Columbus Crew SC today announced that three of its players have earned senior call-ups from the United States Men’s National Team and Head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann to represent the Stars & Stripes at U.S. Soccer's annual January camp. Ethan Finlay, Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp have all been named to the roster for the camp, which runs from January 11 through February 6, 2016. This is the first-ever United States senior National Team call-up for both Finlay and Tchani as well as the second for Trapp. Columbus Crew SC's three representatives on the camp roster are the most among any Major League Soccer club.
The United States trains at the StubHub Center in Carson, California from January 11-30 ahead of a friendly against Iceland on January 31. The Stars & Stripes then undergo additional training ahead of a second friendly against Canada on February 5. Both matches are also at the StubHub Center in Carson.
“This is an excellent start to 2016 for the club and for these players,” said Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “We are proud of Ethan, Tony and Wil and their efforts in 2015 and these call-ups are well-deserved. We look forward to their success with the National Team and the key roles they will play with our club this season.”
HEAR FROM FINLAY, TCHANI AND TRAPP ON USMNT CALL-UPS:http://bit.ly/CrewSCUSMNTAudio
This is the first international call-up for Finlay, who has earned the nod from Klinsmann following consecutive standout Major League Soccer seasons. Under Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, the midfielder notched 11 goals and seven assists in a breakout 2014 regular season, followed by an MLS Best XI performance in 2015, with 12 goals and 13 assists.
Tchani has accepted his first international call-up after previously receiving one from Cameroon in late 2015 but was unable to join the Indomitable Lions due to injury and remained eligible for the United States. Tchani set a new career high in 2015 with five goals and matched his all-time best with six assists during the MLS regular season. According to the League's official statistician, Opta, Tchani ranked sixth among all 2015 MLS midfielders in tackles won (77) and 10th among MLS midfielders in duels won (186).
Meanwhile, Trapp heads to the United States National Team January camp for the second consecutive year. During last year's camp, the Homegrown Player earned his first cap for the Stars & Stripes with an appearance in a friendly at Chile on January 28, 2015. He participated in Olympic qualifying with the U.S. Under-23 squad in 2015, helping the team capture third place in the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship and the opportunity to play Colombia in a playoff for an 2016 Summer Olympics berth later this year. According to Opta, among the 69 MLS players to attempt at least 1,000 passes in the 2015 MLS regular season, Trapp's accuracy rate of 88.3% ranked fifth. His 0.93 touches per minute also ranked fifth among that same group.
Finlay, Tchani and Trapp are the first members of Berhalter's 2016 squad to earn international call-ups after 12 different players did so at either the senior or youth level in 2015. All-told, the Black & Gold's current roster includes 11 players who have earned senior team international call-ups over the duration of their careers. Finlay and Tchani become the third and fourth members of Crew SC's current roster to earn their first-ever senior roster international call-ups under Berhalter, joining Justin Meram (Iraq) and Trapp (United States).
Preparation for the 2016 Major League Soccer campaign continues with the 2016 adidas MLS Player Combine from January 7-12 followed by the 2016 MLS SuperDraft on January 14. The Black & Gold begin their preseason with entrance physicals and testing on January 22 before heading to Lakewood Ranch, Florida for their first camp from January 23 - February 5. After that camp, Crew SC trains at SuperKick in Powell from February 8-12 before departing to participate in the Desert Diamond Cup from February 15-27. The Black & Gold begin their 21st season on Sunday, March 6 at Portland and return home for the Opening Match at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, March 12 against Philadelphia. Information on Crew SC Season Ticket Memberships in 2016 can be found at http://bit.ly/2016CrewSCSTM.
