and culminates with a pair of matches against Serbia and Jamaica where the Galaxy midfielder will have the opportunity to make his first appearance for the national team.
Lletget has long been touted to join the national team fold due to his success with the Galaxy over the last two seasons and his experience in the U.S. youth setup. However, the 24-year-old admits that he didn’t truly see an in-road into the squad until Bruce Arena departed the Galaxy to take the USMNT head coaching gig last December.
“I thought as soon there was a change in manager; I thought that I’d have a chance. Obviously, I know Bruce very well, and I’d be dumb not to think that I didn’t have any hope,” Lletget said. “[This opportunity is] different. I’m going to take it day by day. I’m still new to this, and I have to be realistic. I need to learn from every experience and take it day by day.”
Fans and media aren’t the only ones who thought Lletget was worthy of a spot on the national team as his teammate for club and country Gyasi Zardes acknowledged that the midfielder has been deserving for some time.
“It feels good to play with a teammate of mine from the LA Galaxy on a national team level,” Zardes said. He’s a great player and it’s about time he got called up. It’s great to see him here.”
Lletget may be a new arrival on the national team stage, but he can take a page from Zardes on learning how to move from January camp newcomer to regular for the USMNT. Zardes himself began his international career in 2015 at the annual training camp at StubHub Center and has remained a national team fixture ever since.
Now with a chance to finally prove himself at the international level, Lletget is determined not to let the opportunity slip through his fingers.
“I’ve really worked and visualized this opportunity. Representing the team in the World Cup is my long-term goal. This is where it starts. This is where I need to focus on every [training session] and every meeting.
“This is my dream.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
