U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in Rapids youngsters Shane O’Neill and Dillon Serna, along with 26 other players, for the first U.S. National Team training camp of 2015, as the senior national side begins the new preparation cycle leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The training camp, which runs Jan. 12-Feb. 8, begins Monday in Los Angeles.
It will be an unusual training camp for this group of players in that it will take place on two continents. After 12 days in California, the team will head to Santiago in Chile for training from Jan. 25-29 as it prepares for its first friendly of the year against fellow 2014 World Cup side Chile on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua. Kickoff time will be announced at a later date. The team will then return to the U.S. Soccer National Training Center.
“The prize in 2015 for the senior National Team is the Gold Cup, and this camp will give a lot of our players a chance to kick start their preparations for an important year,” Klinsmann said. “We also get an opportunity to introduce the next wave of young players into the program, and in particular work with many of our Olympic-age guys as they build toward qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.”
The camp culminates with a friendly against the Panama on Feb. 8 in Carson. Kickoff at the StubHub Center is set for 1 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network. Fans can also follow the match live on Twitter @ussoccer and @ussoccer_esp.
O’Neill and Serna are no strangers to being called up to the various U.S. national age group squads. Serna was a member of the USA team that played in the 2011 U-17 World Cup in Mexico, but did not see any action. Both players were in camps with the U-20 national team preparing for the 2013 U-20 World Cup in Turkey. O’Neill made the team and played 13 games, including two in the World Cup, while Serna was selected as an alternate.
But it’s a new day, especially for Serna, who will be going into his first-ever senior national team camp, under the eye of Klinsmann.
“I’m super excited,” said Serna, who said he received a phone call from Klinsmann who let him know that he would be invited. “I just didn’t know which group of players would be on the roster. Now that I know that (it’s more a senior team camp), I see it as a huge opportunity. There definitely will be some pressure on all the young guys to prove themselves in front of the full national team staff.”
Likewise, O’Neill is looking forward to the camp, but for a slightly different reason.
“Last year I didn’t do as well (at the January camp). I just wasn’t as ready as I needed to be. I picked up a bit of a hamstring (injury). And at the end of the day, I don’t think I was mature enough. This time, I’m looking to turn it around and have a good camp.
“It will be a great experience going up against a great mix of players, with guys like (Clint) Dempsey and (Chris) Wondolowski.”
The camp roster includes a handful of veterans from last summer’s FIFA World Cup roster, including team captain Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley. On the other hand, it features many fresh faces with 14 players looking to earn their first cap for the senior team. Furthermore, the camp roster has 11 Olympic-age players, including O’Neill and Serna, who would be eligible to represent the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
U.S. roster by position
Goalkeepers (4): Alex Bono (unattached), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders (8): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy)
Midfielders (10): Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (out of contract), Dennis Flores (Club Leon), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Marc Pelosi (Liverpool FC), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Forwards (6): Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julio Morales (Tepic), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
Roster notes
- Christian Dean, Dennis Flores, Dillon Serna and Oscar Sorto were all members of the Under-23 Men’s National Team that most recently held a camp in October in Brasilia. The group has been preparing for qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
- Sorto, along with Luis Gil, Shane O’Neill and Wil Trapp, were all part of the roster that traveled to Turkey to represent the USA in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U-20 MNT was unable to advance out of the Group Stage, but it did play eventual tournament champion France to a 1-1 draw. During the tournament in Turkey, Gil scored against Spain and O’Neill against Ghana. Gil started all three matches of the tournament while O’Neill started the final two.
- Alex Bono, Dean, Flores, Gil, Jon Kempin, Julio Morales, O’Neill, Marc Pelosi, Serna, Sorto, Trapp and Bobby Wood would all be age-eligible to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
- Nine players were also in attendance at last year’s January camp: Matt Besler, Mix Diskerud, Brad Evans, Gil, Sean Johnson, O’Neill, Nick Rimando and Chris Wondolowski.
- The camp will mark the third-straight January camp call-up for Besler, and second- straight for Gil and O’Neill.
- Nineteen of the 28 players on the camp roster were born in the 1990s, including three in 1990, two in 1991, three in 1992, seven in 1993 and four in 1994.
Ten players have ties to the Development Academy: Steve Birnbaum (Pateadores), Bono (Empire United), Dean (De Anza Force), Flores (Arsenal FC), Gil (Pateadores), Kempin (Sporting KC), O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Pelosi (De Anza Force), Serna (ColoradoRapids) and Sorto (LA Galaxy). Bono received 2011-12 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Eastern Conference Starting XI honors.
