The U.S. U-23 Men's National Team will travel to South America for two friendlies against Brazil in November, and head coach Andi Herzog has named a 1
The U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team will travel to South America for two friendlies against Brazil in November, and head coach Andi Herzog has named a 19-player roster that includes California natives Dave Romney (Irvine), Oscar Sorto (Los Angeles), and Alejandro Guido (Chula Vista).
The U-23 MNT will face Brazil in Recife on November 11 at 3 p.m. PT, before traveling to Belém on November 15 for a rematch, which kicks off at 1 p.m. PT.
These friendlies against Brazil are a very important dress rehearsal for the U-23 MNT, who will face Colombia in March in a home-and-away series that has a 2016 Olympic spot on the line.
“These matches against Brazil are a huge opportunity for us,” Herzog said. “On one hand you have a strong challenging South American opponent in Brazil, with a playing style that’s similar to that of Colombia, and on the other we’ll get to experience playing in Brazil, which is where we hope to be next summer for the Olympics.”
This is the first call-up for Irvine native David Romney at any level for U.S. Soccer. The LA Galaxy defender played collegiate soccer at the University of San Francisco before he signed with the LA Galaxy II prior to the 2015 USL season. Strong play in USL and in LA Galaxy friendlies prompted the LA Galaxy to sign Romney, who became the first LA Galaxy II player to sign an MLS contract with the LA Galaxy.
Sorto and Guido have been regular call-ups for U.S. Soccer’s youth teams the past few years. Sorto started and played in three LA Galaxy matches this year. Sorto has seen significant playing time with the LA Galaxy II this season. Guido has appeared in four matches for Tijuana this year.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (MK Dons; Maple Grove, Minn.), Charlie Horton (Leeds United; Cleveland, Ohio), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City; Leawood, Kan.)
DEFENDERS (7): John Brooks (Hertha BSC; Berlin, Germany), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), Shane O’Neill (Royal Mouscron; Boulder, Colo.), Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake; Edmund, Okla.), Dave Romney (LA Galaxy; Irvine, Calif.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Julian Green (Bayern Munich; Tampa, Fla.), Alejandro Guido (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire; Milwaukee, Wisc.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers; Bethesda, Md.)
FORWARDS (3): Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart; Berlin, Germany), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC; Leander, Tex.), Maki Tall (FC Sion; Washington, D.C.)
