United States Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Peter Nowak announced today that New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore and defender Hunter Freeman were among the 22 players called into camp in preparation for a pair of friendlies against the Chinese U-23 National Team on Dec. 13 and 16 in Changsha and Guangzhou, respectively.
Altidore, 18, is most recently coming off earning his first cap for the senior U.S. Men's National Team, when he was a second-half substitute in a 1-0 win over South Africa on Nov. 17. In his first full season with the Red Bulls, Altidore followed up a 2006 campaign that saw him find the back of the net in four of New York's last nine games, with nine goals and four assists. His nine goals placed him second on the Red Bulls and eighth in Major League Soccer. He featured in 22 games (15 starts) and was in the Starting 11 for both of the Red Bulls' playoff matches against the New England Revolution.
On the international stage, Altidore has also featured at the U.S. U-17 and U-20 levels. In the summer of 2007, Altidore partook in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, playing a key role in the team's run to the quarterfinals. Altidore scored four goals in five matches, including a pair to defeat Brazil, 2-1, in the group stage.
Freeman is also a seasoned veteran at a variety of international levels, playing for the U.S. U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-20 squads. At the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships in the Netherlands, Freeman started all four games for the U-20s and scored the only goal for the U.S. against Italy in the quarterfinals.
The 22-year-old was previously a member of the Colorado Rapids before he was acquired by the Red Bulls in exchange for a third round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and a fourth round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft on March 23, 2007. This season, Freeman featured in 16 games, starting in 15 and scored a goal and an assist. Freeman missed a significant amount of time in 2007 due to a left ankle injury.
The team will gather Dec. 1 in Carson, Calif., and train for a week before departing on Dec. 8 for China.
U.S. Under 23 Men's National Team Roster By Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Zac MacMath (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Jon Leathers (Furman University), Mike Randolph (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Michael Harrington (Kansas City Wizards), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (CD Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Adam Cristman (New England Revolution), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)
