Appleton's Esmir Bajraktarevic on US soccer team for Saturday match vs. Slovenia

Esmir Bajraktarevic's rise through the American soccer ranks continues — and Saturday, it reaches the highest level.

The Appleton 18-year-old was called to the U.S. Men's National Team training camp this week in Orlando, Florida, and could make his USMNT debut in Saturday's friendly against Slovenia at San Antonio, Texas.

The match is at 2 p.m. on TNT, Telemundo, Universo, MAX and Peacock.

Bajraktarevic, a winger who plays for Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, is one of 15 players in their first USMNT camp and one of 17 looking for their first cap — their first game with the national team. He's the youngest player on the roster.

“It puts a smile on my face, because I'm really excited for it on Saturday,” Bajraktarevic said in an interview with New England soccer publication The Blazing Musket. “Obviously, Slovenia will be a good test as well. The main thing is just getting the three points, but yeah, I'm really looking forward to the moment that I make my debut. It'll be really exciting.”

Bajraktarevic also plays on the the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team, scoring a goal in two friendlies last fall as the team readies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

With the Revolution in 2023, he played in 13 matches, starting five, and scored for New England in a Leagues Cup match.

In an August interview with The Post-Crescent, Bajraktarevic talked about his decision to leave home and join the Revolution after being contacted by scouts because of his club soccer success in Wisconsin.

“I realized that I’ve always wanted to be a professional soccer player,” he said. “It was obviously a really big decision because I had to leave my social life, I had to leave my family, all my friends, so that was a really tough decision.

“But you can always have a social life, you can always have friends and I was always going to see my family when they visit and stuff. So I might as well do what I’ve dreamed of.”

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton's Esmir Bajraktarevic on USMNT for match vs. Slovenia