For Matt Miazga, the worst of times was followed by the best of times.

Last Tuesday Miazga suffered the agony of missing out on Olympic qualification with the United States Under-23 team - and was sent off in the final moments of the match with Colombia to boot.

But the centre-half, 20, was quickly able to put that disappointment behind him when he made his first-team debut for Chelsea in the 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Miazga - the first American to play for Chelsea - received huge praise for his accomplished performance at Villa Park and a congratulatory text message from US national coach Jürgen Klinsmann indicated just how highly regarded he is in his homeland.

Klinsmann namechecked Miazga when stating that certain U23 players could receive call-ups for Copa America this summer and the former New York Red Bulls player says it is now his aim to make the squad.