Sebastian Soto became the second-youngest American, behind only Christian Pulisic, to debut in a Bundesliga game when he appeared vs. Wolfsburg on April 6. Photo by Stuart Franklin/Bongarts/Getty Images

In early 2018, Sebastian Soto traveled with Real Salt Lake's first team for preseason. Like every player on the trip, he was given a per diem (or daily allowance) envelope with his meal money for the trip, about $600. With Soto having subsisted on $12 a day on trips with RSL's academy, the amount was a shock.

"I said, 'Oh my god.' I went to my hotel room and poured it out on the bed," Soto recalled. "I told one of the staff, 'This is the most money I've ever held in my hand.'"

Given that the players were given most of their meals in the hotel, he wondered what to do with his newly acquired cash. Then it hit him. He told the same staffer, "I'm going to buy a car!"

Eighteen months on, Soto need not worry about his next paycheck or his form of transport given his rapid ascent. Earlier this year, after pouring in the goals for Hannover 96's Under-19 team, the forward made his Bundesliga debut at just 18 years old. With one year left on his current deal, he's in discussions with Hannover to sign an extended contract, though sources indicate that the likes of Borussia Dortmund -- eager to find another young American talent after the sale of Christian Pulisic to Chelsea -- are circling, just in case talks break down.

Most important of all, Soto and the rest of his teammates on the U.S. U20 national team are ready to begin their World Cup journey, opening the tournament on Friday against Ukraine at Stadion Miejski in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala.

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"With this U20 squad, it's really something special," Soto said by telephone. "[U.S. U20 manager Tab Ramos] can say something on the field and how he wants it, and everyone can do it. We want the ball and we want to pressure the ball. That suits my game. I love chasing after the ball, I love stealing the ball and keeping it. Tab is just like that. He's like a dog when we don't have [the ball]. My favorite thing he says is, 'We get it, let's go to the goal.' He doesn't like messing around. Let's score. That's right up my alley."

On a U.S. U20 squad with the likes of the New England Revolution's Justin Rennicks and especially Paris St. Germain's Tim Weah, Soto has competition. But though Rennicks and Weah can play out wide, Ramos sees Soto exclusively as a central striker.

"Soto has a knack in the box for being in the right place at the right time, and finishing his opportunities. He has good timing on his runs," Ramos said via telephone. "He's really surprised us in terms of his strength. He does a really good job of holding the ball up with a man on his back now, which was one of the things he was weaker at in the past. He's a more of a forward that gets passes into feet and you can play off of than one that's going to beat you with speed."

Spending the 2018-19 season with Hannover has provided Soto with some valuable experience. His 17 goals in 24 appearances with the U19s tied him for the third-most from open play in the north division of the A-Junioren Bundesliga.

Soto ended up making three senior appearances for Hannover, with his first-team debut coming against Wolfsburg back on April 6. Soto said he had "no clue whatsoever" that he was in contention to get called up for the match, as he hadn't trained with them that week. Soto's parents, Fabrizio and Monica, were in town to see him play with the U19s. They'd planned to take in the first-team game the following day before Soto got the call. The realization of a dream set his nerves on edge.

"For 24 hours, my heart was just racing, I couldn't breathe normally," he said.

As Soto was warming up in the second half, he could sense the atmosphere, as well as the fact that his parents were in the stadium somewhere. Then, around the 78th minute, the staff told him he was going in.

"It was the most nervous I've ever been. I was scared," Soto recalled. "I was thinking, 'I can't go on that field and screw up.' That's like the thought of anyone on their debut. And then it was really weird how it happened. I put on my jersey and my heart just slowed down, my breathing went normal, and when the coaches were telling me what I was going to do, I was like, 'OK, that's fine.'

"I blocked everything out. I couldn't really hear the atmosphere anymore; I was just focused. I stepped on the field and I was like, 'I've got to do what I know.'"