U.S. Soccer announced on Friday the 20-player roster for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship, which will be played across the United States from Oct. 1-13. The U.S. will open Group A with a pair of games at Sporting Park against Canada on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. CT and Cuba on Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. CT. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
The U.S. roster features eight players who ply their trade in Major League Soccer including Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake) and Will Trapp (Columbus Crew) who finished eighth and ninth, respectively in last year’s MLS 24 Under 24 ranking. Stanford University sophomore Jordan Morris who has five senior team appearances will lead U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Andi Herzog’s attack. Morris scored goals against Mexico for both the senior team and the U-23 MNT and assisted on Bobby Wood’s game-winning goal in a stunning 4-3 victory over the Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena in June.
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Six players on the roster were part of the U.S. U-20 World Cup squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, while eight players were part of the U-23 squad that finished third in the Toulon Tournament in France.
“For us it was important that we find the right balance between attacking players and defensive-minded players," U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Andi Herzog said. "Because there are no FIFA dates for the first week of the tournament, there were challenges in getting players released. We had discussions with a lot of teams, and while some clubs didn't release their players overall we received a lot of support, especially from MLS. There was a lot of competition for spots. Of course a few players will be disappointed that they didn't make the roster and I understand, but we can only have 20 players on the roster and only 17 field players, so they weren't easy decisions. Now we have to be focused on the games and we have to win."
Four players on the roster have featured for the senior national team appearances including midfielder Emerson Hyndman who has nine appearance for Fulham F.C. in England’s second division. Hyndman’s midfield partner last summer’s U-20 World Cup Gedion Zelalem was also named to the roster. Zelalem, an Arsenal F.C. youth product and one of the brightest young players in American soccer, is currently on loan to Scottish Championship side Rangers F.C. where he has two assists in three appearances.
The U.S. hopes to return to the Olympics for the first time since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where it posted a 1-1-1 record but did not advance past the group stage. The USA’s best showing in the Olympics came during the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, when the team defeated Japan in the quarterfinals and finished fourth in the event.
Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Charlie Horton (Leeds; Cleveland Ohio), Ethan Horvath (Molde; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zack Steffen (Freiburg; Downington, Pa.).
DEFENDERS (5): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), William Packwood (Unattached; Concord, Mass.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Gboly Ariyibi (Chesterfield; Arlington, Va.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas, Texas), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire; Milwaukee, Wis.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; Gahanna, Ohio), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers; Bethesda, Md.).
FORWARDS (4): Alonso Hernandez (C.D. Juarez; El Paso, Texas), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart; Berlin, Germany), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Maki Tall (FC Sion; Washington, D.C.).
