Seattle Sounders FC forward Sean Okoli and former Sounders FC Academy forward Jordan Morris have been called into the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team's October camp in Brasilia. The group, which is beginning its early preparations for qualification toward the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, departs for Brasilia on Thursday, Oct. 9.
The team will train from Oct. 10-12 and then face Brazil's U-23 national team on Monday, Oct. 13, at Estádio Nacional in Brasilia. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. local (3 p.m. PT).
Okoli, 21, has made three substitute appearances for Sounders FC this season, logging 19 minutes. In three collegiate seasons at Wake Forest, he scored 24 goals with nine assists in 61 appearances, earning First Team All-ACC honors in 2013. A native of Federal Way, Okoli participated in the Sounders FC Academy and Under-23 teams, and was signed as a Homegrown Player on January 9, 2014. He was called into the U.S. Under-21 Men's National Team April training camp in Carson, Calif.
A sophomore at Stanford, Morris has two goals and four assists in seven appearances for the Cardinal this season. He was a First Team All-PAC-12 selection in his freshman season, leading the Cardinal with seven assists and adding six goals. He earned 2013 USSDA Player of the Year and 2012 Gatorade Washington State Player of the Year honors while playing for the Sounders FC Academy. Morris earned a senior National Team call up in preparation for the 1-0 win against the Czech Republic on September 3.
This marks the third time the U-23s have gotten together this year. The group met for a domestic camp in April at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center, and then most recently traveled to Nassau, Bahamas, in early August. That trip included an Aug. 6 match against the Bahamas' full national team, with the USA earning a 5-1 victory including a goal from Morris.
Sounders FC hits the road this weekend for a Sunday matchup at the Colorado Rapids followed by a home match next Friday, October 10 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Charlie Horton (Cardiff City; Cleveland, Ohio), Cody Cropper (Southampton; Maple Grove, Minn.)
DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Matthew Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Riverside, Calif.), William Packwood (Birmingham City; Concord, Mass.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Dennis Flores (León; Pasadena, Calif.), Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids; Jackson, Miss.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas, Texas), Benji Joya (Chicago Fire; San Jose, Calif.), Esteban Rodriguez (Dorados de Sinaloa; Bell Gardens, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Alonso Hernandez (Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Sean Okoli (Seattle Sounders FC; Federal Way, Wash.), Mario Rodriguez (Borussia Mönchengladbach; North Hollywood, Calif.), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht; Beaverton, Ore.), Ben Spencer (Indy Eleven; Albuquerque, N.M.)
