Although he turned 17 in September, Omar Salgado is already a regular on Thomas Rongen's US Under-20 team. He earned two caps during the squad's recent second-place finish in the Torneo de las Americas, playing the entire 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Mexico on Sunday.
The El Paso, Texas-born striker played on El Tri's youth side before choosing the US this past summer and projects as a high pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
MLSsoccer.com caught up with Salgado and got his thoughts on the Milk Cup, his growth as a player, and the future.
1) What's your most memorable United
States national team moment?
The Milk Cup in Northern Ireland. The championship over there was a really memorable moment. The whole thing was a great tournament, but winning it made it better. My favorite individual memory was scoring against China in my first game in a United States uniform.
2) What would you tell yourself of five
years ago?
I would tell myself to never give up on anything. You can accomplish your dreams.
3) Who is your favorite teammate to play
with? Why?
I was training with D.C. United recently and I enjoyed playing with Andy Najar. And with [U-20 teammate] Conor Shanosky. It's fun to play with guys my age on a professional team. I like playing with everyone on the U-20 team. We get along really well.
4) What's one skill you could improve?
I need to work on my right foot. I'm left-footed and I've always worked on my left foot. I need to work on my right a lot more. I'm also trying to get stronger in the air.
5) Where will you be in five years?
Hopefully, I'll be playing on a big team in Europe. You know, doing the right things, scoring goals.
Noah Davis covers the United States
national team for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @noahedavis.com
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