The U.S. Men’s National Team has put in a lot of hard work during its January camp, and now it’s time to put the past three weeks of intensive training to the test. The Red, White & Blue kick off 2016 with a pair of international friendlies in Southern California, taking on Iceland and Canada, and three Crew SC players are hoping to earn caps.
Sunday’s match against Iceland, which is set for 3:45 p.m. ET, is the first meeting between the two countries in more than 20 years. The teams have only met six times in 60 years (dating back to 1955), splitting the series 2-2-2.
Three Crew SC midfielders are looking for a chance to represent the Stars and Stripes: Ethan Finlay, Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp. As the call-up to January camp was the first for Finlay and Tchani, they’ll hope to make the trip even sweeter earning their first caps.
Trapp meanwhile heads to StubHub Center looking to earn his second cap for the senior team, as he made his debut last year in a friendly at Chile on January 28. The Homegrown Player is tenured with the youth national program, having garnered experience since the U-14 level. Most recently, he captained the U-23 team in four of its five CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying matches for Rio 2016.
Not only is Trapp’s involvement with the USMNT continuing to escalate, but opportunities for his Columbus teammates are emerging as well. Crew SC was the only MLS club to have three players on the camp roster this year.
Now with two friendlies ahead of them, the three midfielders are hoping for a chance to showcase their skills on a international level. But Iceland won’t be an easy test as it recently qualified for the 2016 UEFA European Championships—its first-ever major international tournament.
Fortunately, the Red, White & Blue have seen recent success at StubHub Center, snagging 2-0 wins over Korea and Panama in the last two years. Sunday’s friendly will be televised on ESPN2. USMNT vs. Canada is set for Friday, February 5 at 10:15 p.m. ET.
