CHICAGO (June 9, 2019)—The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team will hold its third training camp of 2019 from June 9-16 outside Salt Lake City in Herriman, Utah. Head coach Jason Kreis has called in 21 players for the domestic camp.
The Utah training camp comes shortly after 13 U-23 MNT players joined the senior MNT in Annapolis, Md. for a combined summer training camp from May 26-June 2.
The gathering in Herriman marks another step in the U-23 MNT’s journey to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as the USA aims to qualify for its first Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2008. The U.S. will look to secure its Olympic berth early next year as one of the top two teams at the 2020 Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Championship.
GOALKEEPERS (3): JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes; Alamo, Calif.), Andrew Thomas (Stanford University; London, England), Justin Vom Steeg (LA Galaxy; Santa Barbara, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (6): Marco Farfan (Portland Timbers; Gresham, Ore.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake; Las Cruces, N.M.), Jack Maher (Indiana University; Caseyville, Ill.), Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; Media, Pa.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; Medford, N.J.), George Acosta (Unattached; Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Mukwelle Akale (Villarreal CF B; Minneapolis, Minn.), Cameron Lindley (Memphis 901 FC; Carmel, Ind.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Park City, Utah), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; Alexandria, Va.), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; Bloomington, Minn.), Gedion Zelalem (Sporting Kansas City; Berlin, Germany)
FORWARDS (4): Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Benji Michel (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Alfonso Ocampo Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Kent, Wash.), Giovanni Reyna (Unattached; Bedford, N.Y.)
Eight players have been involved with the U-23 MNT already this year – six players were a part of the team’s cycle-opening friendlies in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain last March, while the three goalkeepers and midfielder Eryk Williamson participated in the combined summer training camp with the full MNT in Maryland.
Midfielder Jackson Yueill is fresh from earning his first senior MNT cap during the USA’s pre-Gold Cup friendly vs. Jamaica on June 6. Forwards Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and Gio Reyna helped the U-17 MNT secure a record 17th qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup last month at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Bradenton, Fla.
Eight players were a part of the USA’s quarterfinal run at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic: Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera, Brooks Lennon, JT Marcinkowski, Sebastian Saucedo, Auston Trusty, Williamson and Gedion Zelalem. Midfielder George Acosta helped the USA reach the quarterfinals of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
Ten different clubs are represented on the roster. Sixteen players are based at nine domestic clubs, eight in MLS and one in the USL Championship. One player is based internationally in Spain.
The most players, four, come from Real Salt Lake. Two players come from the Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders.
Two players play collegiately at Indiana and Stanford, respectively. Indiana made it to the semifinals of last year’s College Cup, while Stanford reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.
Gio Reyna was named to the Concacaf U-17 Championship Best XI last month after helping the USA to a runner-up finish. Reyna was the team’s leading scorer in Florida, and his six goals were good for second-best at the tournament. Ocampo-Chavez added four goals for the USAA.
Midfielder Eryk Williamson, a 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup vet, made his MLS debut on May 26 at Philadelphia.
A number of players have established themselves as regulars at their respective MLS clubs: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake), Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union) and Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes) have all appeared in almost every game for their team this season.
Nineteen of 21 players have spent at least one season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
The roster features three Academy players of the year: Sebastian Saucedo (West Conference, 2014), Eryk Williamson (East Conference, 2015) and Gio Reyna (East Conference U-16/17, 2018).
Seven players took home Academy Championships in their youth careers. Last summer, Reyna led New York City FC U-18/19 to the Academy Championship in its first year, while Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez helped the Sounders U-16/17 squad to a national title.
Cameron Lindley won the 2015 U-17/18 Academy Championship with the Chicago Fire in 2015. The Real Salt Lake quartet of Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera, Brooks Lennon and Saucedo won the Academy Championship with Real Salt Lake AZ U-15/16 in 2013.
