New United States men’s national team head coach Bruce Arena has called in four Seattle Sounders to the team's January camp in Los Angeles.
Forward Jordan Morris, midfielder/defender Brad Evans, defender Chad Marshall and goalkeeper Stefan Frei have all received invites and will report to L.A. on Jan. 10. The U.S. will take on Serbia on Jan. 29 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif., before battling Jamaica in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Feb. 3.
Morris, 22, has scored once in 12 career caps. Then-head coach Jurgen Klinsmann called in Morris last November ahead of the United States’ first two Hexagonal games in 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, but Morris injured his hamstring during the second leg of the Sounders’ Western Conference Semifinals match against FC Dallas and was sent home early from camp.
Morris made five appearances with the senior team in 2016, with his most recent contributions coming as a substitute in Havana in a 2-0 win over Cuba in October.
Evans, 31, has 26 career caps. In 2013, he played an integral role at right back in the U.S.’ 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign, starting nine of 10 matches and scoring his lone international goal in a 2-1 win over Jamaica.
Evans made one appearance for the U.S in 2016, starting on defense in a 3-2 friendly win over Iceland.
Marshall, 32, has 11 career caps, but he has not featured in a U.S. kit in nearly seven years. His last action came in January 2010 in a 3-1 friendly loss to Honduras.
This is not the first time Marshall has gone long stints in between U.S. appearances. He suited up in December 2005 for a 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifier and then did not don the Red, White and Blue until July 2009 for a CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Grenada.
Former United States international and Sounder Herculez Gomez said a couple months ago that it was a “travesty” that Marshall did not get more looks with the national team.
“If Chad would have played abroad anywhere else in the world, he would have been a national-team mainstay because of that [MLS] stigma,” Gomez said. “There’s not one foreign player I’ve come across that hasn’t asked why Chad isn’t a mainstay with the national team.”
Marshall, for his part, said he was “over talking about the U.S. Soccer thing,” but will have another chance at redemption under Arena, who originally called Marshall in back in 2005.
It will be Frei's first international call-up at any level. The Swiss-born goalkeeper is coming off one of the best seasons of his career that culminated with The Save and an MLS title. Frei is in the process of completing eligibility requirements to represent the United States, making him available for the January Camp.
Arena opted not to call in Sounders forward Clint Dempsey and midfielder Cristian Roldan, each of whom Arena had mentioned as legitimate possibilities.
