The September international window came at just about as good a time as it could have for the New England Revolution, as some key players were able to return to the starting lineup for the first time in weeks after dealing with injuries. Those additions helped to offset the absences of three players called to international duty – winger Esmir Bajraktarević, debuting with his parents’ native Bosnia & Herzegovina; defender Xavier Arreaga, with Ecuador; and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, with Nigeria.

Participating in qualifiers for the coming World Cup and African Cup of Nations, respectively, the national teams of Ecuador and Nigeria brought Arreaga and Yusuf on as depth pieces for their sets of two matches each, and while both players were ready to jump into action as needed, neither was given an opportunity to get any minutes off the bench. Nigeria went undefeated in their two games, a 3-0 win over Benin and a 0-0 draw against Rwanda, while Ecuador split their results, falling 1-0 to Brazil before defeating Peru by the same scoreline.

But the one who has been making headlines the world over has been the 19-year-old Bajraktarević. After having appeared with the senior United States Men’s National Team in a friendly against Slovenia earlier this year, the winger made the decision to file a one-time switch to Bosnia & Herzegovina, the nation of his parents’ birth, ahead of this international window. This slate of UEFA Nations League matches against the Netherlands and Hungary marked Bajraktarević’s opportunity to make his first appearances both for the Bosnian national team and in a major continental competition on the international stage.

And the young winger certainly made the most of that opportunity. Entering Bosnia’s faceoff with the Netherlands as a substitute for FC Köln midfielder Denis Huseinbašić in the 68^th minute, Bajraktarević had already fulfilled a childhood dream: taking the field with Fenerbahçe striker, former Manchester City star, and Bosnia’s all-time leading goal scorer, Edin Džeko.

And if that wasn’t enough, Bajraktarević went ahead and notched an assist to the Bosnian G.O.A.T., whipping in a pinpoint cross from 40 yards out right into Džeko’s feet, setting him up to easily tap past Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. The man whose jersey Bajraktarević wore as a kid in Appleton, Wisconsin when he was kicking around a soccer ball in his backyard had just converted his chance into a goal on the world’s stage.

Unfortunately, the final result did not go Bosnia’s way; that goal in the 73^rd minute narrowed the Dutch lead to 3-2, but two late goals from the Oranje made sure the Netherlands came away with all three points in this League A Group 3 fixture. Bajraktarević again featured as a substitute against Hungary, but could only see the spoils shared in the 0-0 draw.

All three players will be returning to the team ahead of this weekend’s trip to Orlando City SC, although it remains to be seen how involved they will be in the match, particularly Yusuf, who has yet to have a chance to train with the team.