Men’s Soccer’s Constant Invited to Canada U20 Camp

Albuquerque, N.M. – New Mexico men’s soccer freshman Matthew Constant invited to Canadian U20 Men’s National Team Camp.
 
Constant will travel May 20-29 to Costa Rica, where the Canadian team will face off against the Costa Rican U20 team in two friendlies. Canada will look to select the squad for next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup in the Korea Republic. Qualifying in CONCACAF begins next February in Costa Rica. 
 
“We’ve had several student-athletes with similar experiences,” said UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “This is a great opportunity. We saw Matthew at our summer camp prior to his junior year in high school, before he was invited into Residency with the US U-17 National Team.  He had a lot of potential and we identified it early on. He’s worked extremely hard and his efforts have come to fruition.”
 
Constant joined the Lobos this January after graduating high school a semester early and has been an integral part of the Lobos this spring. He’s a native of Dallas, Texas and played club soccer for the Dallas Texans. Constant holds dual eligibility to play for both the United States and Canada. Even though a member of the U.S. U17 National Team for a year, (because his parents are native Canadians), he is eligible to join the Canadian squad immediately.
 
“I think it’s a unique opportunity because I have dual citizenship,” stated Constant. “I was able to play with the US, but now a new door has opened up. It gives me an opportunity to play international games, which I’ve been looking forward to doing.”
 
“Anytime you can represent your country its special,” Fishbein stated. “He’s now getting the opportunity to represent both of his countries, so it’s the best of both worlds. (This opportunity) makes you more mature, makes you more of a worldly player. It teaches you how to deal with challenging environments and different pressures.”
 
Like all student-athletes on the Lobo team, the coaching staff has looked to put Constant in the best position to succeed. Part of that is finding international opportunities, which is what Fishbein did when he contacted Canadian U20 coach Rob Gale about Constant’s potential to play for Canada. 
 
“This has been brewing for a while,” pointed out Constant. “Coach Fish got me in connection with Canada’s coach. He invited me last week, and that was the final piece that I’ve been hoping for. My parents were of course supportive. Now it’s just a matter of going and showing what I can do.”
 
The FIFA cycle rolls over with a World Cup every two years. In this current cycle, Constant finds himself in the challenging position of being one of the youngest players invited. He’ll be battling for a spot against experienced talent and will have to elevate past several players to show that he deserves a spot. 
 
“I’ll be one of the youngest players there,” said Constant. “I’ve encountered that problem being one of the youngest guys with the Lobos. I’ll be playing with guys that are exposed to the pro environment, but I don’t think it’s something I can’t handle.” 
 
“He’s a year younger than most of the guys but he’s capable of making that team,” confidently stated Fishbein. “He’s an excellent player. It’ll be about how quickly he fits in with an established group.”
 
Constant becomes one of several Lobos to represent themselves on the international level. In the past, the Lobos have represented five different countries for their respective national teams. Lobos have been represented on U17 and U20 teams from the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica and New Zealand. Lobos have also gone on to play for the full men’s national teams of both Jamaica and New Zealand.
 
“It’s always good for our program when guys get international exposure,” Fishbein said. “It shows that this is a great developmental environment for student-athletes.”