U.S. Soccer head coach Bruce Arena named his 32-player roster on Thursday for the upcoming January Camp that will take place in Carson, California. While the camp was littered with players who have featured for the national team in the past, as well as a few newcomers, it was the positional placement of one player that stood out to most.
For the past five years, Sporting KC midfielder Graham Zusi has patrolled the flank for the national team as a wide midfielder. Arena has other plans, however, for the World Cup veteran and he touched on the subject during a Facebook Live session earlier today.
"Graham is a very talented player," Arena said. "He’s demonstrated versatility with Sporting Kansas City and we know he can play at the right back position. We have a talented group in the midfield and think that Graham can still help our team as a right back and we are going to give it a shot in January. He’s talented and we think he is a player that can add depth to that position and help our team for sure.
This will not be the first time Zusi has featured at right back. Peter Vermes deployed the four-time MLS All-Star as right back against Arena's LA Galaxy squad early last season. Zusi earned an assist and created a game-high six chances in the 1-1 draw en route to MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors.
Watch the full Facebook Live video with Arena below:
