Nicolai has been invited to become a provisional member of Team USA by the American Amputee Soccer Association. They have been following his career since we contacted them years ago and he is now of the size, age and skill to compete at the international level. Nicolai has distinguished himself on the field against 2 legged opponents. It will be very interesting to see how he fares against other one legged players. Sadly, the popularity of amputee soccer has been on the rise due to the increased use of improvised explosive devices and the effects of natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti. Provisional membership is essentially an invitation to practice and compete with the national team. Full membership is conferred if a player is deemed sufficiently skilled to join the starting roster. I took this portrait of Nicolai for the Amputee Soccer website and we are looking forward to his first opportunity to play with the team.