CHICAGO (Sept. 18, 2015) – Chicago Fire rookie Matt Polster has been selected by United States Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Andi Herzog to the 20-man roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship which will take part across the United States from Oct. 1-13.
“I’m honored to get another chance to represent my country and play with the Under-23s in the Olympic Qualifying tournament,” said Polster. “I’m thrilled to get back in with the team and play against some exciting competition in the group against Canada, Panama and Cuba.”
The United States have been drawn into Group A and opens against Canada on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. CT and Cuba on Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. CT at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The U.S. conclude group play at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. on Oct. 6 against Panama at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Group B consists of Mexico, Costa Rica, Haiti and Honduras. The top two teams from each group will advance to the tournament semifinals. Winners of the semifinal games will advance to the finals and clinch spots in the Olympics. The winner of the third-place game will qualify for a one-game playoff against Colombia in the final opportunity for an Olympic spot. The semifinal and final matches will take place at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Polster made his first appearance for the national team against England on Sept. 3 at Deepdale Stadium in Preston, England and earned the start in the U-23s final tune-up match against Qatar on Sept. 8 at Gigg Lane in Bury.
A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Polster was selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Polster made his professional debut in the season opener against the LA Galaxy on March 6 and has started 24 of the 26 matches he’s appeared in this season.
Polster will depart following the Fire’s road match against Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Charlie Horton (Leeds; Cleveland Ohio), Ethan Horvath (Molde; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zack Steffen (Freiburg; Downington, Pa.).
DEFENDERS (5): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), William Packwood (Unattached; Concord, Mass.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Gboly Ariyibi (Chesterfield; Arlington, Va.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas, Texas), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire; Las Vegas, Nev.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers; Bethesda, Md.).
FORWARDS (4): Alonso Hernandez (C.D. Juarez; El Paso, Texas), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart; Berlin, Germany), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Maki Tall (Scion; Washington, D.C.).
Photo credit: U.S. Soccer Twitter
