Rapids midfielder Kellyn Acosta called up to March USMNT camp in Austria

Colorado Rapids’ midfielder Kellyn Acosta continues to demonstrate his win-the-day mindset and has once again been invited to participate in the upcoming U.S. Men’s National Team camp. He will join 25 young Americans during a two-week camp and friendly excursion in Austria and Northern Ireland. He will depart Rapids preseason training in Tucson, Arizona, and report to Wiener Neustadt, Austria (south of Vienna), on March 20.

This will be his third appearance for the USMNT in the past four months. In January, Acosta started against Trinidad and Tobago and delivered a long-ball assist to his teammate Jonathan Lewis, while in early December, he came off of the bench against El Salvador and added firepower in the team’s 6-0 win.

As part of Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s continuing efforts to evaluate both young and seasoned players in the U.S. men’s player pool ahead of tournament play later this year, the camp will be comprised of a roster that averages only 11 caps, with 14 players having earned eight or fewer caps. With 25 appearances, the 25-year-old Acosta will be the most experienced midfielder.

In January, he told the Burgundy Wave, “Robin [Fraser] has told me to play with a type of arrogance, just be decisive. Go out there and show my qualities to the best of my abilities. Don’t try to overthink too many things, just go out there and show them what Kellyn Acosta is all about.” And that he has. He continues to impress the greater U.S. coaching staff and is back in good graces with the organization.

“It’s going to be a jam-packed 2021 year,” Acosta added. “Every competition that we’re in, we want to prevail, we want to win, we want to get the result. What we do in these camps will help build our foundation, help us build and grow.”

Acosta will be joined by Colorado native and Real Colorado alumni Ethan Horvath, who has been with Belgium’s Club Brugge since 2017.

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The Yanks will play against Jamaica on March 25 at Stadion Wiener Neustadt in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, and three days later they will face Northern Ireland in the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast. It will be the first time in more than 70 years that the two sides have met.

“This is another step forward in strengthening our group in preparation for Nations League, Gold Cup, and World Cup Qualifying. It’s great to get the group together to continue to build relationships on and off the field. We look forward to the games and the different challenges they will pose,” Gregg Berhalter said during a Zoom meeting with the media on Wednesday.

ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 19/0)

DEFENDERS (10): John Brooks* (Wolfsburg/GER; 39/3), Reggie Cannon* (Boavista/POR; 13/0), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 5/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 19/3), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 20/1), Erik Palmer-Brown (Austria Wien/AUT; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 41/1), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA; 0/0), Chris Richards* (Hoffenheim/GER; 1/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 8/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 2/1), Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 25/2) Tyler Adams* (RB Leipzig/GER; 12/1), Luca de la Torre (Heracles/NED; 1/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 18/4), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 2/0), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG; 1/0)

FORWARDS: (6): Daryl Dike (Barnsley/ENG; 1/0), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA; 2/2), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 34/14), Gio Reyna* (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 2/1), Josh Sargent* (Werder Bremen/GER; 12/5), Tim Weah* (Lille/FRA; 10/1)

* Indicates player will depart after March 25 match against Jamaica due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions