Sporting Kansas City midfielder Mikey Lopez hopped a plane Thursday for Puebla, Mexico, where he will join the U.S. under-20 men’s national team for the CONCACAF regional qualification tournament.

Lopez, 19, was Sporting KC’s first-round pick during last month’s MLS SuperDraft. He’s a Generation adidas player who was chosen the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference freshman of the year at North Carolina.

Lopez appeared in all three of Sporting KC’s preseason games in Tucson, Ariz.

“I know this experience will only translate into good things for my debut with Sporting Kansas City,” Lopez said in a news release.

The top four teams from CONCACAF at the 12-team event, which runs from Feb. 18 to March 2, earn a berth at the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup later this year in Turkey.