U.S. U-23 national team head coach Bob Bradley has called 20 players - including 17 from the Major League Soccer ranks - to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., for a training camp ahead of the side's scheduled two-match tour of Japan later this month.
The first U-23 camp under Bradley, the former Chivas USA coach, and his U-23 assistant, former D.C. United boss Peter Nowak, opened over the weekend, bringing together much of the core of the team that will be looking to secure qualification to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"This is a good opportunity to get together with many of our domestic-based players and begin to instill some of the ideas that will be the foundation of our work together," Bradley said. "This is the beginning of a long process of preparing for Olympic qualifying, and we're fortunate to get a couple of quality matches in Japan as we get started."
Five of the 17 MLS-based players have been pulled away from their first professional training camps. Nico Colaluca (Colorado Rapids), Michael Harrington (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake) and Adam Cristman and Ryan Solle (both New England Revolution) all recently entered the pro game after being selected in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.
Colaluca, a midfielder, is joined by two Rapids teammates, that threesome leading the way for all MLS teams. Also heading out from Denver are defender Hunter Freeman and forward Jacob Peterson.
In addition to the Revolution rookies, the Kansas City Wizards, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake will each have two representatives. Joining Harrington from K.C. is youth international veteran Will John. Also bringing a plethora of international experience is the pair from the Galaxy: defender Nathan Sturgis and midfielder Quavas Kirk.
RSL forward Jamie Watson will accompany new teammate Seitz to Carson, while second-year MLS players Stuart Holden (midfielder) and Patrick Ianni (defender) will make the trek from Houston as representatives of the MLS Cup champions.
Dynamo's Texas rivals, FC Dallas, have dispatched midfielder Arturo Alvarez, while the Chicago Fire have sent forward Chad Barrett and the Columbus Crew have released defender Tim Ward.
Rounding out the MLS continent is Chivas USA's Sacha Kljestan. Only the faces around the 2006 Rookie of the Year contender have changed, as he remains at The Home Depot Center following a month-long training stint under Bradley with the full U.S. men's national team.
The Americans will depart for Asia on Friday and will take on the Japanese U-22 national team on Feb. 21. Two days later they will face a Japanese club team, after which they will return to the U.S. to rejoin their respective club teams at their MLS preseason camps.
ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (2) - Tally Hall (Esbjerg FB), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders (7) - Adam Cristman (New England Revolution), Hunter Freeman (Colorado Rapids), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Nathan Sturgis (Los Angeles Galaxy), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest University), Rob Valentino (University of San Francisco), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew)
Midfielders (7) - Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Nico Colaluca (Colorado Rapids), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Will John (Kansas City Wizards), Quavas Kirk (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Ryan Solle (New England Revolution)
Forwards (4) - Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Michael Harrington (Kansas City Wizards), Jacob Peterson (Colorado Rapids), Jamie Watson (Real Salt Lake)
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
