United States-based players competing for other youth national teams are in no short supply.

Whether men’s or women’s, there’s a long list of players tapping into family heritage and competing for countries that span the globe.

One of those players, Otu Bisong, helped the Philippines Under-23 men’s national team to a fourth place finish at the Mandiri Cup this summer. A youth tournament for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Bisong scored three goals, second most in the competition.

It marked the end of a whirlwind journey for Bisong, one that began last summer in July 2024.

“I got reached out to by the team director and he helped me obtain my Philippine passport in order to have the opportunity [a year ago],” he told TDS.

After getting his paperwork sorted, Bisong made his debut in July 2024 for the Under-19 team at the ASEAN Championship for that age group. Opting to play under his mother (and grandmother’s) surname of Banatao, he’s climbed the ladder since. That included a stint with the Under-20s for the U20 Asian Cup qualifying tournament.

A standout striker for Virginia Development Academy and Herndon High School in Northern Virginia, he plays the same role for the Under-23 national team. His most recent shift with the Under-23s was the most prolific, scoring three goals in five games on the way to a fourth-place finish.

Getting exposure to that level has helped to accelerate Bisong’s game.

“The level of play at the national team level is really fast paced and it’s really eye-opening,” he told TDS. “Every player that has been selected to represent their nation is good, but what separates them from playing in the US is the pace of combination plays as well as knowing what they are doing before getting the ball.”

Closer to home, Bisong continued to find a way to impact games between jetting off for camps in Southeast Asia. He is a two-time All-Conference performer for VDA, and was named to the Conference Cup Best XI in the summer of 2023. During his junior season, he competed with the D.C. United Academy as well.

This spring, Bisong was a key force in Herndon’s VHSL Class 6 State Championship run. A 3-0 win against Wakefield capped off the state run after his junior season ended in disappointment.

“Finishing up my high school career with a state championship is such a big accomplishment for me because our school hadn’t won a state title in 30-plus years,” he said. “No one thought that we would’ve won it this year because we lost some quality players from last season, so it just made winning it that much better.”

The Top 200 recruit from the class of 2025 is set to stay in his home state of Virginia to play at Old Dominion in the fall. Armed with a wide array of experience, Bisong is eager to make an immediate impact.

“I’m extremely excited going into ODU because I feel that we have a really strong squad this season that’ll make me a better player and person,” he said.

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