LA Galaxy trio called up for U.S. Men’s National Team camp and friendly

The latest U.S. Men’s National Team roster was announced this week, and three LA Galaxy players — Sebastian Lletget, Efrain Alvarez and Julian Araujo — were named to it.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter picked a very inexperienced and mostly stateside-based roster for the training camp and friendly, to be against El Salvador and scheduled for Dec. 9 at Inter Miami’s stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Lletget, the only holdover from the November friendlies held in Europe, is the fourth-most experienced player on the roster, behind only Paul Arriola, Kellyn Acosta and Aaron Long. Given his relative experience, he’ll likely play a veteran role and is quite likely to play in the friendly.

Araujo returns to the fold after being called up to the January training camp. The defender didn’t play in the friendly at the end of the camp, but being brought back in gives him another chance to show he can play at the international level, and after a promising season in MLS, he deserves the look.

Alvarez is the most intriguing name, possibly of all of the roster, on the squad. The teenager is a dual national (along with Araujo) and has played for Mexico at youth levels, including the U-17 World Cup. That means he won’t be playing in the friendly against El Salvador, because he needs to file a one-time switch with FIFA in order to play for the United States in the future.

So the call-up in Alvarez’s case is effectively a recruiting trip, for a possible switch in the future. And given Mexico bringing him along so far, expect them to step up in reaction, until the player makes a decision once and for all on his international future.

So we’ll see in a week if/when Lletget and Araujo make the field for the USMNT against El Salvador.

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