Caleb Porter head coach for the U-23 USMNT has added two new faces to the second training camp for Olympic qualifying, upping the total number of players to 30. Both Terrence Boyd and Kelyn Rowe were added to an already solid core of forwards that features recognizable names such as Freddy Adu and Teal Bunbury.
The talent selection at forward for the US is actually a better situation for the U-23 team than the senior national team. This is mainly because two-thirds of the striking options namely Jozy Altidore and Juan Agudelo are both eligible to play for the U-23 team.
But, will these options be available when the time comes? That is uncertain as senior duties outweigh the ability to play for one of the youth sides.
With Caleb Porter preferring to run a 4-3-3 system that could mean possibly no Atidore, Agudelo or even Brek Shea playing out wide it looks like Porter is increasing his options and flexibility heading into the qualifying campaing.
Boyd who plies his trade for Borussia Dortmund in Germany is more of a target forward and actually a fairly effective one. Boyd has good size standing at 6’ and 180 lbs. Boyd also scored in some of the U-23 scrimmage games played during the last camp and it was a surprise he was not initially listed in the second camps initial lineup.
Rowe also can play in the midfield of in the hole, and was a main catalyst in UCLA’s post-season run. A mainstay for the US U-20 team, Rowe seems like a bit of a longshot for the U-23’s final
team, but does give Porter some flexibility and this experience should help aid in Rowe’s development and help keep him in the fold for the long run for the USMNT.
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