Colorado Rapids fans will be watching Wednesday's friendly international between Chile and the USA with keen interest after two of the club's Homegrown Players, Shane O'Neill and Dillon Serna, were named in Jurgen Klinsmann's 23-man squad for the game against the South American nation, followed by a meeting with Panama on February 8.
The fact that the two youngsters - O'Neill is 21 and Serna just 20 - have impressed enough during the January training camp to book a seat on the flight to Santiago confirms what most Rapids followers have been boasting about for some considerable time ... that these two popular players have bright futures for club and country.
O'Neill and Serna went in to camp with the USMNT on January 12, and are now not expected to return to Colorado until after the match with Panama in Carson, California next month.
The group has traveled to Santiago in advance of the USA’s opening match of 2015 when it takes on Chile on Wednesday, January 28, in Rancagua. Kickoff at Estadio El Teniente is set for 4 p.m. MT and the match will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1, UniMas and the Univision Deportes Network.
“These guys have put in a lot of work these past two weeks of training for what is essentially their preseason, and now it’s time to focus on getting a result against a difficult opponent in Chile,” said Klinsmann. “We know it’s going to be a challenging situation, but these are the types of opportunities we need to keep growing.”
Ireland-born O'Neill represented the US at the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey, and captained the U23s against their Brazilian counterparts last October. The Rapids' central defender has yet to feature for the US senior side, and therefore remains eligible for Ireland as well.
Serna was also part of the USA U23s which faced Brazil, and has previously played at U17 and U20 level for the national team.
Both have become first-team regulars with the Rapids. O'Neill, from Boulder, has made 48 appearances, while Brighton native Serna came into his own in 2014 and has turned out 28 times for his local MLS club.
The naming of O'Neill and Serna to the USA's senior squad was indeed a proud day for the Colorado Rapids. That pride level will move up a few notches if either see minutes in any of the upcoming fixtures.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (Orlando City), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
