MLS Philadelphia Union

Five Philadelphia Union Players Called up to U-23 USMNT

Published on December 8, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Philadelphia Union News Release


CHICAGO, Ill. (December 8, 2011) - Philadelphia Union's Freddy Adu, Zac MacMath, Jack McInerney, Amobi Okugo and Sheanon Williams have been selected to join the U-23 U.S. Men's National Team training camp in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. from Dec. 15-23, U.S. Soccer announced today. As the most represented Major League Soccer club with five players called up, the Union will send MacMath, McInerney and Okugo directly to Florida immediately following their Generation adidas trip in the Netherlands.

McInerney, Okugo and Williams were recently called up by U-23 national team head coach Caleb Porter to join the training camp held from November 7-16 at the Sportschule Wedau in Germany. Okugo (who served as captain in each of the two matches he played) and Williams played 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory against Bundesliga 2 side VfL Bochum on November 11, with both players registering an assist. That same day, McInerney played in a scoreless draw against Azerbaijan with a U.S. squad comprised mostly of U-20 players. The group ended their camp with two matches against Bayer Leverkusen. Williams and Okugo each played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw, while McInerney started in a 3-0 loss.

Goalkeeper Zac MacMath last joined the national team for the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala from March 28 to April 10. Joined by midfielder Okugo, the duo finished third in their group and fell short of qualifying for the 2011 U-20 FIFA World Cup in Colombia.

Adu was last called up by the senior USMNT for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's first match against Mexico at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on August 10, 2011. Two days later, the forward was announced as a Union signing. Earlier in 2011, Adu shined for the U.S. during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Experienced at all USMNT levels, Adu was one of the top U-20 players coached by Union manager Peter Nowak in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

CONCACAF and U.S. Soccer announced on Dec. 6 that the U.S. U-23 Men's National Team will face Canada, Cuba and El Salvador as part of Group A in the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Scheduled for March 22-26, the matches will be played at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. The tournament will then continue until April 2, sending the best two teams to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Roster By Position:

GOALKEEPERS (4): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasanton, Calif.), Bill Hamid (D.C. United; Annandale, Va.), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire, Lilburn, Ga.), Zac MacMath (Philadelphia Union; St. Petersburg, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (8): Gale Agbossoumonde (Eintracht Frankfurt; Syracuse, N.Y.), Royal-Dominique Fennell (Stuttgarter Kickers; Göppingen, Germany), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke; Missouri City, Texas), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo; Huber Heights, Ohio), Zarek Valentin (Montreal Impact; Lancaster, Pa.), Jorge Villafana (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Andrew Wenger (Duke; Lititz, Pa.), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union; Boston, Mass.)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Freddy Adu (Philadelphia Union; Potomac, Md.), Bryan Arguez (Montreal Impact; Miami, Fla.), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabæk; Oslo, Norway), Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew; Montville, N.J.), Jared Jeffrey (FSV Mainz 05; Richardson, Texas), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham United F.C.; San Francisco, Calif.), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union; Sacramento, Calif.), Michael Stephens (Los Angeles Galaxy; Naperville, Ill.)

FORWARDS (6): Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo; St. Louis, Mo.), Teal Bunbury (Sporting KC; Kansas City, Mo.), Jann George (1. FC N-rnberg; N-rnberg, Germany), Joe Gyau (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim; Silver Spring, Md.), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union; Alpharetta, Ga.), Andrew Wooten (1. FC Kaiserslautern; Worms, Germany)

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