The United States Soccer Federation will nominate its MLS players on Wednesday and hold camps in Carson, Calif., on Jan. 21. In his first match since the World Cup, the American will face Serbia on January 25 in Los Angeles and in January in Colombia. 28 in Carson.
The European-based players who formed the core of the squad that advanced to the Round of 16 in Qatar last month will not be able to participate as the camps and matches are outside FIFA’s international window. The MLS team began training his camp last week ahead of the season opener on February 25th.
The US Winter Camp is an annual tradition that allows the coaching staff to evaluate players who would otherwise likely not be considered when a full team becomes available. For Gressel, this is the first time he has qualified for the invitation.
Originally from Germany, he played for Providence College and previously played for Atlanta United and DC United. Last summer, he moved to the Vancouver Whitecaps.Marrying an American in 2018 made Gressel eligible for citizenship.
During his career, Gressel was one of the top right-wing attackers in the MLS. He played forward, wing and wingback, scoring 21 goals and 60 assists. He was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2017. Two years ago, Gressel’s 13 assists at United were his third in MLS. He had two goals and nine assists in 30 appearances last season, where he split time between DC and Vancouver.
However, it’s unclear if he has a long-term future in the U.S. program.At 29, he’s much older than almost all players who were initially called up to international competition.
Gressel is expected to be one of several fresh players in the US camp. Another potential candidate is Norwegian club Rosenborg’s 23-year-old defender Sam Rogers, according to two people familiar with the matter. (Like the MLS, Norway his league doesn’t play during the winter.)
While assistant coach Anthony Hudson oversees the camp, the USSF continues to evaluate the program and consider whether to retain Greg Verhalter, whose contract as the team’s coach expired on December 31. there is Independent investigation into 1991 incident In it, Burhalter admitted to kicking his future wife during an argument when they were freshmen in college.
