Three FC Dallas Homegrowns will form part of Jason Kreis’ 31-man training camp in Mexico ahead of the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying tournament in Guadalajara later this month.
Tanner Tessmann, Jesus Ferreira, and Ricardo Pepi were all named to the preliminary roster a week prior among six local interests. Brandon Servania – currently on loan with SKN St. Pölten in the Austrian Bundesliga – along with former FC Dallas team mate Bryan Reynolds, and NYCFC’s Frisco-born Keaton Parks were the other players from the preliminary roster not named to Kreis’ camp roster.
Jesus Ferreira comes into camp off the back of a two-goal, three-assist performance for the US senior team in February’s 7-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago. FC Dallas’ new number nine was joined in the game by Tanner Tessmann, making his debut off the bench to cap off a strong rookie season.
“I was really excited,” Tessmann told FCDallas.com after hearing the news. “The US hasn’t made the Olympics since I think 2008 so it’s a big opportunity for the group going down there to make a difference in how the world sees US Soccer. I’m super excited and ready to go and I’m sure everybody else is too.”
Ricardo Pepi makes his first camp for the adult age groups to round out the FC Dallas trio. The 18-year-old last represented the USA at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
“I’m really happy,” said the youngest player on the roster. “Going to the U-23s isn’t something that happens every day. It’s a group that’s obviously older than me so I think I’m blessed and just happy for the opportunity.”
The roster will be cut down to twenty ahead of the Yanks’ opening game against Costa Rica.
U-23 USMNT Training Camp Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.), Jonathan Klinsmann (LA Galaxy; Munich, Germany), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes, Alamo, Calif.), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (10): Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompoc, Calif.), George Bello (Atlanta United FC; Douglasville, Ga.), Marco Farfan (LAFC; Gresham, Ore.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake; Las Cruces, N.M.), Henry Kessler (New England Revolution; New York, N.Y.), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire FC; Bolingbrook, Ill.), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United FC; Arlington,Mass.), Austin Trusty (Colorado Rapids; Media, Pa.), Sam Vines (Colorado Rapids; Colorado Springs, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Frankie Amaya (FC Cincinnati; Santa Ana, Calif.), Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids; Littleton, Colo.), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; Denville, N.J.), Hassani Dotson (Minnesota United FC; Federal Way, Wash.), Andrés Perea (Orlando City SC; Medellin, Colombia), Tanner Tessmann (FC Dallas; Hoover, Ala.), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; Alexandria, Va.), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; Bloomington, Minn.)
FORWARDS (9): Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), Brooks Lennon (Atlanta United FC; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; Plantation, Fla.), Ulysses Llanez (Heerenveen/NED; Lynwood, Calif.), Benji Michel (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal/CAN; Jacksonville, Fla.), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), Sebastian Saucedo (UNAM Pumas/MEX; Park City, Utah), Sebastian Soto (Norwich City/ENG; San Diego, Calif.)
Olympic Qualifying Schedule
*Listed in CDT/local time
Group Stage
Thursday, March 18 – Jalisco Stadium
16:00/15:00 USA vs Costa Rica
18:30/17:30 Mexico vs Dominican Republic
Friday, March 19 – Jalisco Stadium
14:30/13:30 Honduras vs Haiti
17:00/16:00 Canada vs El Salvador
Sunday, March 21 – Akron Stadium
18:00/17:00 Dominican Republic vs USA
20:30/19:30 Costa Rica vs Mexico
Monday, March 22 – Akron Stadium
17:00/16:00 Haiti vs Canada
19:30/18:30 El Salvador vs Honduras
Wednesday, March 24 – Jalisco Stadium
18:00/17:00 Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic
20:30/19:30 Mexico vs USA