After traveling halfway around the world for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, Jordan Allen had a pair of surreal experiences that let him know this was a special experience.
The first came when he looked out the window of the apartment he stayed in while the team trained in Sydney, Australia, and saw the beach extending for miles on the horizon. Just 25 hours earlier, Allen was in Montreal with Real Salt Lake but after a full day of travel, he found himself in a beautiful setting ready to play the biggest games of his life.
“You never know what to expect when you’re coming this far across the world,” Allen said on an appearance on Extra Time Radio on MLSsoccer.com.
The second surreal experience came when U.S. National Team and MLS legend Landon Donovan trained with the team. It didn’t take long for the recently-retired star to show that he still has some gas in the tank. After speaking with the team about the opportunity they have ahead of themselves, Donovan took to the training field and quickly scored two goals in the first 10 minutes.
“He’s a great resource for us,” Allen said. “We’re happy to have him here.”
Now in New Zealand, Allen and the U.S. U-20 National Team are gearing up to face Myanmar on Friday night at 10 p.m. MT. The team comes into the tournament with high expectations of itself, Allen told Extra Time Radio.
“I think for sure we have to make it out of the group. Then from there, once you get out of the group it’s just one game at a time,” he said. “I think we have the ability to make a pretty strong push. We have good technical players. I think we have the ability to get good results playing good football and that’s important for U.S. Soccer in general.”
With one goal and two assists in 10 matches with RSL, Allen has stepped into an important role for the team. However, with the U-20s he is asked to do a lot more. With RSL, Allen can defer to veteran stars like Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales. With the U-20s, he has to take that responsibility himself.
“I just have to step up and be one of the main guys. I just have to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make things happen and not just being a passenger,” Allen said.
The first Group Stage match for the U.S. can be seen live on BeIN Sports. To hear the full interview, click here.
