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The news of a national team call up should always bring a smile to a player's face, but for Carlos Valdes, this one was sweeter than most.
After two years out of the national team, Valdes was rewarded for his playso far this season and selected by head coach Jose Pekerman for a 24-player camp in Madrid, Spain ahead of Colombia's upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September.
"[I'm] very happy to come back, [and have] a lot of positive attitude to give back the country its confidence," the Colombian national team's twitter account quoted Valdes as saying (translation by @Philly_Brown10).
Major League Soccer has usually acted as a black hole for Colombian players with national team aspiration, as head coach after head coach looked over even in-form players. After a few coaching changes in the past couple of years, MLS has finally opened up to Colombia, beyond player movement.
Valdes' call up can be looked upon as a sign of the changing times. The Philadelphia Union's captain has played well since joining the team in 2011 and this season stepped up his game as the team crumbled around him for various reasons.