Ahead of the annual January camp, US National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter and Under-23 head coach Jason Kreis have named a joint roster.
With qualifying for the 2021 Summer Olympics beginning this spring, along with a full senior calendar, the two groups will train together ahead of a planned friendly at the end of the month, which will be announced at a later time.
Beginning on January 9, the senior group (consisting of players 24 and older) will train alongside the U-23s through January 24, when several U-23 players will be elevated to the full roster in advance of a planned friendly match at the end of the month.
Nashville SC’s Walker Zimmerman has an opportunity to earn his 13th international cap. The MLS Defender of the Year came off the bench against El Salvador in December, and along with Aaron Long, is one of the contenders for a starting role in the upcoming World Cup qualifying cycle.
“This is an important year for our National Team programs, and we are looking to maximize every possible opportunity,” Berhalter said. “For the senior team players, this is an opportunity to continue to develop as a group and build on the foundation of a busy and challenging year. Being alongside our U-23 team gives that group a chance to prepare for Olympic qualifying while further integrating into our culture and game model.”
Jozy Altidore returns to the national team for the first time since the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. His 115 caps are the most on the roster, with Jordan Morris’s 29 a distant second.
LAFC’s Tristan Blackmon has received his first call-up. The defender has played both on the right and in the center for LA, and picked up some of the slack left when Walker Zimmerman joined Nashville.
“With Olympic qualifying approaching quickly, this training camp is a great opportunity to prepare ourselves and evaluate some new faces,” Kreis said. “While 2020 was a very challenging year, it was impressive to see so many U-23-eligible players make major strides on the field. Some of them have been involved with the senior team over the last few months and it’s exciting to now get our players and staff back together in camp alongside Gregg and his group as we prepare for a very important qualifying tournament.”
USMNT roster by position (Club; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (2) : Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 9/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (3) : Tristan Blackmon (LAFC; 0/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 18/3), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 13/2)
MIDFIELDERS (3) : Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 24/2), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 17/4), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 19/0)
FORWARDS (4) : Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 115/42), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 34/6), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 39/10), Chris Mueller (Orlando City SC; 1/2)
U-23 USMNT roster by position (Club):
GOALKEEPERS (3) : JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake), Brady Scott (Austin FC)
DEFENDERS (10) : Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), George Bello (Atlanta United FC), Chris Gloster (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake), Aboubacar Keita (Columbus Crew SC), Henry Kessler (New England Revolution), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire FC), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United FC), Sam Vines (Colorado Rapids)
MIDFIELDERS (6) : Hassani Dotson (Minnesota United FC), Bryang Kayo (Wolfsburg/GER), Andrés Perea* (Orlando City SC), Tanner Tessmann (FC Dallas), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)
FORWARDS (7) : Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Daryl Dike (Orlando City SC), Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids), Benji Michel (Orlando City SC), Djordje Mihailovic (Montreal Impact/CAN)
*Player is currently ineligible to represent the US
More details on the potential matchup will be announced at a later date.
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