4 players get called up for USMNT friendly
Four Orlando City players earned a spot on the 25-player roster for the U.S. men’s national team first match of the year against Trinidad and Tobago.
Winger Chris Mueller will return to the lineup after his explosive December debut while young attackers Daryl Dike, Andrés Perea and Benji Michel will look to make their first appearances at the senior international level.
Dike, Perea and Michel all are under the age cap for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, offering a chance to compete for the Americans’ team during the summer. They will be eligible to participate in the Concacaf Olympic qualifiers, which are slated to take place in Mexico in March.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. on Sunday and will be live broadcast on FS1, UniMás and TUDN. The match will be open to a limited number of fans at Exploria Stadium, with tickets available at USSoccer.com.
This friendly starts a packed schedule for the Americans as they look to qualify for the Olympics while competing in major international tournaments, including the Concacaf Nations League Final Four, the Gold Cup and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The team spent two weeks training at IMG Academy in Bradenton with a combination of U-23 and senior players. The Americans will now move their camp to Orlando, where they will train for the week leading up to Sunday’s match.
“These last two weeks have been an absolute pleasure,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “The hard work and determination demonstrated by the entire group confirms that the player pool is headed in the right direction. As we transition to Orlando, we switch gears and focus on competing as we prepare to face Trinidad and Tobago.”