WILL THE UNITED STATES MEN make it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro? If so, it will be on the backs of the 20 players Andi Herzog selected Friday for the U.S. Olympic qualifying tournament that starts on October 1 in Kansas City.

Here is the team.

GOALKEEPERS

Charlie Horton (Leeds; Cleveland), Ethan Horvath (Molde; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zack Steffen (Freiburg; Downington, Pa.). 

DEFENDERS

Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact; Woodbury, Minn.), William Packwood (Unattached; Concord, Mass.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.) 

MIDFIELDERS

Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Gboly Ariyibi (Chesterfield; Arlington, Va.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire; Milwaukee, Wis.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; Gahanna, Ohio), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers; Bethesda, Md.) 

FORWARDS

Alonso Hernandez (C.D. Juarez; El Paso, Texas), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart; Berlin), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Maki Tall (FC Sion; Washington, D.C.).

"For us it was important that we find the right balance between attacking players and defensive-minded players,” Herzog said in a U.S. Soccer press release. “Because there are no FIFA dates for the first week of the tournament, there were challenges in getting players released. We had discussions with a lot of teams, and while some clubs didn’t release their players overall we received a lot of support, especially from MLS.

"There was a lot of competition for spots. Of course a few players will be disappointed that they didn’t make the roster and I understand, but we can only have 20 players on the roster and only 17 field players, so they weren’t easy decisions. Now we have to be focused on the games and we have to win.”

Among the players called, the squad represents a solid mix from Herzog’s player pool and certainly demonstrates the far-flung locales of younger American prospects. Nine players currently feature outside the United States—and two of the players are currently without club teams.

MLS standouts also dot the roster, including San Jose’s Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi; New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga; Columbus Crew midfielder Wil Trapp; and the Chicago Fire’s Matt Polster—a late addition to the squad who impressed enough against England and Qatar earlier in the month to earn a spot on the roster.

Another zero-hour inclusion for Herzog is Chesterfield winger Gboly Ariyibi. The young midfielder has shown his worth in England’s League One where he has played in every match this season. Against Qatar, Ariyibi scored late in a 2-0 victory over Qatar and looked very sharp operating out wide for the United States

Jordan Morris made the team, which likely rules him out for the October 10 CONCACAF Cup showdown between the United States and Mexico, with a berth in the Confederations Cup on the line. The Stanford forward has played a key role with the U.S. senior team, and his inclusion on this roster suggests he will be a key contributor.

Several standouts of Tab Ramos’ under-20 squad are also represented. Notably, the midfield connection of Gedion Zelalem and Emerson Hyndman will be reunited after a strong showing this summer, as are the central defense pairing of Miazga and Cameron Carter-Vickers—at 17, the youngest player on the squad.

Despite the strong selection, there are a few players conspicuous absent from the roster. Right back Oscar Sorto is not included, leaving the American cupboard bare on the backline. Most notable is the absence of defensive stopper Shane O’Neill. After recently transferring to Belgium Pro League basement-dweller Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz, the 23-year-old O’Neill was not granted a release for the tournament.

Also missing from this roster is Julian Green, the Bayern Munich reserve who was apparently good enough to replace Landon Donovan on the United States' 2014 World Cup team but not sufficiently capable, or available, to help the U-23s make the 2016 Olympics.

Happy to see Morris on this team? Curious about the decision to include an out-of-form Packwood? And what about all of those U-20 World Cup players? Share your take below.