D.C. United’s Paul Arriola, returning from knee injury, gets invite to USMNT camp
Arriola, 25, tore the ligament in his right knee in the MLS preseason in February, leaving little hope of playing this year. However, the coronavirus pandemic extended the regular season by a month, and Nov. 8 he played the last 21 minutes of a 3-2 defeat to the Montreal Impact at Audi Field.
“When I first got injured, I thought I would miss out on a lot of important games until the end of the year,” the winger said Monday. “Weirdly, with the way the world is going now, it has given me an opportunity to get back in the mix.”
Because of pandemic limitations, the national team did not seem likely to conduct any activities with domestic-based players until January at the earliest. Recently, the team used an almost entirely European-based roster for friendlies at Wales and against Panama in Austria.
That figured to be it for 2020, but the U.S. Soccer Federation hastily arranged the upcoming camp, which will include at least 21 MLS players and one from Europe (Benfica goalkeeper C.J. Dos Santos).
The list could grow late this week after the MLS Western Conference semifinals are completed. Players on advancing MLS teams have not been selected. Because the camp and friendly do not fall in a FIFA match window, most European-based candidates are unavailable.
United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, 30, also made the squad and, with seven U.S. appearances, is the most experienced keeper in camp. Dos Santos, 20, and Real Salt Lake’s David Ochoa, 19, have yet to play for the senior team.
With 33 U.S. matches, Arriola is the most experienced player in camp. His five goals are also the most. He debuted with the senior squad in May 2016 and was a member of the 2019 Gold Cup team.
About two weeks before the ACL injury, Arriola played 90 minutes in the 1-0 U.S. victory over Costa Rica in Carson, Calif.
“I have had conversations throughout the year with the U.S. coaching staff, and I think we have a pretty good plan in place for the next couple months,” Arriola said. “To play for D.C. in the last game was big also for the national team because the staff was able to see me in full-go mode. I’m coming in to make an impression and show I am at the level to compete for playing time” against El Salvador.
The average age of the roster is 22 years 201 days, similar to the squad for the recent friendlies in Europe. Fifteen players are age-eligible for the Olympics (23 and under), and nine are 20 or younger.
Twelve have not made a U.S. senior appearance. Efraín Álvarez, a forward for the LA Galaxy, is ineligible to play against El Salvador because he appeared in the 2019 Under-17 World Cup for Mexico. FIFA would have to approve a one-time change, should he choose to represent the United States in the future.
Toronto FC forward Ayo Akinola, who was born in Detroit before moving to Canada, was invited to camp for the first time. He has starred for U.S. youth national teams but remains eligible for Canada and Nigeria. An appearance against El Salvador would not lock him into U.S. service.
Orlando City forward Daryl Dike, a former University of Virginia standout, received a first-time call-up after posting eight goals and four assists in his rookie season. Orlando teammate Chris Mueller (10 goals, seven assists) was also included.
“The focus has been on continuing to build on our foundation and preparing the team for important competitions in 2021,” when the United States will compete in the Nations League, Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying, Coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. “We have utilized these opportunities to work with our core group while evaluating young talent in an effort to strengthen our overall player pool.”
U.S. roster
Goalkeepers: C.J. Dos Santos (Benfica), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake).
Defenders: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls), Marco Farfan (Portland Timbers), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire), Sam Vines (Colorado Rapids), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC).
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids), Frankie Amaya (FC Cincinnati), Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy).
Forwards: Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC), Efraín Álvarez (LA Galaxy), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Daryl Dike (Orlando City), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Chris Mueller (Orlando City).
