ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The rapid ascent of Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Cristian Ortiz continued on Tuesday with the 17-year-old earning his first call-up to the Dominican Republic Men’s National Team squad.

Ortiz will join Los Quisqueyanos for their first two matches of the 2024-2025 Concacaf Nations League and could make his senior national team debut against either Bermuda on Saturday, Sept. 7 or Dominica on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Both contests will be held at the AFBA Technical Center in Antigua and Barbuda.

“We’re absolutely delighted for Cristian,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “It’s all through his hard work that he’s been able to earn this. He’s been a great kid coming in and doing all the right things. It’s great for our club as well, to be able to have these young guys and give them a platform to progress in their careers. There is not much of a higher honor than playing international football, so we’re happy to see Cristian take this next step.”

Ortiz joined the Rowdies as a USL Academy signing this past March shortly before the start of the USL Championship season. He then signed a professional contract with the club in May, paving the way for a call-up to the Dominican Republic U20 team for the Concacaf U20 Championship in July. Despite being the youngest player on the roster, Ortiz started all three group-stage matches for the Dominican Republic.

“This call-up means a lot to me, especially after going to the Concacaf championship with the U20s,” said Ortiz. “I think it means I earned the coaches' trust and that I performed well enough to be called up to the senior national team. I started the year playing ECNL with Florida Premier FC and ended up playing in USL Championship and the Concacaf U20 Championship, and now the Nations League. It’s been quite a year for me, but I’m happy to be able to pursue my dreams in soccer.”

Ortiz has appeared in eight matches for the Rowdies across all competitions during his first season in the professional ranks.