Mark McKenzie And Erik Palmer-Brown Added To U.S. Men’s National Team Roster For September Training Camp
Duo Replaces Cameron Carter-Vickers and Chris Richards for USA’s final matches before the 2022 FIFA World Cup
CHICAGO (Sept. 18, 2022) – U.S. Men’s National Team defenders Mark McKenzie and Erik Palmer-Brown have been added to the BioSteel USMNT Training Camp roster ahead of the upcoming pre-World Cup matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The duo replaces Cameron Carter-Vickers and Chris Richards, both of whom are sidelined with minor injuries.
McKenzie, 23, has earned eight caps for the United States, including a start in the USA’s 3-2 championship victory against Mexico in the inaugural Concacaf Nations League Final. The Bear, Del., native plays for Genk in the Belgian First Division.
Hailing from Lee's Summit, Mo, the 25-year-old Palmer-Brown has appeared twice for the U.S. in 2022, helping seal the critical 0-0 draw away to Mexico in World Cup Qualifying and the friendly against 13th-ranked Uruguay. Overall, he has four caps to his credit.
The U.S. Men’s National Team will face fellow World Cup finalist Japan on Sept. 23 at the Düsseldorf Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Kickoff is set for 8:26 a.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN+ (8 a.m. ET), UniMás and TUDN (8:20 a.m. ET).
Four days later, the team will be in Murcia, Spain to meet Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27 at the Estadio Nueva Condomina. Coverage on FS1, UniMás and TUDN begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, with the match kicking off at 2 p.m. ET.
Fans will also be able to follow all the matches via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.
The September matches in Europe will be the USA’s final opportunities to prepare ahead of the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Drawn alongside Wales, England and IR Iran in Group B, the USMNT will compete in the strongest overall group in Qatar, with the four sides holding an average rank of 15 according to the March 2022 FIFA World Ranking.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town/ENG; 8/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 10/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 18/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 27/1), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/ITA; 17/2), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 27/3), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 8/0), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes/FRA; 4/0), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 2/0), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp/BEL; 8/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 74/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 31/3)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 52/2), Tyler Adams (Leeds United/ENG; 30/1), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 3/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 11/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 35/9), Malik Tillman (Rangers/SCO; 2/0)
FORWARDS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 22/6), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 47/10), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 13/7), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 48/11), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen/NED; 11/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 51/21), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 12/4), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 19/3)