For the USA, it’s an opportunity lost.

For Colorado native and new Canadian youth international Chelsea Stewart, the sky’s the limit.

The mercurial attacking player recently went 90 minutes for Canada in the final of the U20 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Tournament, as they beat the United States 1-0. Just 17, Stewart had gotten glimpses of action with younger-aged U.S. national teams, but had been passed over for a number of selections.

Being eligible for Canada through her father Bill, Stewart didn’t have to be asked twice when the Canadians asked her to be part of a U20 training camp at West Lafayette, IN this April. They had tracked her down through fellow Canadian youth international Amy Harrison, a teammate at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Academy in Minnesota.

Chelsea’s mother Carla notes that Bill Stewart had played a few games with a Canadian national ice hockey team in the 1980s. After he had been drafted by the Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas franchise) in the NHL, the team didn’t release him upon his next invitation and that was the end of his involvement with the national team.

“I think it meant a whole lot to Chelsea to play for Canada like her dad,” Carla said.

Chelsea said there are a number of reasons why she’s excited to play for Canada.

“It’s for the love of the game. It’s hard to explain,” she said. “I’ve always had aspirations to play at the highest level possible. To have an opportunity to do what my dad got to do, it’s a win-win situation.”

Chelsea allowed that the whole thing has been a whirwind.

“It’s all been kind of fast. We were in Minnesota and I got an email from the coaches inviting me to one of the U20 camps,” she said. The team had already been formed since January, so it was a time for to get to know everyone and try to earn a spot. It’s been easy (to fit in). The girls are fun and easy to get along with. You walk in and they accept you right away.”

It probably helps that she’s a terrific player. Chelsea Stewart cut her soccer teeth with the Real Colorado club in the Denver area. She has an exceptional ability to beat players 1v1 and the mentality to take chances and attack whenever possible.

Real coach Neil Payne said Chelsea has done a good job of adapting that mentality to the realities of soccer at the next level.

“We encourage players to make good decisions. She has that ability to beat players so we encouraged her in the final 3rd to produce a bit of magic,” Payne said. “As she got older she started to understand that if it wasn’t available to beat somebody, then she had to find another solution. She’s learned to connect and combine with people to create space through passing, which she’s had to do more as she got older. She’s a very intelligent person and player and makes good decisions in each 3rd of the field.”

Having left Denver to attend Shattuck-St. Marys for her final year of high school, Stewart committed to play for Ronnie Coveleskie at Vanderbilt. With the FIFA U17 World Cup to be played this November in New Zealand, she will delay entering school for a year as the Canada U20 team trains together for much of the fall in Vancouver.

Stewart has already been in Vancouver this summer, competing for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the W-League with a number of Canadian Olympians, including former college player of the year Christine Sinclair. She’s also found a notable American teammate, former World Cup star Tiffany Milbrett.

“It’s been fun to get to know her,” Chelsea said. “She’s one of those players who has really been there and done that. She has the most experience of anyone I’ve ever played with. She picks things out and takes you aside to explain. It really helps get more chemistry on the field.”

For Stewart, who eschewed her mother’s prompt for her to get involved in gymnastics, and ultimately chose soccer over ice hockey, which she also excelled at, professionalism is a watchword.

Payne says this was evident at a young age.

“From a development point of view she was always easy to work with,” he said. “She was willing to do extra stuff and she wouldn’t be as good if she hadn’t had worked that hard. Every bit of information you gave Chelsea she not only trusted, but she went and worked at it on her own.”

She’ll keep working through the summer and fall as the U20 World Cup approaches, keeping perspective all the while.

There’s a lot happening,” she said. “Sometimes I have to sit back and take a deep breath and figure out what’s going on.”