Orlando City Defender Tommy Redding received a call-up late last month by the U-20 U.S Men’s National Team to prepare for the U-20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament. Redding has received relatively consistent call-ups, and is hoping to help his team reach the U20 World Cup in Korea when he plays in the tournament at the end of the month.
“I want to go to the World Cup qualifying tournament; I want to win it. I want to be the first U-20 team to ever win it,” Redding said after training this week. “That’s all of our goals here.”
The CONCACAF U-20 Championship will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica from February 18th to March 5th. The top four teams in that tournament will travel to Korea in May to compete in the U-20 World Cup. But for Redding, this call-up is a reflection of more than simply a single tournament. It represents years of hard work, in which Redding has been consistently recognized by the U.S National Team.
“U-14 National Team, it was just an honor to wear this shirt and just play around,” Redding said.
“But now, especially with social media advances and that, everyone can watch you and see what you’re doing. They really try to pay attention to the U-20s and the U-18s and all the groups coming up from the full men’s national team. So, I feel a lot of pressure but it's good pressure.”
That’s right-- Redding has been playing with the U.S National Team for that long. He’s made a total of 20 appearances with the U-17, U-18, and U-20 teams. His ultimate goal: to earn that national team call-up.
Redding certainly seems like a good candidate to continue rising in the system. And surely his new Orlando City teammate, U.S National Team veteran Jonathan Spector, will be able to help him navigate that “good pressure.” For now, Redding will focus on winning this tournament and helping take his team to the U20 World Cup.
