The US national team’s January camp will have a decidedly MLS-heavy look.
Twenty MLSers were named to the 24-man roster called up by Bob Bradley, including New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski, and Sporting KC’s Teal Bunbury, in preparation for a friendly against Chile on January 22 at The Home Depot Center.
The roster is young, with an average age just over 23. Half of the players have a chance to debut for the national team, and no player has more than four caps.
“The timing is right to assess many of the younger players and to broaden the player pool as we look forward to the next three years,” Bradley said in a statement. “These extended camps give the coaching staff an opportunity to work with these players closely, and at the same time expose them to what the environment and expectations are like at the international level.”
Recently crowned MLS champions Colorado Rapids and fellow Cup finalists FC Dallas lead the way among the league’s clubs, with four players from each of the two sides. Matt Pickens, Jeff Larentowicz, Anthony Wallace, and Marvell Wynne will come from Colorado, while Brek Shea, Eric Alexander, Zach Loyd, and Ugo Ihemelu.
Interestingly, Shea was named on the roster as a midfielder; however, there is a chance he could see time as a central defender, where he shined on the recent Generation adidas tour in Spain.
The players will gather in Southern California on Jan. 4.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (4): Dominic Cervi (Celtic), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Matt Pickens (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (9): A.J. DeLaGarza (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Ugo Ihemelu (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Ryan Miller (Halmstads BK), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Anthony Wallace (Colorado Rapids), Marvell Wynne (Colorado Rapids)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Eric Alexander (FC Dallas), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Sam Cronin (San Jose Earthquakes), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Dax McCarty (D.C. United), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
