New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore and defender Hunter Freeman were two of the 24 players named by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Peter Nowak who will participate in the squad's training camp from March 1-9 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, in preparation for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament from March 11-23.
Altidore, 18, is most recently coming off his first start and third cap for the full U.S. Men's National Team, where he played the entire match and scored his first international goal on Feb. 6 in a 2-2 draw against Mexico at a sold out Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Altidore has featured for the U.S. MNT twice over the MLS offseason, earning his first cap in a 1-0 victory against South Africa on Nov. 17 and coming on as a halftime substitute in a 2-0 win over Sweden on Jan. 19. The Boca Raton, FL, native also traveled to China with the U-23s for a pair of friendlies last December and was called into U-23 camp in late January.
On the club level, Altidore followed up a 2006 campaign that saw him find the back of the net in four of New York's last nine games, with nine goals and four assists in his first full season with the Red Bulls. His nine goals placed him second on the Red Bulls and eighth in Major League Soccer. He featured in 22 games (15 starts) and was in the Starting 11 for both of the Red Bulls' playoff matches against the New England Revolution.
Freeman is a veteran at several U.S. youth levels and was with the U-23s during their December 2007 trip to China. The Allen, Texas, native played in two friendlies against the China U-23 squad, but sustained a grade two MCL sprain in his left knee in the second match on Dec. 16. However, Freeman made a full recovery, training with the Red Bulls in their first preseason camp in Los Angeles in February.
The 22-year-old was previously a member of the Colorado Rapids before he was acquired by the Red Bulls in exchange for a third round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and a fourth round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft on March 23, 2007. In his first season as a Red Bull, Freeman featured in 16 games, starting in 15, scoring a goal and an assist. Freeman missed time in 2007 due to a left ankle injury.
In qualifying, the U.S. U-23s will play Cuba on March 11 (8 PM), Panama on March 13 (8 PM) and finish the Group A round-robin competition against Honduras on March 15 (7 PM). After group play, the top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the semifinals which will be played on March 20 at LP Field in Nashville, TN. LP Field will also be the location for the third-place game and championship match on Sunday, March 23. The two finalists will advance to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing taking place in August.
