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Rio de Janeiro or Bust

Olympic Qualifying Roster: 20 Names for U.S. Squad

With so many variables at play, predicting a U.S. U-23 squad is rife with challenges. But that didn’t daunt ASN contributing editor Brian Sciaretta, who attempts to sort through it all right here.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 27, 2015
9:45 AM

OLYMPIC QUALIFYING BEGINS in about five weeks and there are two massive questions surrounding U.S. U-23 head coach Andi Herzog’s roster.

What does the depth chart look like? Which players will be available to play?

The U.S. will open its qualifying campaign against Canada on October 1, followed two days later by a match against Cuba. The international window opens on October 5 and the following night the U.S will play its final group stage game against Panama. The knockout stage games will be played on October 10 and 13.

Federations are not allowed to alter rosters during the tournament, so if a club only agrees to release a player during the international window, he will still count toward the full roster even in games he is not available. Second, while FIFA windows are generally respected for youth national team games, clubs are never required to release a player for these contests—even during FIFA windows.

"The Olympic qualifiers start outside of the FIFA window [which begins Oct. 5, four days after the start of the tournament] and we badly need those players to qualify for Rio de Janeiro,” Jurgen Klinsmann said. “Hopefully we get the support from all the clubs to get the players in. It’s going to be an extremely busy time period, we just hope we get all the players on board and get the job done.”

“We will manage it and obviously we need help,” Klinsmann added. “We need help from the clubs overseas and we need help from the clubs here in MLS, especially for the Olympic team."

Regarding the player pool, important decisions need to be made because some players are eligible for multiple teams. DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks have been part of the senior team but are also eligible for the U-23 team. Will they drop down and miss the crucial CONCACAF playoff game against Mexico in to play with the U-23 team? It’s possible.

“It will be a big challenge for us to organize both rosters for the Olympic qualification, but also for the all-decisive playoff against Mexico,” Klinsmann said. “Obviously we want both. We want to be in Rio with the Olympic team and we want to be in Russia in 2017 for the Confederations Cup.”

There is also the issue of the players from the impressive U.S. U-20 World Cup team. Will Herzog attempt to quickly integrate any of these players into the U-23 team? How many of them are ready to make that jump from the U-20 level to the U-23?

With that said, here is my projected 20-man roster for the U-23 World Cup qualifying team.

Goalkeepers

1. Cody Cropper
2. Zach Steffen
3. Jon Kempin

NOT RELEASED: Ethan Horvath

IN THE MIX: Alex Bono

THE SKINNY: Cody Cropper has received the lion’s share of playing time with the U.S. U-23 team to date and it’s likely he continues on with the team. American Soccer Now has learned that it’s very likely Cropper will be released for the entire tournament by MK Dons. Meanwhile, Zack Steffen had a terrific U-20 World Cup and should be in line for the back-up role. Freiburg would probably release him for this tournament since he is only on the reserve team. The third-choice keeper is up for grabs but at this point, it is hard to see Ethan Horvath getting released as he has claimed the starting job at Molde FK.

Defenders

4. Oscar Sorto
5. Eric Miller
6. Shane O’Neill
7. Matt Miazga
8. Walker Zimmerman
9. Amadou Dia

WITH SENIOR TEAM: DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks

NOT RELEASED: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Desevio Payne

IN THE MIX: Tim Parker, Erik Palmer Brown, Christian Dean, Tyler Turner

THE SKINNY: The two fullback positions are the weakest positions on this prospective roster. Eric Miller, Amadou Dia, and Oscar Sorto will have to hold the fort with midfielders Dillon Serna and Matt Polster able to provide cover. Desevio Payne has missed the past month with an injured ankle and might not be available for the upcoming London camp but he could parlay a strong showing at the U-20 World Cup into a roster spot. Central defense is also a bit of a mystery. It seems likely Matt Miazga is the safest bet considering his consistently strong form with the New York Red Bulls. Shane O’Neill is a mystery since he recently transferred to Greece but he can also provide cover at right back. Will Cameron Carter-Vickers get released? There is a chance (maybe even a good chance) but it is not a sure bet. One name to keep an eye on is central defender Tim Parker who has been playing very well lately for a strong Vancouver Whitecaps team.

Midfielders

10. Matt Polster
11. Fatai Alashe
12. Wil Trapp
13. Luis Gil
14. Paul Arriola
15. Dillon Serna
16. Emerson Hyndman

NOT RELEASED: Gedion Zelalem

IN THE MIX: Kellyn Acosta, Sean Davis, Marc Pelosi, Alejandro Guido, Zach Pfeffer, Marco Delgado, Cristian Roldan, Russell Canouse, Benji Joya.

THE SKINNY: The central midfield players on this team look solid. Matt Polster and Fatai Alashe are quality defensive midfielders. Luis Gil has had a rough season for Real Salt Lake but he has always played well for the U.S. and is very familiar with his potential teammates. Emerson Hyndman is the only European-based player and Fulham has always shown a willingness to release him for international duty. Could Gedion Zelalem help the U.S. qualify for the Olympics? At this point, no one knows if his new club, Glasgow Rangers, will permit him to leave. Sean Davis has yet to play with this group but he has shown very well in limited minutes for the Red Bulls. Similarly, Marc Pelosi is securing playing time with San Jose and has a high upside.

Forwards

17. Jordan Morris
18. Julian Green
19. Jose Villarreal
20. Jerome Kiesewetter

NOT RELEASED: Rubio Rubin, Andrija Novakovich

INJURED: Khiry Shelton, Maki Tall

IN THE MIX: Mario Rodriguez, Bradford Jamieson, Tommy Thompson, Alonso Hernandez, Lynden Gooch, Alfred Koroma

THE SKINNY: Jordan Morris is a lock and Jose Villarreal seems likely. Julian Green has had a terrible year but it is hard to imagine Bayern Munich getting in his way unless he goes out on a last-minute loan. Jerome Kiesewetter is not yet seeing minutes for Stuttgart but he gives the team options at several positions. Rubio Rubin is a bit of a wild card at the moment. He is not starting for FC Utrecht right now and he could be a first-team selection for Herzog. Will Utrecht release him for this tournament? Unlikely, but there is a chance.

That’s my best guess at how the Olympic qualifying roster will shake out—what do you think? Who would you like to see in these crucial matches?

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter. 

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