Last week, U.S. Soccer named the 20-man camp roster that will be in the Phoenix area Jan. 3 of next year to train for a pair of friendly matches next month, including one in Glendale on Jan. 21 at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The roster is full of domestic-based players who ply their trade in Major League Soccer. Many have hardly been capped and a handful of players hope to make their national team game debuts.
While this USMNT (national team) isn't exactly the "A" squad that figures to be in the World Cup, the camp and games give the coaching staff a chance to perhaps find a special player or more who stand out and draw consideration for callups when it comes time for World Cup qualifying out of the CONCACAF region.
If you're going to the match in Arizona, here are some players to watch:
Defenders Omar Gonzalez and George John -- These two young players are still in their early 20s (Gonzalez is 23, John 24) and are two of the top center backs in the U.S. Gonzalez was voted MLS Defender of the Year this past season as his L.A. Galaxy won the MLS Cup, and John, of FC Dallas, has drawn the interest of the Greek national team because of his ethnic background.
Forwards Teal Bunbury and C.J. Sapong -- The Sporting Kansas City strikers are young and dangerous and could form the nucleus of a KC club that seems to be on the rise in MLS. Bunbury chose the U.S. over his country of birth, Canada, and could find himself playing across the pond in Europe soon. Sapong is big, physical forward who was named the MLS Rookie of the year for 2011.