There are several young players on the Orlando City squad who could play for their senior national team’s in the future. Orlando City has one of the youngest rosters in MLS, giving them the most room for growth. Currently, Orlando City striker Cyle Larin is a regular call-up for Canada and Kevin Molino plays for Trinidad and Tobago. Here are a list of other Orlando City players you could see on their national team roster:
Carlos Rivas- Colombia
Rivas recently made an appearance with the U-23 Colombian National Team in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics. Prior to joining Orlando City, he played with Colombian Categoria Primera A squad Deportivo Cali. In 2014, he scored 12 goals in 29 appearances. He added three more in some of the clubs major competitions, making him the team’s leading goalscorer with 15 goals. His team also won the Superliga title in 2014. This domestic success in Columbia will certainly have Rivas on the National Team’s radar.
Rivas is only 22, and has scored three goals in 21 appearances with Orlando City this year. Head Coach Jason Kreis has already expressed his interest in giving Rivas more minutes, and as his technical ability and experience grow, so will his chances of making the senior Colombian team.
Cristian Higuita- Colombia
Higuita has made numerous appearances with the U17, U20, and U23 teams for Colombia, and was called-up to the senior team’s 40 man roster for Copa America Centenario. The midfielder also featured in the Colombian squad that won the 2013 Youth South American Championship.
Higuita spent four seasons in Colombia’s top league, scoring two goals in a total of sixteen appearances for Deportivo Cali. In 2015, he averaged 4.3 tackles per game, second highest in MLS, and finished with an 87.1% pass success rate, eighth best in the league. He made 25 appearances for the squad this season, and was named to the MLS 24 Under 24. He is 22 years old.
Tommy Redding- United States
Redding is a current members of the United States’ U20 National Team and previously played with the U18 and U17 teams. He was Orlando City’s first Homegrown player signed in 2014 at the age of 17. Redding made 18 appearances for Orlando City this year, and is widely considered one of the top young defenders in MLS.
At just 19 years old, Redding has plenty of room to grow. He was listed to the MLS 24 Under 24, and is getting increasing minutes with the senior squad as his talent develops.
Conor Donovan- United States
Donovan has made appearances with the U17 and U20 United States’ national team, scoring two goals in his 29 caps with the U17 team. He appeared in four matches with Orlando City in his rookie season, and made his MLS debut against Philadelphia in August 2015. This season, Donovan made 15 appearances with Orlando City B and scored one goal. At the age of 20, Donovan has a lot of room to develop into a national team prospect.
Joe Bendik- United States
At 27, Bendik is not as young as the other players on this list. But still, rumors of a national team call-up have been buzzing around, especially after such a solid year with Orlando City. Bendik played for the U17 and U20 United States’ national teams in his youth, and has made a strong case for his role on the senior team, most recently by earning MLS Save of the Year. Bendik made 114 in 34 appearances with Orlando City this season, and won the Orlando City Fan Player of the Year award as well as the Player’s Player of the Year award.
Rafael Ramos- Portugal
Ramos has made appearances with the U19 and U20 national teams for Portugal. While Ramos was out a good part of this year with an injury, he had a good season in 2015 with the Lions. He earned two assists and contributed to six clean sheets as a defender. This season, he made 12 appearances with the first team.
The Portuguese national team is at the height of their game, winning the 2016 Euro Tournament this summer. At 21 years old, Ramos has an opportunity to develop his skill on the field and prove to his national team that he is capable of playing at the top level after coming back from injury.
