Walker Zimmerman, Sebastian Lletget get Nations League pre-camp call for USMNT
LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman and Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget are among 20 MLS players named Thursday to a U.S. national team pre-camp roster ahead of must-win CONCACAF Nations League matches with Canada and Cuba in November.
Seattle and Toronto, which will meet in the MLS Cup final on Nov. 10, are the only MLS teams still playing, so U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter decided to gather the rest of the domestic players for a weeklong training camp beginning Saturday at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Those players will then be joined by the national team’s European-based and MLS Cup players next weekend in Orlando, where the U.S. will play Canada on Nov. 15.
“We have the opportunity to take advantage of the MLS postseason window to start preparations for the matches against Canada and Cuba,” Berhalter said in a statement. “It’s another week to keep progressing as a group as we focus on getting the results we need to advance to the knockout phase of the Nations League.”
The 19 players represent 16 MLS clubs, with Columbus, Philadelphia and San Jose each featuring two players on the roster.
The U.S. needs wins over both Canada and Cuba, whom the Americans play Nov. 19 in the Cayman Islands, to have a chance at advancing to next year’s knockout round of the first Nations League tournament. The U.S. lost to Canada 2-0 in Toronto in early October.
U.S. ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas), Chase Gaspar (Minnesota United FC), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Sebastian Lletget (Galaxy), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)
Forwards: Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake), Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC)
