Crew SC midfielder Ethan Finlay entered preseason training camp last week a changed man, and it had nothing to do with a breakout season that earned him a spot on the Major League Soccer postseason Best XI in December and a contract extension in January.
Instead, it was Finlay’s donning of a brilliant-blue United States national-team jersey that raised his professional profile and raised the stakes on his still-young career.
“You need to come in, and you need to shine,” Finlay, 25, said of returning to the Crew after making his first two appearances for his country.