SALT LAKE CITY - Two Real Salt Lake players - GK Chris Seitz and FW Jamie Watson - were selected today by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley for a two-week training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., where the squad will prepare for a two-match tour of Japan. This will be the first gathering of the U-23 MNT since the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in August of 2004, and the first under Bradley and assistant coach Peter Nowak.
The team will gather Saturday in Carson and train for a week before departing on Feb. 16 for Japan. The U-23s will play two matches, against the Japan Under-22 Men's National Team on Feb. 21 and a Japanese club team two days later.
Seitz was selected fourth overall by RSL in the most recent MLS SuperDraft, coming out of the University of Maryland as a Generation adidas player after just two college seasons. Seitz, an imposing 6'4" - 210 lb. presence between the pipes, helped lead the Terps to the 2005 NCAA College Cup title as a freshman, and most recently backstopped the U.S. U-20 team in the CONCACAF qualifying tourney for this summer's World Youth Championships, allowing just one goal in 270 minutes as the U.S. went 2-0-1 in Panama to win its group. Seitz and RSL teammate Freddy Adu (captain of the U-20s) lead the United States into Canada this July.
Watson, drafted by RSL in the second round (#13 overall) of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, is a fan favorite in Utah, often serving as a spark off the bench and consistently leading the RSL reserve squad in scoring. The Coppell, Tex., native returns to U.S. National Team camp for the first time since 2005, when he started 11 games for the U.S. U-20 squad.
Both players will re-join RSL prior to the team's preseason training stint in Madrid, Spain, from Feb. 26-March 9.
ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (2): Tally Hall (Esjberg 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
