Bulls Abroad: Dan Metzger appears in US U-23s' 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina

We didn't know he was a Bull Abroad until the afternoon of March 27, by which time Dan Metzger had already finished making a late-substitute appearance for the US U-23 Men's National Team.

That's the age-group getting ready for the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics. Metzger was a surprise call-up to the squad currently training in Europe, since he was one of two late additions to the roster and, at the time, no one knew whether he actually had a pro deal.

And then, shortly after Metzger's seven-minute contribution to the U-23s' 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, the New York Red Bulls announced he was part of their USL team for the 2015 season.

He is a highly-rated central midfielder, though his stock had fallen recently after a disappointing winter in which the Red Bull academy product sidestepped the possibility of a homegrown contract with RBNY and opted for the MLS SuperDraft. Not a crazy move for a player with realistic hope of getting attention from most teams in MLS, and - as reported by Franco Panizo at SBI Soccer - he correctly saw the logjam in central midfield in the current RBNY squad.

"They have a lot of players in my positions, especially after signing Sean Davis, who plays a similar position to me. I just felt like it would give me more opportunities to have an impact on a team right away."

Unfortunately, the risk didn't pay off. Metzger fell to the bottom of the second round in the SuperDraft, selected 42nd overall by D.C. United, another roster with a lot of central midfielders. In mid-February, he was cut from DC's squad - and that was pretty much the last we heard of him until this week.

He needed a little good news: a pro contract and a little U-23 attention is surely helpful.

The U-23s move on from Bosnia to play their Danish counterparts in Denmark on March 31.