Perea among 16 young US players added for game vs Trinidad

Updated Jan. 24, 2021 2:06 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Midfielder Andrés Perea was among 16 young players added Sunday to the United States roster for the Jan. 31 exhibition against Trinidad and Tobago at Orlando, Florida, after he was approved for a switch of affiliation from Colombia by FIFA.

Perea had played for Colombia’s under-17 and under-20 teams.

The added players had been training with U.S. under-23 coach Jason Kreis ahead of the delayed Olympic qualifiers for the North and Central American and Caribbean region, which will be played from March 18-30 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Added to the roster along with Perea were goalkeepers Matt Freese and JT Marcinkowski; defenders Julian Araujo, George Bello, Kyle Duncan, Aaron Herrera, Mauricio Pineda, Miles Robinson and Sam Vines; midfielders Benji Michel, Tanner Tessmann and Jackson Yueill; and forwards Daryl Dike, Jesús Ferreira and Jonathan Lewis.

Ten players could make their senior national team debuts, including all three goalkeepers, a group that includes Matt Turner. Other possible debuts include Bello, Herrera, Pineda, Michel, Tessmann and Dike, plus Perea.

Fifty-seven players have debuted since the October 2017 loss at Trinidad and Tobago that prevented the Americans from playing in the 2018 World Cup, including 34 since Gregg Berhalter became coach ahead of 2019.

From the original group that started training in Bradenton on Jan. 9, goalkeeper Sean Johnson left because of a knee strain and forward Jordan Morris departed when he went on loan from Seattle of Major League Soccer to Swansea of England’s League Championship. Los Angeles defender Tristan Blackmon suffered a concussion during training Saturday and was to return to California on Sunday.

Jozy Altidore, a 31-year-old forward, could make his first international appearance since the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. At 115 international appearances, Altidore is the senior player on a youthful roster that averages 10 appearances and will average 23 years, 302 days on the day of the game.

The full roster is expected to be available for a pair of March exhibitions and the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Honduras in June, followed by a game against Mexico or Costa Rico in either the championship or third-place match. Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup is scheduled to start in September.

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (Philadelphia), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose), Matt Turner (New England)

Defenders: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), George Bello (Atlanta), Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls), Aaron Herrera (Salt Lake), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago), Miles Robinson (Atlanta), Sam Vines (Colorado), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)

Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (Colorado), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Benji Michel (Orlando), Andrés Perea (Orlando), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Tanner Tessmann (Dallas), Jackson Yueill (San Jose)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Paul Arriola (D.C.), Daryl Dike (Orlando), Jesús Ferreira (Dallas), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado), Chris Mueller (Orlando City)

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