The U.S. will be taking arguably its deepest ever U-23 squad to the Olympics in Beijing this summer, says the L.A. Daily News’ Nick Green, who notes that this Olympics team is more closely tied to the full national team than any squad in the past. In all, seven in the 22-player camp made their full national team debut in 2007. Meanwhile, U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, ever on the lookout for new talent, has become “a frequent visitor” at training sessions.
Former D.C. United coach Peter Nowak is in charge of the camp, his first since being appointed Olympic team coach in August. Nowak tells Green he intends to prepare the squad as if it were the senior national team. “They’re here to have a sniff and know how to be proud and to be with the national team,” Nowak said. “This the future of the national team.”
To be sure, qualifying for the Olympics is no sure thing, as only two teams from CONCACAF qualify for the 16-team tournament. Four years ago, a U.S. team that boasted Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley failed to qualify after a 4-0 thrashing by Mexico in Guadalajara. This year, the U.S. will have the added boost of home-field advantage in qualifying.