Portland Timbers' "homegrown" signing Bryan Gallego has been called up by the United States Under-23 National Team for a pre-olympic training camp in the Bahamas from August 3-7 that will culminate in a friendly against the Bahamian senior team on the 6th.
A long-time member of the US Youth National Teams, Gallego, now 21, has featured for the U-18s and U-20s. Gallego was capped nine times as a youth international while coming up through the New York Red Bulls' system and playing his college ball at Akron before the Timbers acquired his homegrown rights in 2013.
Gallego spent the start of the season on loan with Arizona United SC, playing six games in USL Pro and another two in the US Open Cup before going down with an ankle injury that required surgery to correct. Over the last two weeks Gallego has started his return to full fitness, working with the Timbers training staff and participating in full training sessions earlier this week.
The rest of the roster is comprised of players who ply their trade in MLS, USL Pro, the NCAA, Mexico, and England.
The Timbers' press release:
TIMBERS DEFENDER BRYAN GALLEGO NAMED TO U.S. UNDER-23 NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER FOR TRAINING CAMP
U-23 Men’s National Team to face The Bahamas on Aug. 6 in Nassau
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers defender Bryan Gallego has been named to the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team roster for a pre-Olympic training camp Aug. 3-7 in Nassau, Bahamas. The training camp includes an international friendly against The Bahamas senior national team on Aug. 6 at the Thompson A. Robinson National Stadium, it was announced today.
The U.S. U-23 camp is part of the United States’ continuing effort to focus early on the qualification process for the 2016 Summer Olympics taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. U.S. Men’s National Team staff assistant coaches Tab Ramos and Andi Herzog and goalkeeper coach Chris Woods, as well as U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team head coach Javier Perez, are overseeing the camp.
Gallego, 21, has played the majority of the 2014 Major League Soccer season on loan with USL PRO side Arizona United SC. A team captain for the Timbers U-23s in 2013, Gallego made his professional debut on April 25, playing 90 minutes for Arizona United in a 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy II.
As a U.S. youth international, Gallego was a member of the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team pool for three years from 2009-11 and served as the team’s captain. He helped lead the U.S. U-18s to a third-place finish in the 2011 Northern Ireland Milk Cup. Gallego also played for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team during the Copa Chivas in 2010 and was a part of the team’s player pool in 2012.
U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team
Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Cody Cropper (Southampton; Maple Grove, Minn.), Zack Steffen (Maryland; Downingtown, Pa.)
DEFENDERS (7): AJ Cochran (Houston Dynamo; St. Louis, Mo.), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Ramon Martin del Campo (San Jose Earthquakes; Chula Vista, Calif.), Bryan Gallego (Portland Timbers; Kinnelon, N.J.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Riverside, Calif.), William Packwood (Birmingham City; Concord, Mass.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Dennis Flores (León; Pasadena, Calif.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids; Jackson, Miss.), Benji Joya (Chicago Fire; San Jose, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5): Daniel Cuevas (CF Lobos BUAP; Sacramento, Calif.), Alfred Koroma Shams (Internacional; Southlake, Texas), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Victor Pineda (Indy Eleven; Bolingbrook, Ill.), Omar Salgado (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; El Paso, Texas)