U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he'll again rely on a mix of veterans and young players for January training camp, which got underway on Tuesday in Carson, California.
The U.S. team will play two tune-up matches coming out of the camp to be held Jan. 12-Feb. 8 in both California and Chile. The first friendly will be in Chile on Jan. 28 and the second at home against Panama as the teams prepare for Gold Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
"Looking at year 2015, we have a lot of different things on our plates," Klinsmann told U.S. Soccer after the initial training day. "The idea was to combine the senior guys with the future of the Olympic team group and that is why we kind of split the roster a little bit, bringing the backbone from senior team but as well 12 to 14 younger players that are in our picture of qualifying for Rio de Janeiro for 2016 [Olympics], which is very important for us."
The camp roster features 10 players who helped the U.S. advance to the World Cup for the seventh straight time.
"It created this group that came in today and it is a great group of guys that are very eager to prove their qualities, and they want to show the coaching staff that they want to get higher and higher in their career," Klinsmann said.
"At the same time you bring in your core guys from the senior team like a Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey who is coming in tomorrow, Jermaine Jones, Matt Besler that take over leadership roles help players to understand what it takes to get to their level and hopefully they can learn a lot in next 3½ weeks."
The newcomers include LA Galaxy youngsters Oscar Sorto and Gyasi Zardes. The call-up marks the first to the senior national team for both.
Sorto, 20, is one of 11 Olympic-age players who would be eligible to represent the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He made his MLS debut last season but spent most of the season with the Galaxy's reserve side in USL Pro.
Zardes, 23, scored 16 goals with two assists for the Galaxy this season, playing in 32 matches and helping LA to a record fifth MLS Cup title.
"Gyasi is one of these younger players we are happy to see now on a daily basis," Klinsmann said. "Hopefully he takes that in the right way and is open to learn every day. I think playing next to a guy like Robbie Keane or a Landon [Donovan] before is huge.
"They guide you they help you they make you understand how to move around and how to create your own chances and how to be part of the bigger picture. We are very happy to have him now with us and help him every day."
Sorto said he was surprised to get Klinsmann's call.
"I was so excited when he called me and I'm really looking forward to this because it's a new step for me," Sorto told LAGalaxy.com. "I just was emotional when I spoke to him because I knew that this was serious stuff. Right away, I told my Dad who told me to be prepared. It was a great phone call."