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It is a new year and there are new faces on the US Men's national soccer team. The boys are in training camp now in Los Angeles, California. Apparently Coach Juergs has to make a roster for the training camp, and here it is, with the players we haven't met yet highlighted:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Alex Bono (unattached), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy)
MIDFIELDERS (11): Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (out of contract), Dennis Flores (Club Leon), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Marc Pelosi (Liverpool), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (6): Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julio Morales (Tepic), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
This lineup is exciting for me for two reasons. First there's a guy from DC UNITED! Congrats to them on the new stadium. Second Alex Bono. Juergs seems to have added him to the lineup just for me. Hope this bodes well for the rest of the newbies. I'll try to go over everyone's history and stats tomorrow.
jjthejetplane, lucky you as you seem to know who those guys are already! I'll be getting to know them as I post their bios, and maybe at the end I'll be just as excited to see them play with the USMNT!
So far the guys in this go round remind me of a pan of cinnamon rolls. They look pretty tasty (thank you, Juergen) and there's something in there for everyone. But why talk about it...let's look at some:
Are you hungry yet? Well let's get started on the new goal keepers!
Alex Bono (Toronto FC)
Alex Bono was born in Baldwinsville, N.Y. in 1994. He is 6'3" and weighs 195 pounds. He played soccer for Syracuse University. At school, he was nominated for the NSCAA first-team All-American award adn won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. He was also one of the finalists for college soccer’s Hermann Trophy.
In 2015, he was added to the MLS "Generation Adidas" class. As an aside, I now love Adidas. If they have decent casual sneakers, they may even replace Puma in my heart. But I digress. According to the site below, Generation Adidas is a type of contract that allows the MLS to sign players who do not "count against an MLS team's salary budget."
Alex was drafted by Toronto FC during the MLS Super Draft last week! He is the first player from Syracuse to be selected in the first round of the MLS Super Draft.
Jon Kempin was born in Leawood Kansas in 1993. He's 6'1" and 170 lbs. Before moving to the Sporting Kansas City, Jon was part of the club's youth academy. He also played for the Orlando City Soccer Club and Oklahoma City's club, both in the US.
When he joined Sporting Kansas City initially in 2010, Jon was also named a Generation Adidas player by the MLS. At 17, he was the youngest signing in the team's history. He was signed through the Home Grown Player initiative, which is designed to help home clubs keep their academy players if they become professionals.
As a youth player, Jon was picked to join the state and regional teams within the Olympic Developmental Program. He was also chosen as one of four goalkeepers for the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters at the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program under head coach Wilmer Cabrera at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Jon has suffered some injuries since he went pro. Notably an ankle fracture in 2012 and a pulled quad in 2013 when he was playing for Orlando. I'm not sure how common this is for goal keepers. Hope he's injury free for the camp and any games he plays with the USMNT in the future.
Jon in Action (There is some Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson here as well):
Now we move on to the new-to-me forwards who are training with the USMNT now:
Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United)
Steve Birnbaum was born in 1991 in Irvine, California. He is 6'1" and weighs 180 lbs. He seems kind of weird looking...but so was Geoff Cameron before I got to know him. Now Geoff is sexy. So hopefully the same will happen with Steve.
Before being drafted by DC United in 2014, Steve played for the University of California where he was named NSCAA First Team All-American. According to his coach, Steve "will go down as one of the all-time best players in Cal soccer history."
Thanks to blackandredunited.com, I've just found out that Bill Hamid, and Perry Kitchen are also part of the DC United squad. Oh farf. It sounds like DC United is rocking like rock stars.
Steve in Action (with commentary by Perry Kitchen and Bill Hamid):
Here is some cinnamon for our steaming hot tray of cinnamon rolls. Some ladies may get a little excited by our next player Christian Dean. He's not really my type, LOL but I can see the potential appeal. Born in Alvin Texas in 1993, Christian weighs 200 lbs and is 6'3" tall.
He was selected in the MLS Super draft in 2014 by the Vancouver Whitecaps and was also named a Generation Adidas player the same year. Like Steve, Christian also played for the University of California. While at school, Christian earned All Pac-12 and NSCAA Far West Region first team honors.
His university also indicates that he started to play soccer at 4, and also enjoys basketball. Christian played in several teams growing up and in 2010, his team won the New York Red Bulls National High School Cup.
In 2012, Shane was signed by the Colorado Rapids as a Home Grown player from the team's youth development program, the Rapids Academy. As I glance at the flat glass of Guinness on my desk, I'm reminded of Shane. Not because he's flat, or in a glass...but because he's Irish. Ok well Irish-American.
Shane was born in Midleton Ireland in 1993, and moved to the US when he was a year old. He is 6'2" and 190 lbs.
HMM I'm getting the picture that Juergs is bringing out the BIG GUNS on this team. All of these guys are young and HUGE. I feel bad for Chile.
While playing for his High School team in Boulder, Shane was named Colorado’s 2011 Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year. He was also named MVP honors in the 2011 High School All-American Soccer Game. Lucky for us, Shane has postponed playing for a college team to start his pro career. This rocks to me, as it spells dedication.
Oscar Sorto was born in 1994 in Los Angeles, CA. He is 5'8" and 155 lbs. He was signed to the Galaxy as part of the Home Grown Player initiative started by the MLS. It seems the goal of this program is to try to keep our best players in the country after they have benefited from the youth development programs. Sounds pretty smart.
Oscar was part of the LA Galaxy's under-18 youth squad, where they won the 2011-12 SoCal Division Championship.
You're obviously the only one on this site that cares what a football player looks like, no one else does. We care about the quality of play, something of which the USMNT will never be able to stack up against the real powerhouses. Give it a rest Kinky!
Thanks for the bump Skeeter. Now on to the new Midfielders!
Dennis Flores (Club Leon)
Dennis is currently playing for the first division club Club Leon in Mexico, and he is quoted as saying that “One day I will be among the best in the world.” At first I didn’t think he was very cute, but then I see the HOYITOS!!! I love dimples.
I have dimples, so I’m biased. People with dimples are cuties. LOL Hmm listening to his Spanish, he sounds a little uneducated, but I guess I can’t expect footballers to have too much polish. They just have to play well. Dennis was born in 1993 in Pasadena, California and is 5’7” and 145 pounds.
Basically chulito is saying he’s happy and a little nervous. But he’s super excited to learn from the best and further his career. He says it is a great chance for him and he will take full advantage of it.
Dennis developed as a soccer player independent of the US academy system. He was scouted by a group called Alianza de Futbol Hispano, which does not charge fees and tries to scout talented soccer players who may not be part of the academy programs, which can be expensive.
The only issue I have is that they seem to be doing this for only Hispanic kids(?) That’s kind of FUBAR. They should do this for all kids, as I’m a firm believer that talented kids may not be all playing for college clubs or be in an academy. Dennis played soccer for his high school, it seems, but I can’t verify 100% that the link is referring to him. Hopefully as he gets more exposure it will be possible to get more details about what I’m sure is his interesting life story.
Woot I’m happy and proud that Bill Hamid, Perry Kitchen and company all play for DC United! Perry Kitchen was born in 1992 in Indianapolis Indiana and is 6 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds. Before moving to DC United, Perry played for the University of Akron and IMG Bradenton in the US.
Like some of our other US players, Perry was offered a Generation Adidas contract by the MLS. I’m getting the picture that this type of contract is a way to keep foreign teams from stealing some of our most promising young players and leaving them to languish on the bench.
After DC United picked Perry for the team, he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2011. Perry also played on the US Mens Under-23 national team. In college he won many accolades, including being named a Top Drawer Soccer Freshman All American. He left the University of Akron to turn pro after his freshman year.
Really nobody should interview you and put it on the internet when you’re that young. But he looks cute here and talks about his early soccer experiences a bit.
Thanks to Marc, the oven is heating up NICELY in this visit with the new players. His big eyes are pretty. Marc was born in 1994 in Bad Sackingen Germany and is 6’ and 170 lbs. He is currently playing for the Liverpool Under-21 club, and has been with Liverpool since the age of 17 when he joined their youth academy.
Marc has both US and German nationality, but has chosen to devote himself to the USMNT. Liverpool apparently courted him for three years before convincing him to join. He decided to forego both college and playing in the MLS in favour of the chance to develop at a top club. Marc broke his leg in 2013, so that is a bit worrisome, but hopefully he's fighting fit to play for the team.
Of Marc, his academy coach McParland says the following: [sic]There aren't many young midfielders who come into English youth academies with the rare combination of size (Pelosi is 6 feet tall), speed and passing ability… "We think he has really high potential.
Dillon Serna was born in Brighton Colorado in 1994. He is 5’7” and weighs 140 lbs. Before starting his professional career, he was part of the Colorado Rapids youth development academy and the University of Akron.
While at Akron, Dillon earned many accolades including being named Newcomer of the Year. He was named to the US u-20 and u-17 national teams and played in the U-17 World Cup and the U-17 CONCAF championship. He joined the Rapids professional team through the Home Grown Player initiative.
Remember how I was whining and complaining last year about the weird salary restrictions in the MLS? Well it seems they have found a way to get past this with the Generation Adidas and Home Grown Player initiatives. These seem to be ways to get around the weird salary stuff and hang on to some of our best young players. Good for you, MLS.
Like Dillon, Wil was also signed via the Home Grown Player initiative to his professional MLS club. Wil was born in Gahanna, Ohio in 1993 and is 5’8” and 150 lbs. In 2013, the Columbus Crew awarded him the Breakout Performance of the Year award.
In 2013, Wil also won US Soccer’s Male Athlete of the Year award. He is also a product of the University of Akron, where he left after his sophomore year to become a professional. At school, he was named the Ohio Player of the year in 2009, and won many other accolades.
Whoops correction in an previous post. I'd written incorrectly that Steve, Christian et al were Forwards...they are defenders. The forwards will be in the next post. Also dohake, yep I'm curious to see how Brek does for us as well, if he gets to play.
The USMNT will play Chile on Jan 28th at 6 PM EST. I'm way behind! Let's meet the last round of new-to-me players...the forwards!
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas)
Tesho Akindele was born in 1992 in Calgary, Canada. He is 6'1" and weighs 170 lbs. Tesho was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Like several of our other young players, Tesho left school early to play professionally. He was studying electrical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines--a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science-- and had this to say about his decision:
I can be an engineer when I’m 55-years-old but my soccer career has an expiration date, so I want to get the most out of it that I can.
Tesho has some of the most awards that I've ever seen among the players. He won MVP multiple times as a high school player, and to make mom's smile, he was on the Honor Roll for all 4 years. His most recent accolades as a college player include
2013 NSCAA Second Team All-American, 2013 RMAC Preseason Player of the Year and 013 Daktronics South Central Region Player of the Year.
As a professional player, Tesho won AT&T Rookie of the Year. Glad to see my cell phone fees are going toward a good cause.
Julio Morales was born in Glendale, California en 1993. He is 5'11" and 163 lbs. He distinguished himself in high school and as a result of his high goal totals, he was named the San Jose Mercury News' player of the year. Julio also got the attention of Alianza de Futbol Hispana, and was able to audition for professional clubs in Mexico.
After high school, Julio played for the Guadalajara Sport Club's (AKA Chivas Guadalajara) in Mexico and the Mexican National under-21 team. At the beginning of 2013 Julio was loaned to Chivas USA. He apparently did not do so well during the loan, so we'll see how he plays for the USMNT. He is currently playing for club Tepic in Mexico.
Julio in Action:
Interview in Spanish. Bascially he's saying how the Alianza de Futbol Hispana, that organization that we discussed earlier, helped him. This organization helps (only hispanic) kids to be discovered and get a chance to play. The idea is that some kids who are good players, but who are not rich, would not have the chance to be discovered otherwise.
As a bonus, you get to see Julio's mom and dad being interviewed here. Also there is a baby pic of Julio with a soccer ball. But I have to say most of the veribage is basically a commercial for Alianza de Futbol Hispana.
Gyasi seems to be a handsome guy and is currently rocking a duo-tone wacky hair style. He was born in Hawthorne, California in 1991, is is 6'2" tall and weighs 175 lbs. In 2012, the LA Galaxy signed Gyasi as a Homegrown Player. He was in the Galaxy's youth academy, and played for their under 18 and under 20 squads. He finished as the top scorer in the under 20's in 2010.
Before he began his professional career, Gyasi played for Leuzinger High School in Lawndale California and for California State University where he was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and won Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year.
Gyasi in Action:
(WUU from the start...I LIKE IIT. Looking forward to Gyasi)
So far, Gyasi is my bias in this group of forwards. I like his style of playing very well and it seems very agile and graceful on the field. Best of luck to our lineup in the game against Chile tomorrow!
I've been busy at work and I missed the entire Panama game! Boo for me since we WON and I missed it. Clint and Michael Bradley scored two goals and poor Panama didn't get any. ha ha ha. Nick Rimando and Sean Johnson were the goalies for the game.
It looks like we had the dream team for this game.
Lineup: USA: 1-Nick Rimando (12-Sean Johnson, 46);
2-DeAndre Yedlin (3-Matt Hedges, 72), 13-Jermaine Jones,
5-Matt Besler, 11-Brek Shea; 4-Michael Bradley,
10-Mix Diskerud (15-Perry Kitchen, 72); 20-Gyasi Zardes,
8-Clint Dempsey (capt.) (14-Luis Gil, 81), 19-Miguel Ibarra (7-Lee Nguyen, 79);
17-Jozy Altidore (18-Chris Wondolowski, 46) MNT Earns First Win of 2015, Shuts Out Panama 2-0 at StubHub Center - U.S. Soccer
The next game will be in March against the Danish Nat'l team in Denmark.
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Hope this bodes well for the rest of the newbies. I'll try to go over everyone's history and stats tomorrow. 
I'll be getting to know them as I post their bios, and maybe at the end I'll be just as excited to see them play with the USMNT! 
They look pretty tasty (thank you, Juergen) and there's something in there for everyone. But why talk about it...let's look at some:
