Earthquakes Defender Brandon McDonald Named To National Team Pool For January Camp

December 22, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that defender Brandon McDonald has been named to the roster pool for the United States national team for their January camp. Players are set to begin arriving the first week of January in Los Angeles, with the camp continuing through the Saturday, Jan. 23 friendly against Honduras at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

"We are very happy for Brandon to have earned this opportunity," said Earthquakes general manager of soccer operations John Doyle. "This speaks well of his work ethic and growth over the course of the 2009 season and we wish him the best."

The 2009 season marked McDonald's first with San Jose. He had a breakout year with the Quakes, starting all 18 games in which he appeared, while scoring one goal and notching one assist. McDonald was one of the keys to the Quakes solid second half in 2009, earning a starting spot in the central defense. He paired with Jason Hernandez to form one of the toughest central defense tandems in the league.

The 6-1 defender spent his rookie season in Los Angeles after being drafted by the team 23rd overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. With the Galaxy, he appeared in 16 matches, including 10 starts. He tallied one goal and one assist in 2008, while logging 1,036 minutes with the club. He returned to the Bay Area before the start of the 2009 season, which is where he played his college soccer.

The Glendale, Ariz. native played four years at the University of San Francisco with the Dons, finishing his career with 10 goals and seven assists. In his best season with the Dons as a sophomore, he scored three goals and added two assists, and as a freshman McDonald finished second on the team in scoring with five goals.

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