When Louisville City FC’s Joshua Wynder got the call from U.S. Soccer, his reaction would be about what you’d expect for a 17-year-old getting called up to his country’s senior national team for the first time.

“I kind of freaked out a little bit,” Wynder told local media on Wednesday. “I tried to stay calm, though, and I called my parents, let them know. They freaked out a little bit.”

It’s a day the finalist for the Chipotle 2022 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Finalist – and finalist for the 2022 USL Championship Young Player of the Year award – had been hoping would come. That it arrived this soon was certainly a surprise, but it spoke to the qualities the young center back possesses in the eyes of not only his current coaches, but those who’ve seen him play domestically and at the youth national team level.

Interim USMNT Head Coach Anthony Hudson provided the usual caveats you hear when it comes to talking about players making their first step up to the highest level – the need for hard work, focus and how far Wynder still has to go to become a long-term part of the senior squad – but there was also praise for the qualities that have brought Wynder to this point at such a young age.

“What we do know is we believe he’s a very good player, he’s a high potential [player],” said Hudson. “He is someone that we see – potentially, if he does all the right things, and he applies himself the right way – he could be someone in the future that could be a serious player for the senior team.”

There’s no question, however, that Wynder’s ascent has been remarkable.

“He loves coming to work every day,” said Cruz. “He’s a humble human being with a great character. When times are rough, and maybe you lose a bad game, or you’re not playing well, he’s a kid that comes in and tries to get better and he raises the mood in the locker room. And I think those are characteristics and traits that, my hope is, you know, five, six years down the line, I see him and he’s still the same human being. I know he will be because he’s someone that brings joy to a lot of people.”

Wynder’s on-field qualities, though, are set to carry him to the next level. With reports of a summer transfer to a major European club already out there, next week’s Allstate Continental Clásico against Mexico at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. is set to be the next step toward that future.

Wynder already knows one of his teammates at next week’s camp in fellow current U.S. U-20 international Caleb Wiley of Atlanta United FC, with that duo likely using this platform to build toward next month’s FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup. Wynder will also get to learn from veterans like Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long, who seven years ago saw his career take off in the USL Championship as Wynder is now.

“I think they tried to model [every U.S. National Team’s] game the same way,” said Wynder of what he’s expecting in terms of set-up. “If it’s U-15, U-17, U-19, then the men’s team. So, you just take what they taught me and how they play at the 19s level and the 20s level to the men’s team, and hopefully I perform well.”

As far as Wynder must go in his career to become a USMNT regular, the ability to represent his hometown and the qualities on and off the field he brings augur a bright future for one of the country’s top young players.

“When it comes to the soccer standpoint, he wants to improve,” said Cruz. “He’s a humble human being and it doesn’t surprise me his poise on the ball. It doesn't surprise me how he’s performing week in and week out. And I think he'll be the first to say that. He’s going to continue to learn, he’s going to continue to grow. But if he sticks with the mentality that he has, as I said maybe a year ago now, the sky’s the limit.”