The January camp roster is out. It's another joint camp with the U23 team.
* = U23 eligible
GK
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
DF
*Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
*Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls)
*Eric Miller (Montreal Impact)
*Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps)
*Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes)
*Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)
MF
*Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Jermaine Jones (unattached)
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew)
*Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew)
FW
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew)
*Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart)
*Jordan Morris (unattached)
*Khiry Shelton (New York City FC)
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
- Apparently Jesse Gonzalez
had a change of heart and is sticking with Mexico's U23s after all.
- Overall the brand-new NT-level players are Tchani and Finlay. Nagbe and Miazga are more or less new also. I think Trapp could fight his way into the NT picture as well. Miazga, Trapp, and Morris are the only U23 players here who I think are in the NT conversation at present, though.
- Besler is the only senior team defender in the squad, although Miazga would have gotten the call with or without the U23 angle. Polster, Acosta, and Pelosi are all central midfielders who will probably be tried at fullback (RB, RB/LB, and LB respectively). Polster wasn't great during qualifying and Acosta was poor at LB for the U20s. I don't have high hopes, but I guess that's what happens when you have a relatively deep pool at CM and a relatively shallow pool at fullback. Eric Miller is the only real fullback on the team.
- Jose Villarreal would have been a much better winger/forward type for the U23s than either Kiesewetter or Shelton.
- Trapp and Alashe are the only DMs in the squad. That's disappointing to me because Beckerman is fading fast, Williams hasn't impressed and plays a more advanced role for Reading, and it's totally futile to try guys like Bedoya and Mix at the #6. I would have liked to see at least Dax McCarty and maybe Perry Kitchen (though he may be about to sign in Europe). Trapp is a good prospect, but I have a hard time ever seeing Alashe making the grade. Physical specimen, but he's got a stone touch. He'd be better off transitioning to CB.