CARSON, Calif. (Friday, January 3, 2014) – LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and defender Omar Gonzalez have been called up to the U.S. National Team by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann for a week long training camp that will be held at StubHub Center. Donovan and Gonzalez are two of the 26 players that have been selected by Klinsmann for the camp. They will report to camp on Monday, January 6, before holding the first of six days of training on January 7. The final training session of the camp will be held on Sunday, January 12.
Following the training sessions at StubHub Center, the U.S. squad will travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil for two weeks of training before returning to Southern California on Sunday, January 26 ahead of the friendly against Korea Republic at StubHub Center on Saturday, February 1. The pair of Galaxy players are scheduled to join the club for preseason training following that game.
Last year, both Donovan and Gonzalez helped the U.S. qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Brazil this summer. Gonzalez appeared in and started eight of the 10 games that the U.S. played in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying while Donovan appeared in three qualifiers, scoring once.
Donovan enters the year with 154 caps, leaving him 10 shy of Cobi Jones’ record of 164 appearances for the U.S. National Team. Already the U.S. record holder for goals and assists with 57 goals and 57 assists in his international career, Donovan had eight goals and eight assists in 10 appearances for his country last year, leading the U.S. to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship.
Gonzalez who was also a part of the U.S. squad at last year’s Gold Cup, collected 14 caps in 2013 and now has 16 for his international career. Only seven players on the 26-man camp roster have collected more caps than Gonzalez while only seven are also younger than the 23-year-old Galaxy defender.
