A decent MLS team could almost be created with the number of players from metro Atlanta and the rest of the Georgia who are playing in MLS this season.
Here’s a breakdown of the players who are in training camps with MLS:
Chicago
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson (@SJohn25), Lilburn, Atlanta Blackhawks, Atlanta Fire
He played in 21 games last season, making 59 saves. He was a late call up into the U.S. men’s national team camp in January, but didn’t see any game action.
Colorado
Midfielder Sam Cronin, Atlanta
Made 26 appearances for the Rapids last year after being traded from San Jose. He earned his first appearance into the All-Star game.
Dallas
Defender Walker Zimmerman (@Thewalkerzim), Lawrenceville
Made 10 starts as part of 20 appearances last season. It was his most starts in his three years with the club.
Houston
Midfielder Ricardo Clark (@RicoC13), Atlanta, AFC Lightning, Atlanta
Named the team’s most valuable player after making 30 starts with eight goals and an assist.
New England
Defender Jordan McCrary (@J_Mccrary9), Marietta
Selected with 10th pick in the 2016 SuperDraft after starting 20 matches for North Carolina as a senior. Made 61 starts with the Tar Heels.
New York
Defender Chris Duvall (@ChrisDuvall91), Duluth
Started 14 games before suffering a season-ending broken leg. He has made 32 starts in two season with the Red Bulls.
NYCFC
Midfielder Kwadwo Poku (@Poku), Silverbacks
Scored four goals with seven assists in 27 games after being acquired from the Silverbacks. Quickly became a fan favorite.
Orlando
Goalkeeper Joe Bendik (@JTBendik), Marietta
After three strong seasons at Toronto, he was traded to Orlando in December last year. Has 76 starts and 78 appearances in four years in the league.
Philadelphia
Defender Warren Creavalle (@Warrenspeak), Acworth
Made 10 starts in 19 appearances between Toronto and Philadelphia. He is on his third team since coming into the league with Houston in 2012.
Midfielder Mitchell Lurie (@Mitch_Lurie), Atlanta
Selected in the third round of the 2016 SuperDraft after an all-conference year at Rutgers.
Portland
Defender Chris Klute (@ChrisKlute), Silverbacks
Moved to Portland after struggling to establish a starting role with Columbus last season. He made eight starts in 14 appearances for the Crew after making 55 starts in three seasons with Colorado.
Forward Jack McInerney (@JackMcinerney9), Atlanta
Moved to Portland after splitting last season with Montreal and Columbus. He has 38 goals in 143 appearances (89) starts since being drafted by Philadelphia in 2010.
Seattle
Forward Andy Craven (@AndyMCraven), St. Simons
Craven scored five goals with five assists for the Sounders FC 2 to earn a call-up to the MLS squad in late June.
Sporting KC
Goalkeeper Alec Kann (@Akann90), Decatur
Moved to KC after spending most of previous season with Chicago’s USL affiliate, where he had 74 saves in 19 matches. He made one start for the Fire in three seasons.
Toronto
Defender Mark Bloom (@Markbloom21), Marietta, Silverbacks
No appearances last season because of an injury after starting 26 games with Toronto in 2014.
There are also a few coaches: Josh Wolff is an assistant with Columbus.
Centenario Draw: U.S. men's national team Jurgen Klinsmann hasn't shied away from wanting his team to play the best opponents, and his players to play in the best leagues. They will get a chance to see how they measure up individually and as a group in the Copa America Centenario, which will be played in the U.S. this summer and features some of the world's best teams.
The draw was held on Sunday and the U.S. group is arguably the toughest of the four. The U.S., the top seed in Group A, will open hosting Colombia on June 3 in Santa Clara, Calif. Colombia features one of the world’s top talents in midfielder James Rodriguez. Next, the U.S. will host Costa Rica in Chicago on June 7. The U.S. knows the “Ticos” well because they play in the same CONCACAF region. Last, the U.S. will host Paraguay on June 11 in Philadelphia. The U.S. is 1-1-2 against Paraguay.
The team will feature what will likely be a roster full of seasoned players from Europe and possibly Mexico, as well as MLS players who should be hitting their in-season stride.
But if the team brings the same form it had in the disappointing Gold Cup, the U.S. will go three and out and calls for Klinsmann’s job will begin anew.
Other Centenario groups:
The other groups are:
Group B: Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti and Peru. Brazil should easily win this group.
Group C: Mexico, Uruguay, Jamaica and Venezuela. A tough group because Uruguay should feature in-form striker Luis Suarez.
Group D: Argentina, Chile, Panama and Bolivia. Chile is the tournament’s defending champ and Argentina feature’s the world’s best player, Leo Messi.
U.S. women: The U.S. women defeated Canada 2-0 in the finals of the CONCACAF Olympics qualifying tournament. Morgan Brian, a St. Simons native, was named the tournament's most outstanding player.
Top 10 games
The top 10 games to watch in world soccer this week on your TV or mobile device:
Tuesday
2:45 p.m., Arsenal vs. Barcelona, Fox Soccer 2Go, ESPN Deportes: This is one of the games that makes the Champions League so exciting. The Gunners have one win in seven matches against Barcelona. Their lack of speed at the back compared to Barcelona's at the front will be noticeable.
2:45 p.m., Juventus vs. Bayern Munich, Fox Soccer 2Go: Another fascinating matchup in the Champions League. Juventus may be the hottest team in world soccer. Bayern is trying to run away from the teams chasing it in the Bundesliga.
8 p.m., Queretaro vs. D.C. United, Fox Soccer 2Go: D.C. United is one of two MLS team who have won the predecessor to the CONCACAF Champions League, the Champions Cup. United did so in 1998. No MLS team has won the CONCACAF Champions League, which started in 2008.
10 p.m., Seattle vs. Club America, Fox Soccer 2Go: This isn't the easiest game to start the competitive portion of the schedule. America is one of the most successful clubs in world soccer and has already started its season.
Wednesday
8 p.m., Tigres vs. Real Salt Lake, Fox Soccer 2GO: Another interesting CONCACAF Champions League game.
10 p.m., LA Galaxy vs. Santos Laguna, Fox Soccer 2GO: The Galaxy is the second MLS team to win the Champions Cup, doing so in 2000.
Thursday
3:05 p.m., Manchester United vs. Midtjylland: Like Donald Trump, Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal continues on no matter the results. United was beaten by Midtjylland in the first leg, 2-1. A loss here could see the Dutch manager pushed aside.
Saturday
10 a.m., Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid, beIN Sports USA: The game of the week in club soccer features the second- and third-place teams in La Liga, who are also cross-town rivals. Real Madrid must win if it has any hope of eventually passing Atletico and Barcelona to win the league title.
Sunday
9:05 a.m., Manchester United vs. Arsenal, NBCSN: A must-win game for Arsenal in its fight to win the Premier League. The Gunners trail Leicester City by two points.
2:45 p.m., Juventus vs. Inter Milan, beIN Sports USA: Juventus has moved atop Serie A, while Inter is fighting to make to one of the Champions League spot. They trail third place Fiorentina by four points.
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