FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea is among the 20 players selected by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Caleb Porter to compete in the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying tournament and attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games in London this summer.
"Camp has been really good," Shea said. "We’ve been playing well together and we’re ready for qualifying. Hopefully, we can represent the U.S. well and get the results we need for a trip to London."
Drawn into Group A with Canada, Cuba and El Salvador, the U.S. opens play against Cuba on March 22 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on Universal Sports Network, mun2 and streamed live on concacaf.com. The USA faces Canada on March 24 at 6 p.m. CT, and then closes out group play on March 26 against El Salvador.
The semifinal and final matches will be played at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on March 31 and April 2, respectively.
"We feel very confident about the team we have put together to help us achieve our goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games," said Porter. "It's been a great week of preparation here in Nashville, and we are excited to reach this stage of the process. This group is united and ready for the challenge."
Porter named Philadelphia Union midfielder Freddy Adu as team captain and D.C. United defender Perry Kitchen as vice-captain.
Porter originally named a 19-player training camp roster on March 12, adding Tony Taylor a day later. On March 18, Molde-based defender Josh Gatt was recalled by his club after the team experienced a series of injuries. The only new player named to the final 20-man roster by Porter was Sheanon Williams.
The roster is loaded with players who have experience in international competition, as 13 players have played in at least one World Cup at the youth level. Four players -Adu, Jared Jeffrey, Brek Shea and Williams - have appeared in both U-17 and U-20 tournaments.
The U-17 Residency Program developed 11 of the players who will represent the United States in Olympic qualifying, with many in Residency during the same cycles: Adu and Michael Stephens (2003 cycle); Jeffrey, Amobi Okugo, Kofi Sarkodie, Shea and Williams (2007 cycle); Juan Agudelo, Joe Gyau and Perry Kitchen (2009 cycle).
A total of 14 players on the roster come from MLS clubs, with the Philadelphia Union contributing three players. Adu is the only player with previous experience in qualifying, having scored four goals in three appearances during the 2008 tournament. FC Dallas forward Brek Shea, who has appeared in all 10 of the U.S. Men's National Team matches under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, was the 2011 U.S. Young Male Athlete of the Year and is coming off a strong season with FC Dallas that included MLS Best XI recognition and a nomination for MLS Most Valuable Player.
In total, eight players on the roster have at least one cap with the full team, while Adu, Agudelo and Teal Bunbury have recorded goals. The development of these players throughout this cycle has been done in collaboration with the work of U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, continuing the process of having vertically integrated National Team programs.
The diverse roster includes players hailing from 13 different states reaching from coast to coast, with three coming from California and two each from Maryland and Texas.