The New Kid on The Block: Morgan Brian

Meet Morgan Brian- the youngest player on the U.S. national team and a rising star expected to earn a roster spot for the Women's World Cup in June.

The 21 years young midfielder has been living in fast-forward. She's missed many typical milestones, homecomings, proms, and she's even missed soccer, in the form of her senior season at the University of Virginia, because she was busy with soccer, playing for the United States.

That may be the most important thing to understand about Brian, who looks every bit the next American soccer star. She always seems ahead of the game. She played for the United States in the Under-17 Women's World Cup when she was 15 years old. She was the national high school player of the year when only a junior at Frederica Academy in Georgia. She earned her first cap for the senior national team weeks after the end of her sophomore year at Virginia. She won the Hermann Trophy, awarded to college soccer's best player, as a junior in Charlottesville.

The 21-year-old midfielder played for Virginia in the Women's College Cup final in early December before accompanying the U.S. team to Brazil for a tournament just before the holidays. She kicked off this year by winning her second straight Hermann Trophy as the top women's soccer player, and was the first overall pick in the National Women's Soccer League draft by the Houston Dash.

Now she's in Europe with the U.S. team for exhibitions against France on Sunday and England next Friday.

"Morgan impressed me the first day she came to our camp," United States midfielder

Lauren Holiday said. "There's not a lot of people that come into camp with so much confidence. Alex Morgan is one of them, and Morgan Brian is another, people that have come in and owned the position and owned the camp that they came into."

The confidence that Morgan Brian portrays on the field contradicts her modest self off it.

Brian commented to ESPN stating how "It's a great experience regardless of the outcome," she said. "A lot of people would love to be in the shoes of the girls here. As a young player, you really want to be in this environment because it pushes you and challenges you. It will only make you a better player in the long run."

The United States team now is busy in the buildup to the World Cup. Ranked No. 2 in the world behind Germany, the U.S. women are in one of the toughest groups for the opening stage of the sport's premier event, joining Australia, Sweden and former American coach Pia Sundhage.

"She's been very, very important. Morgan is a part of this younger generation coming in," coach Jill Ellis said during a recent conference call to ESPN. "She's adapted very quickly, she's got a wonderful skill set, she's a very mature young lady and I see her as a pivotal part of our team moving forward."

Fans are excited to see what Morgan Brian can do! Keep your eyes peels for the newbie with a huge presence and let's hope Brian can help lead them to victory.

#womenssoccer #morganbrian #worldcup #wnt