Last month, when Bob Bradley released the list of 24 players who would participate in the United States national team's three-week training camp, the name Eugene Starikov was nowhere to be found despite the 22-year-old's strong showing while on loan to Tom Tomsk.
Starikov, however, received a belated invite, joining the group in Carson, Calif., on Thursday. He will participate in the rest of the proceedings and be available for the friendly against Chile on Jan. 22.
The Ukranian-born, Florida-bred attacker left Stetson University during his sophomore season to become a member at Zenit St. Petersburg, a club where his father has connections. He spent the 2009 Russian Premier League campaign with the squad's youth side, scoring six goals in 22 matches. The 5-foot-8 player landed a spot substitute role for the RPL champions before going on loan to Tomsk where he played in nine matches, scoring one goal.
Starikov, who is eligible to play for the US or Ukraine, brings the number of Americans in Carson to 25. He'll join an attacking crew that includes Juan Agudelo, Mikkel Diskerud and Teal Bunbury.
Noah Davis covers the United States national team for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @noahedavis.
