Sam Rogers gets first senior USMNT call-up

With the Seattle Sounders just weeks away from playing their first competitive match of the season, their players got a pass from being asked to participate in the upcoming United States men’s national team training camp. But there will still be a local presence as Sam Rogers received his first senior team call-up.

Rogers, a Seattle native, came through the Sounders Academy, played four seasons with S2/Tacoma Defiance and regularly earned call-ups for various youth national teams. But after failing to make the first-team roster ahead of the 2020 season, he had a bit of a falling out with the organization and ultimately left on a free transfer. He has been an absolute revelation since moving to Norway in 2021. In his first season, he helped HamKam gain promotion to the top tier. He then followed his coach to Norwegian power Rosenborg on a $750,000 transfer. He helped Rosenborg finish third in 2022 while scoring six goals in 23 appearances. Rosenborg is scheduled to begin their 2023 season on Feb. 5.

The training camp, which is being held in Southern California, will open on Jan. 21 and features two matches, one against Serbia on Jan. 25 and another against Colombia on Jan. 28. Of the 24 players called in, 13 have zero caps and 11 had never been called in before. There are five players who made the most recent World Cup roster.

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

GOALKEEPERS (3):

Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Sean Johnson (Unattached; 10/0), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (8):

Jonathan Gómez (Real Sociedad; 1/0), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 0/0), Aaron Long (LAFC; 29/3), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; 0/0), Sam Rogers (Rosenborg; 0/0), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 37/3)

MIDFIELDERS (6):

Paxten Aaronson (Eintracht Frankfurt; 0/0), Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 55/2), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; 0/0), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; 1/0), Alan Soñora (Unattached; 0/0), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; 4/0)

FORWARDS (7):

Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 48/10), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 1/0), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 16/7), Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough; 6/1), Emmanuel Sabbi (Odense; 0/0), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America; 0/0)