Atlanta natives Walker Zimmerman and Sean Johnson were two of the 27 players called into the U.S. men’s national team camp that will convene in January in California.
Zimmerman, a centerback from Lawrenceville who most recently played for LAFC, and Johnson, a goalkeeper from Lilburn who plays for NYCFC, were among the call ups by new manager Gregg Berhalter on Thursday.
No Atlanta United players were called into the camp, though former player Greg Garza, who was recently traded to Cincinnati, was.
The camp will open on Jan. 6 in Chula Vista, Calif.
MLS teams will open training camps on Jan. 14. Atlanta United will begin competing in the CONCACAF Champions League in February. Berhalter said he didn’t call up midfielder Darlington Nagbe or goalkeeper Brad Guzan because he thought it better they get to rest after the season culminated with winning the MLS Cup, and with the Champions League coming up.
The U.S. will host Panama on Jan. 27 in Glendale, Ariz. and Costa Rica on Feb. 2 in San Jose, Calif.
"In putting together this domestic-based roster, we started with a number of players who we think can be a core part of the group moving forward,” Berhalter said in a statement provided by the U.S. Soccer Federation. “We then looked at players that excelled this year in Major League Soccer, and finally chose players that can play a specific role in our game model. We are very excited to start to implement our ideas about the style of play and the culture we want to develop in the national team."
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals)
Goalkeepers (4): Alex Bono (Toronto FC/CAN; 1/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 5/0), Tyler Miller (LAFC; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 6/0)
Defenders (10): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 2/0), Greg Garza (FC Cincinnati; 10/0), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 2/0), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids; 0/0), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 4/1)
Midfielders (10): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 23/2), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 17/2), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 142/17), Russell Canouse (D.C. United; 0/0), Marky Delgado (Toronto FC/CAN; 6/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 5/1), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 5/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 11/0)
Forwards (3): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; 0/0), Christian Ramirez (LAFC; 0/0), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 40/6)
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