The University of Akron Athletics
Serna and Trapp Added To USMNT U-23 Olympic-Qualifying Roster
March 21 | Men's Soccer
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USMNT U-23 OLYMPIC-QUALIFYING ROSTER RELEASE
CHICAGO, Ill. - A pair of former University of Akron men's soccer stars in Dillon Serna and Wil Trapp were among 23 players invited to training camp by United States Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Andi Herzog in advance of the team's home-and-away playoff against Colombia, which will determine the final berth in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The first match of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Qualifying will take place on Friday, March 25 at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia, at 5 p.m. ET. The match will air live on FS1.
The return leg will be played on March 29 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas at 9:30 p.m. ET. The decisive match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, following the U.S. MNT's World Cup Qualifying match against Guatemala at 6 p.m. CT.
The United State won its three first-round games in the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship last October before falling in the semifinals to Honduras. The U-23's bounced back and won the third-place match against Canada to earn a place in the playoff. Colombia finished second in the 2015 South American Youth Championship to claim its spot in the playoff.
In addition to hosts Brazil, 14 other countries have already qualified for the 16-team men's Olympic Football Tournament. The winner of the aggregate-goal series between the USA and Colombia will round out the field.
The U.S. hopes to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, where it posted a 1-1-1 record but did not advance past the group stage.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Milton Keynes Dons), Ethan Horvath (Molde KJ), Tyler Miller (Seattle Sounders FC)
DEFENDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC), Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Desevio Payne (FC Groningen), Shane O'Neill (Cambridge United), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Luis Gil (Queretaro), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham FC), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (3): Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Mario Rodriguez (Borussia Monchengladbach), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC)
Information compiled from U.S. Soccer
