New York Red Bulls II defender Hassan Ndam has received his first call-up to the Cameroon U-23 team. He has represented the U-17 and U-20 team in the past. The upcoming matches against Chad will be their first steps to earning a 2020 Olympics spot.

GlobeBull: Hassan Ndam Called to U-23 Cameroon Olympic Qualifying

📸 Hassan Ndam à l’entraînement avec l’équipe nationale du Cameroun U23 aujourd’hui. 🦁🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/CdwJY26EmQ — AllezLesLions (@AllezLesLions) November 15, 2018

Ndam joined RBNY II in 2017 and made appeared 27 appearances for the team, scoring his lone goal against Cincinnati FC during a 4-0 victory. In 2018, he saw the field 31 times, scoring two goals and added three more appearances for the senior side.

Two of those appearances came in RBNY’s US Open Cup matches, defeating NYCFC, before losing to the Philadelphia Union in June. His only league appearance was as a substitute in the team’s 3-0 win over Minnesota United.

The 6’4 defender was one of four finalists nominated for the USL Young Player of the Year. He had 121 clearances and had a successful tackle percentage of 71.8%.

The Cameroon U-23 team will start the first round of Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying with home-and-away matches against Chad on November 16th and 21st. The aggregate winner of the matches will face Sierra Leone in round two in March 2019.

The tournament (like CAF World Cup Qualifying) is no easy task. Apart from Egypt, who has already qualified for the final tournament, 53 teams are vying for the last seven spots. After the final tournament takes place next November, only three teams will qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Photo by Bill Twomey Photography

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