CHICAGO - U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bruce Arena has selected Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe as part of the final 23-player roster that will face Serbia on Jan. 29 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego [TICKETS]. Kickoff for the USA's first match of 2017 is set for 1 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and UniMas.
Five days after USA-Serbia, the MNT will make its first visit to Chattanooga, Tenn., on Feb. 3 to host regional rival Jamaica. Kickoff in front of an expected capacity crowd of 20,000 at Finley Stadium is set for 4 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on FS1 and UniMas (simulcast on UDN).
Nagbe has earned 10 caps on the international stage with the United States, including three appearances in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, playing against Colombia and Argentina. Nagbe recorded his first international goal for the U.S. Men’s National Team in a 1-0 victory against Ecuador on May 25, 2016, scoring the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. Nagbe made his debut for the United States during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Nov. 13, 2015, playing 26 minutes as a substitute in a 6-1 win against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
In 2016, Nagbe made 27 regular-season appearances (27 starts) for the Timbers, notching five assists, which ranked tied for the second-most on the team. Since joining Portland in 2011, Nagbe has made 187 appearances (176 starts), ranking him first in games played for the team across all eras (since 1975).
A total of 31 players gathered in Carson beginning on Jan. 10 for the annual January Camp at the National Training Center. The delegation travels this afternoon to San Diego to begin final preparations.
"I have been extremely pleased with the effort and progress we have seen throughout the January Camp," Arena said. "The entire pool of players has performed well and has made our roster decisions very difficult. We are excited to take the next step and look forward to the game against Serbia in San Diego."
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Unattached),Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Greg Garza (Atlanta United FC), Chad Marshall (Seattle Sounders FC), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna, MEX), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Jermaine Jones (LA Galaxy), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Chris Pontius (Philadelphia Union)
FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
Five players were released back to their clubs: Taylor Kemp, Keegan Rosenberry, Brian Rowe, Wil Trapp, and Chris Wondolowski. In addition, LA Galaxy striker Gyasi Zardes has a minor contusion in his right knee and will not travel.
