U.S. U-23 MNT roster named for Brasilia Camp and Oct. 13 match against Brazil U-23 Team
CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – A 21-player roster has been named for the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team’s October camp in Brasilia. The group, which is beginning its early preparations for qualification toward the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, departs for Brasilia on Thursday, Oct. 9.
The team will train from Oct. 10-12 and then face Brazil’s U-23 national team on Monday, Oct. 13, at Estádio Nacional in Brasilia. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. local (6 p.m. ET).
This marks the third time the U-23s have gotten together this year. The group met for a domestic camp in April at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center, and then most recently traveled to Nassau, Bahamas, in early August. That trip included an Aug. 6 match against the Bahamas’ full national team, with the USA earning a 5-1 victory.
This current roster includes nine players who competed in that win against the Bahamas, including Jordan Morris and Dennis Flores who each tallied a goal.
Four players were called in to the senior Men’s National Team by USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in preparation for the 1-0 win against the Czech Republic on Sept. 3: goalkeeper Cody Cropper, midfielder Emerson Hyndman and forwards Morris and Rubio Rubin.
The following seven U-23 players were members of the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey: Cropper, defenders Eric Miller, Juan Pablo Ocegueda and Oscar Sorto, midfielder Benji Joya and forwards Alonso Hernandez and Mario Rodriguez.
The roster also features 16-year-old defender Cameron Carter-Vickers of Tottenham, who represented the USA during the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team’s run to the championship at the 21st International Tournament of Václav Ježek in the Czech Republic. Carter-Vickers is the youngest player among this group.
The coaching staff for this trip, which coincides with the Men’s National Team matches against Ecuador and Honduras, will include U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director and U-20 MNT head coach Tab Ramos, U-18 MNT head coach Javier Perez and MNT scout Matthias Hamann. Rob Vartughian is the goalkeeper coach during this trip.
Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Charlie Horton (Cardiff City; Cleveland, Ohio), Cody Cropper (Southampton; Maple Grove, Minn.)
DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Matthew Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Riverside, Calif.), William Packwood (Birmingham City; Concord, Mass.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Dennis Flores (León; Pasadena, Calif.), Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids; Jackson, Miss.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas, Texas), Benji Joya (Chicago Fire; San Jose, Calif.), Esteban Rodriguez (Dorados de Sinaloa; Bell Gardens, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Alonso Hernandez (Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Sean Okoli (Seattle Sounders FC; Federal Way, Wash.), Mario Rodriguez (Borussia Mönchengladbach; North Hollywood, Calif.), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht; Beaverton, Ore.), Ben Spencer (Indy Eleven; Albuquerque, N.M.)
