Darlington Nagbe and David Guzman Called Up

The Portland Timbers have had one of their newest arrivals and one of their longest serving players called up for national team camps this January.

Darlington Nagbe will be joining the United States Men’s National Team for Bruce Arena’s first friendlies since starting his second stint in control of the side. The USMNT camp will kick off on January 10th and will cumulate in a pair of friendlies against Serbia on Sunday, January 29th and Jamaica on Friday, February 3rd.

David Guzman, meanwhile, will join the Costa Rican Men’s National Team for January’s Copa Centroamericana, a competition that will see the Ticos play four matches between January 15th and January 22nd, before releasing him in time to join the Timbers for the start of their preseason camp on January 25th.

Nagbe, 26, has been capped ten times for the US, notching a goal and an assist in 268 minutes of play. His time with the US under previous coach Jurgen Klinnsmann had been controversial, however, with Nagbe ultimately declining a call up following a series of appearances for the US that saw him used sparingly off the bench. This call up is Nagbe’s first since then and represents chance to get back into the fold with the USMNT.

Returning US coach Bruce Arena noted Nagbe’s versatility in a Facebook Live stream on Thursday (the Nagbe comments come at the twelve minute mark), but said that the USMNT would likely look at Nagbe as a wide player to start this camp.

While Nagbe has an opportunity to fight his way back in with the US, Guzman is also looking to establish himself as a regular for the Ticos. Capped 25 times for Costa Rica, Guzman, 26, has only seen time off the bench in the last year, making a series of substitute appearances over the course of the last year in friendlies and World Cup qualifying, after getting occasional starts in 2015 during the Gold Cup.