Fire Midfielder Benji Joya named to roster for U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team Camp

U.S. Soccer announced Friday that midfielder Benji Joya has been named to the 21-man roster for the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team’s October training camp in Brasilia. The team will depart for the Brazilian capital on Oct. 9 and train from Oct. 10-12 before facing Brazil’s U-23 squad on Oct. 13 at Estádio Nacional in Brasilia at 5 p.m. CT.

This is the third camp of the year for the United States as they prepare for the qualification process for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Joya participated in the previous two camps this year. In April at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. Joya scored both goals in the USA’s 2-1 victory against Club Tijuana on April 23. Joya also took part in the most recent camp in Nassau, Bahamas in early August and played the full 90 minutes in a 5-1 victory against the Bahamas’ senior national side.

The camp will be led by U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director and U-20 MNT head coach Tab Ramos, U-18 MNT head coach Javier Perez and MNT scout Matthias Hamann. Rob Vartughian will serve as goalkeeper coach for the trip.

Joya was acquired by the Fire on Feb. 5, 2014 in a weighted lottery from Liga MX side Club Santos Laguna. The San Jose, Calif. native scored the club’s first goal of the season in the Fire’s 3-2 season opening loss to Chivas USA. Joya entered the match in the 63rd minute and 49 seconds into his Fire debut, scored with his first touch of the game. Joya has started nine of the 12 matches in which he has appeared this season.

The San Jose, Calif. native was part of the U.S. squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

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.)