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U.S. Under-23s to face Brazil in Brasilia in October

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By FRANCO PANIZO

The Under-23 U.S. Men’s National Team hopes to be competing in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, and is continuing its preparations for that tournament with an October visit to the South American country.

U.S. Soccer announced on Monday that the U-23s will be taking advantage of the upcoming international FIFA fixture date by gathering for a four-day camp in Brasilia that ends with a friendly against the U-23 Brazil team. The camp begins on Oct. 10.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the invitation from the Brazilian Federation to play against their U-23 national team,” said U.S. technical director Jurgen Klinsmann. “We have emphasized the need for this group to be together as much as possible, and to play against one of the best teams in the world will be a great benchmark for our players.

“They also get a chance to play in Brasilia, which is one of the host venues for the 2016 Olympics, and for many it will be a first taste of what the environment would be like for the tournament. We couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.”

The U.S. roster for this trip to Brazil should be named soon. The coaching staff will consist of U.S. youth technical director and U-20 head coach Tab Ramos, U-18 head coach Javier Perez, scout Matthias Hamann, and Rob Vartughian as the goalkeeper coach.

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What do you think of the U-23s going to Brazil for a quick camp? Which players would you like to see called in? How beneficial will a friendly against Brazil’s U-23s be?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The question is…do you send guys like Gyau & Brooks to the U-23 camp to have the best team possible, or do you bring them to the senior USMNT camp since they’re also among our best players?

    Reply
    • It’s a very good question. I am sensing from their comments on record that JK and the USSF have placed high value on the Olympics, having been very disappointed by the missed opportunity that was 2012. I expect that the eligible players will be largely (with a few exceptions) heading to Brasilia based on this news. But that is conjecture… we shall see.

      This is the first clear piece of evidence I’ve seen that Ramos may well be the touchline coach at Brazil 2016, should we qualify. But that is another question I have not seen answered. Certainly, I believe JK is looking at Ramos as a potential successor after 2018 for the senior side, though others (I’d include Porter) also come to mind…. But this is a totally different question.

      Reply
      • like last cycle… lets not get ahead of ourselves with the Olympics and next cycle! Ramos; qualify for the Olympics first.

        but i am all for prioritizing this tournament. There seems like a wave of talent in the ’93-’98 generation (18-23 years old) and Olympics in Brazil (good time zone for US TV) is a perfect time to showcase it. to make it even more of a priority; Mexico won the last one.

      • I actually need to revise my initial comment…. as Ives pointed out in his Q&A, clubs do not actually need to release players for the Brasilia camp since it is not on the FIFA calander as a u-23 date, so the top guys would need to go to the senior friendlies.

      • If it’s not an international date I would expect to see offseason MLS, out of contract, college, minor league, and players firmly on reserve teams.

    • tough call.. id say that Gyau, Brooks & Green are competing for spots on the 2015 Gold Cup team which is closer than the 2016 Olympic/Olympic Qualifiers

      guys like Cropper, Hyndman & Rubin should be down in Brazil.

      Reply
    • Best senior team, then you develop the U23s that remain. A U23 game is a free development opportunity so don’t waste it on the senior level players. You can always call in the senior level U23s later as qualifying nears. But what you really want to see is who surprises me at U23.

      Reply

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