Cade Cowell has been called up to the U.S Men’s Olympic Soccer Team.

The 20-year-old Ceres native/San Jose Earthquakes forward was one of 20 players named to the November training camp roster by head coach Marko Mitrovic on Nov. 13.

Cowell flew to Spain on Saturday to begin preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The United States will play Iraq this Saturday and Morocco on Nov. 21 at Pinatar Arena.

“It’s pretty special,” said Debin Cowell, Cade’s father. “It’s the next step up the ladder. Now that he’s here, anything is possible.”

Cade continues to surprise himself. “I couldn’t have wrote a better script,” Cowell said during a recent interview with the Ceres Courier. “I’ve achieved more than I thought I could achieve. I’ve been able to do so many amazing things. I’m super grateful and blessed.”

Cowell has made eight appearances while suiting up 10 times for the full U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team.

“There’s no better feeling than representing your country,” Cade Cowell said

“It’s really amazing,” Debin Cowell stated. “You go to the games. You see the players put their hands over their hearts (during the National Anthem). You get really emotional. Who would have thought he’d be in this situation? You don’t expect these things to happen. We’re just a small family from Ceres.”

Cowell most recently played for the U.S. at the senior level in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

He scored his first national team goal as the U.S. advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. He converted a penalty kick in a 3-2 shootout victory against Canada in the quarterfinals.

In the group stage of the Gold Cup, Cowell started once and came off the bench twice.

He tallied a goal versus Trinidad and Tobago in a 6-0 victory in the final group stage game. 

Cowell appeared in a total of five matches.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to be on the team and now I want to work hard and prove to myself that I can be a regular on the team,” Cowell said.

Prior to the Gold Cup, Cowell had made three previous appearances in friendlies. He earned Man of the Match honors against Serbia on Jan. 26.

Cowell suited up for the United States at the FIFA U-20 World Cup earlier this year. He scored a team-high three goals in helping the U.S. reach the quarterfinals.

Cowell was named to the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team roster for the month of September.

U.S. defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 on Sept. 9 in St. Louis and Oman 4-0 on Sept. 12 in Minnesota.

“Obviously, the more I get called in, the more comfortable I get with all the guys, and start to understand how everyone plays,” he said. 

On Oct. 5, Cowell was named a nominee for the Major League Soccer (MLS) Young Player of the Year award for the third year in a row. The award honors the top player in MLS age 22 and under. It’s voted on by MLS club technical staff, media and current MLS players.

He reached a major milestone in his pro career with the Earthquakes on Sept. 20.

Cowell became the youngest player in MLS history to appear in 100 matches after being subbed on in the second half of the San Jose Earthquakes’ 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers on Sept. 20 in Oregon.

On Sept. 2, Cowell earned Man of the Match honors while becoming just the 11th teenager in MLS history to score 10 regular-season career goals during San Jose’s 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC.

Cowell collected one goal and three assists during the 2023 MLS season.

The Earthquakes finished in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a 10-10-14 record and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs under first-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez’s guidance.

San Jose lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to host Sporting Kansas City in the Wild Card round on Oct. 25 in front of 17,437 fans at Children’s Mercy Park.

“He (Gonzalez) is a great guy,” Cowell said. “He cares a lot about us. He’s known for playing young players and sending them to Europe. I’m excited to be coached by him.”