Bermuda Under-20 will make a swift return to international competition after being invited to a “world-class” tournament featuring the United States, Australia and Chile.

Bermuda were drafted in as a late replacement after an unnamed team pulled out of the National Training Centre Invitational, which will held be at the home of US football in Carson, California, from July 14 to 18.

Dennis Brown’s side suffered a disappointing CFU World Cup qualifying campaign in the Dominican Republic, finishing third in their group, but will be determined to punch above their weight against a higher calibre of opposition.

Costs of the trip have been covered by the United States Soccer Federation, with Richard Todd, Bermuda’s National Academy director, hoping that an impressive showing could secure further invites to top-level tournaments. He said that Bermuda’s 20-man squad would be bolstered with several under-23 players to increase their competitive edge.

“It all transpired quite recently when we received an invitation from US Soccer, who were looking for a fourth team,” Todd said. “We have the option to use older players, but the core of the group with will be the under-20s that competed in the Dominican Republic.

“It’s important for us to go there and be competitive. Perhaps this invite is a sign that our profile is increasing.

Hopefully, we can make the most of this chance and show that we can be worthwhile opponents in the future.”

Todd believes that the tournament can be a “shop window” for Bermuda’s aspiring players, with Major League Soccer and college scouts likely to be in attendance. “This tournament gives our players exposure against these powerhouses who regularly qualify for the youth World Cups,” he said.

“I imagine there will be some future world stars on display and the challenge for us will be to see if we can be competitive.

“I’m sure there will be college coaches and professional coaches from the MLS in attendance; they will definitely be interested in the players from the other teams.”

The round-robin style tournament will serve as preparation for the US, Australia and Chile before their Under-20 World Cup qualifiers.

Included in Australia’s squad is Daniel De Silva, the Perth Glory midfielder, who signed for Roma for an undisclosed fee last month with a view to joining the Serie A side at the start of the 2015-16 season.

Paul Okon, the Australia Under-20 coach, said: “The invitation to play in this tournament came a couple of months ago and we didn’t hesitate in accepting this opportunity to play three competitive matches at this stage of our preparations.

“Our players are in pre-season mode and this camp will be a good chance to see where they are at and what we will need to work on for the next phase of our [World Cup qualifying] campaign.”

Marco Bustos, the promising teenager from Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS, has been named in Chile’s squad.

The 18-year-old, who made his debut for the Whitecaps in the Amway Canadian Championship semi-finals at Toronto in May, said: “I’m honoured and excited about this opportunity.

“My primary focus is to continue my development and I look forward to learning from this experience. I am a proud Canadian and also proud of my Chilean and Italian heritage.”

Bermuda’s opening match against Australia on Monday at the Mooch Myernick Field will be streamed live on ussoccer.com at 5pm.

They play the US on July 16 and Chile two days later.