DURHAM, N.C.– For many young athletes, the idea of playing for the United States National Team is something they can only dream of. For those who have the opportunity to do so, the journey is long and winding, filled with countless hours of training, games, and perhaps even a bit of luck.
For one young soccer standout on the Duke women’s soccer team, the journey to play at the national level has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Having been called up to the U.S. Under-17 Women’s Youth National Team in July, freshman Mary Long shares her experience and the thrill of representing her country on the global stage.
Long’s journey to the national team wasn’t a straightforward one. Unlike some of her teammates, who have been with the U.S. Soccer youth system since they were 15, her path was different. She was called up this past summer to train with the U-17 team, and she explained the process behind being scouted.
“There are different levels of scouts: national team scouts, local scouts, and then the top scouts who are actually our coaches. They’ll come out to club games and various events. That’s how I got noticed. I first got scouted at a camp in Kansas City, where I’m from. I was a training player there, so I wasn’t officially part of the camp, but it was my first real exposure,” Long recalls. “Since then, I’ve been to two more camps. I was in a camp in mid-July in Atlanta, where we played Brazil twice, and I just returned from a camp recently in Chula Vista, California.”
Every athlete who has the opportunity to represent their country holds onto the memory of their call up. For Long, it was a moment of immense pride and joy, knowing that all her hard work had continued to pay off for the young athlete.
She recalled that as soon as she opened the email, she immediately called her family, who shared in her excitement about this pivotal moment in her soccer career.
However, it wasn’t until she put on the USA jersey for the first time during the games against Brazil that the experience truly felt real and meaningful.
“I got to play as the number nine, which was amazing,” said Long. “I also loved the jerseys. It was such a cool experience to be in the uniform, singing your own national anthem, and competing against other…
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