Edu and O’Halloran
CHICAGO – Toronto FC midfielder Maurice Edu and defender Marvell Wynne were named Wednesday to the U.S. squad that will travel to China in preparation for Olympic qualifiers.
This will be the first time the U.S. under-23 team has gathered since Peter Nowak took over as coach in August.
"I’m excited for both players to gain some more experience at the international level," said Toronto FC head coach Mo Johnston. "Both of them have worked very hard this past season, and they deserve it. I’m sure it will be a great trip to China, something they’ll always remember."
New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore and six other players from the American team that reached the under-20 World Cup quarter-finals are on the squad. The team will assemble Saturday in Carson, Calif., and train for a week before leaving for games in Changsha on Dec. 13 and in Guangzhou three days later.
Altidore will be joined by former U-20 teammates Robbie Rogers and Tim Ward of the Columbus Crew, Nathin Sturgis and Chris Seitz of Real Salt Lake, Dax McCarty of FC Dallas and Sal Zizzo of Hannover 96 in Germany.
Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley and Danny Szetela, also members of the U-20 quarter-finalists, were not laced on the 22-player roster because of scheduling conflicts with their European clubs.
Altidore made his international debut with the United States in a 1-0 victory over South Africa on Nov. 17. He is one of seven members of the side who have played for the senior American team.
Olympic qualifying from the Central and North American and Caribbean region will take place March 11-23 in Los Angeles; Tampa, Fla.; and Nashville, Tenn.
Goalkeepers: Zac MacMath (Clearwater Chargers), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake).
Defenders: Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Jon Leathers (Furman University), Mike Randolph (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).
Midfielders: Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Michael Harrington (Kansas City Wizards), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (CD Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas).
Forwards: Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Adam Cristman (New England Revolution), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF, Sweden), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96, Germany).
Source: Toronto FC players named to U.S squad
