U.S. Men's National Team
Confident Zardes Provides Breath of Fresh Air to U.S.
The 23-year-old L.A. Galaxy striker is determined to make the most of his first U.S. national team training camp, and will look to put on a strong display in front of his hometown fans today against Panama.
CARSON, Calif.—While much of the vibe around the national team camp is a bit jaded these days due to recent struggles on the field and controversy with the media, Gyasi Zardes is providing a breath of fresh air and a welcome dose of youthful exuberance.
In talking to Zardes ahead of today's U.S. men's national team friendly against Panama (4pm ET; ESPN, UniMas, UDN), it quickly becomes clear that all of this is still new to him, and you can sense his excitement when he talks about what it means to be with the national team. “It feels amazing,” he said. “It’s like a dream come true—everything I dreamed about as a kid.”
Zardes, 23, didn’t make it here by accident. With 16 league goals for the 2014 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy, Zardes led all American strikers in goals scored in MLS last season, edging established national team veterans Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski. As a result, he’s now pushing for minutes alongside the two thirtysomething veterans.
With the impressive goal haul last year and a solid debut performance against Chile last week, Zardes' confidence is spiking.
“Obviously the coaches have brought me into this camp because they see something they like,” he said. “I’m just here to try and make a statement for myself and to work extremely hard.”
Does Zardes think this camp will help him get off to a good start to the 2015 Major League Soccer season?
“Of course. This is a different environment, and it’s very intense,” he explained. “The level of play is quick, quick, quick.” Zardes snapped his fingers as he delivered that sentence, eyes alight as he thought about the heightened pace of play at the international level.
“I feel like I’m getting a head start,” he continued. “I think it’s going to help me go into the season looking pretty good.”
Whether or not Zardes scores against Panama this afternoon, this camp has been an undeniable success for him on a personal level. He has established himself as a bona fide contender for a 2015 Gold Cup roster spot, and he’s gotten extremely ready for the start of the MLS season in the process.
Blake Thomsen is a frequent ASN contributor. Follow him on Twitter.
Zardes, 23, didn’t make it here by accident. With 16 league goals for the 2014 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy, Zardes led all American strikers in goals scored in MLS last season, edging established national team veterans Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski. As a result, he’s now pushing for minutes alongside the two thirtysomething veterans.
With the impressive goal haul last year and a solid debut performance against Chile last week, Zardes' confidence is spiking.
“Obviously the coaches have brought me into this camp because they see something they like,” he said. “I’m just here to try and make a statement for myself and to work extremely hard.”
Does Zardes think this camp will help him get off to a good start to the 2015 Major League Soccer season?
“Of course. This is a different environment, and it’s very intense,” he explained. “The level of play is quick, quick, quick.” Zardes snapped his fingers as he delivered that sentence, eyes alight as he thought about the heightened pace of play at the international level.
“I feel like I’m getting a head start,” he continued. “I think it’s going to help me go into the season looking pretty good.”
Whether or not Zardes scores against Panama this afternoon, this camp has been an undeniable success for him on a personal level. He has established himself as a bona fide contender for a 2015 Gold Cup roster spot, and he’s gotten extremely ready for the start of the MLS season in the process.
Blake Thomsen is a frequent ASN contributor. Follow him on Twitter.
