Just one year ago, the U.S. Men’s National Team seemed like a dream for Darlington Nagbe. Still yet to receive his citizenship, another summer went by without a chance at international soccer, as Nagbe dreamed of one day represent the U.S. against the world’s elite.

Fast forward to the Copa America Centenario, and that dream has become a reality, but Nagbe is the first to say that there is plenty of work ahead of both himself and his team.

Nagbe came off the bench in the USMNT’s 2-0 loss to Colombia, marking his first appearance in a major international tournament. It was the 25-year-old’s eighth cap overall and, all things considered, it was the biggest moment of his young international career.

Since joining the U.S. back upon receiving clearance in November, Nagbe has emerged as one of the most talked about players in the USMNT pool. Campaigns continue to call for Nagbe to be inserted into the starting lineup on the heels of several standout performances, but for Nagbe, the goal remains to contribute in whatever way he can to his team’s push through the Copa America group stages.

“I’m feeling comfortable,” Nagbe said ahead of Tuesday’s must-win clash with Costa Rica. “In the two games leading up to Colombia, I thought we had good performances. We got two wins, obviously. The Colombia game was just unlucky. You go down early, you’re playing from behind against a good team and it’s hard to generate chances.

“It’s great. You dream of these opportunities and these games,” Nagbe added. “Being on the bench against Colombia and seeing the atmosphere and the national anthems and the whole thing was great.”

For Nagbe, the path to Colombia was a long one. After spending several years awaiting clearance to represent the U.S., Nagbe finally received his first opportunity in November’s World Cup qualifiers. Six months later, Nagbe scored his first international goal in a pre-Copa America friendly against Ecuador to help the USMNT kickstart the tournament camp on the highest of notes.

The Portland Timbers midfielder was the first player off the bench in last week’s loss to Colombia, joining Christian Pulisic in entering the game in the 66th minute. The two have been inevitably linked as their rises through the USMNT have coincided.

However, Nagbe knows his rise is far from complete.

“(I’m) just staying patient because I think the team is playing well,” Nagbe said, “so I’m just being patient. If it’s off the bench I’m fine with that, just wait for opportunities.

“The more games I get to play with these guys and get to know them, I think, is huge when it comes to the national team because you’re not together all the time. So it’s getting there.”

Since first calling in Nagbe back in November, Jurgen Klinsmann has seen the midfielder grow into a legitimate international.

For years, Nagbe terrorized MLS defenses, becoming one of the league’s most technically-advanced midfielders. Whether deployed centrally or out wide, Nagbe tends to find a way to make his mark on the club level, evidenced by his push with the Timbers towards the 2015 MLS Cup.

But the international game, as many will admit, is a whole different animal. The level is higher, the game is faster and mistakes are punished like never before. For Nagbe and every other newcomer coming through the USMNT pipeline, it’s a learning process.

“He’s growing. He’s become really a fixture of this team,” Klinsmann said. “It takes some time. His tremendous upsides are his technique, how smooth he is on the ball, how he can create something out of nothing and take people on. What he is learning right now is the tempo, the tempo of the international level, in both ways, defensively and going forward. The one things is the tempo and the other thing, the big learning curve for all players coming fresh into this program is there’s no space really.

“You saw Darlington coming in and you see how Colombia squeezes the field defensively and suddenly Darlington sees there’s no space to go in. ‘Where should I go? What should I do?’ He has to learn how to find solutions with dealing with far tighter space than he is used to. That’s the learning curve so it’s just giving some time and I’m very positive that he’ll figure it out.”

Nagbe will likely be given another chance to put it all together against Costa Rica on Tuesday, an opponent that is familiar to the team, but perhaps not to him.

Just eight games into his international career, Nagbe has only been through so many battles, and Los Ticos will all but certainly provide another. After enduring Colombia, the USMNT moves straight into another test, one that could be turned one way or another by the play of Nagbe.

“I think we played our toughest opponent we are going to face,” Nagbe said, “and the next two games are a good opportunity for us to go there and take points from that and control what we can do.

“(I’ll) just come in and continue to do what I’m doing: try to get on the ball, create some more chances, get more assists, get more goals, just be a threat.”