One year ago, Canadian duo Amer Didic and Mark Anthony Gonzalez were battling just to find minutes on the field in the Swope Park Rangers’ inaugural season. Now, the two have just returned from their maiden trip with the Canada Under-23 National Team.
A ruthless second half of the 2016 campaign for SPR saw Didic named to the USL All-League First Team and become a finalist for Defender of the Year, while Gonzalez racked up a team-high 12 goals in his rookie season.
After receiving league-wide recognition, national team consideration was seemingly a formality, though Gonzalez admits he was still taken aback by his inclusion.