Ceres native Cade Cowell was named to the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team roster for the month of September on Aug. 30.
Cowell, a 19-year-old forward, reported to St. Louis for training on Sept. 3.
“I am very excited and honored to be called up again to be with the senior national team,” Cowell said. “It’s always been a goal of mine to be on the team and now I want to work hard and prove to myself that I can be a regular on the team.”
U.S. faced Uzbekistan on Saturday in St. Louis and played Oman on Sept. 12 in Minnesota.
Cowell most recently played for the U.S. in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
He scored his first senior national team goal as the U.S. advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. Cowell converted a penalty kick in a 3-2 shootout victory against Canada in the quarterfinals.
In the group stage of the Gold Cup, Cowell started once and came off the bench twice.
He tallied a goal versus Trinidad and Tobago in a 6-0 victory in the final group stage game.
Cowell appeared in a total of five matches.
Prior to the Gold Cup, Cowell had made three previous appearances in friendlies. He earned Man of the Match honors against Serbia on Jan. 26.
Cowell suited up for the U.S. U-20 National Team in the FIFA World Cup earlier this year. He scored a team-high three goals in helping the U.S. reach the quarterfinals.
“Obviously, the more I get called in, the more comfortable I get with all the guys and start to understand how everyone plays,” he said.
Three days after being selected to the Team USA roster, Cowell earned Man of the Match honors while helping his Major League Soccer (MLS) club secure a draw.
He scored his first goal of the season in the 17th minute as the San Jose Earthquakes battled to a 1-1 tie with Minnesota United FC on Sept. 2 at PayPal Park.
Cowell joined elite company by becoming just the 11th teenager in MLS history to reach 10 regular-season career goals.
“It’s an awesome accomplishment that I’m very proud of myself for doing,” Cowell said. “I’ve worked extremely hard this year to finally grab my first MLS goal of the year which was difficult to get. Super excited that I got the goal and helped the team get a point at home and also made history at the same time.”
Luchi Gonzalez, first-year head coach of San Jose, praised Cowell after the game.
“Cade is a player that can vertically hurt anybody,” he said. “We’ll miss his verticality, and we’ll miss his speed. I am really happy for him to get his goal tonight, really proud of him. He’s wanted it really bad. Anything can happen when you are shooting on frame, and a goal is a goal.”
Cowell signed a contract extension with the Earthquakes in February of 2022.
Financial terms for the deal which runs through the 2025 MLS season with a club option for 2026 were not disclosed.
“Seeing Cade grow from a promising youth player and having it translate to production at the MLS level has been exciting to watch,” San Jose General Manager Chris Leitch said.
“It’s definitely nice to be rewarded for my hard work and be at a place where I feel at home,” Cowell added.
Cowell signed his first contract with San Jose at the age of 15 as a Homegrown Player in January of 2019.
He became the youngest player signing in Earthquakes and Bay Area team sports history.
Cowell didn’t make any appearances in MLS play as a rookie.
He totaled one goal and one assist in 18 games during his second season.
Cowell enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 as he was named the Earthquakes’ "Young Player of the Year."
He collected a career-high five goals and six assists.
He ranked second on the team in both statistical categories.
Cowell also recorded career-highs in appearances (33), starts (14), minutes (1,664) and shots (42), earning a selection to the 2021 MLS All-Star Team.
He ranked No. 7 on MLS’s 22 players under the age of 22 list as voted on by an expert panel consisting of MLSsoccer.com analysts, MLS Player Department staff and external media.
Cowell holds numerous age-specific club records, including youngest player to make an MLS appearance (16 years, 150 days), youngest player to make an MLS start (16 years, 325 days), and youngest player to score an MLS goal (16 years, 325 days).
He became the third-youngest player in MLS history to be voted MLS Player of the Week (17 years, 207 days).
Cowell attended Earthquakes games as a fan during his childhood.
He graduated from Cesar Chavez Jr. High in 2018.
“To watch him grow and impact games, it’s fun,” said San Jose teammate Tommy Thompson during an interview with MLS contributor Tom Bogert during the 2021 season. “He’s a special talent.”
Cowell’s ultimate goal is to play First Division soccer overseas.
San Jose received an offer from Italian Serie A club Bologna for Cowell last month according to U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle.
“I plan on being an Earthquake until the right club comes along,” he said. “I won’t leave just because I can. It has to be with a club that is the perfect fit.”
