The following is a press release from the Colorado Rapids.
Dillon Serna and Eric Miller named to Under-23 Men’s National Roster
U.S. U-23s to face Colombia in the home-and-away FIFA 2016 Olympic Play-off
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Saturday, March 19, 2016) – Colorado Rapids announced today that midfielder Dillon Serna and defender Eric Miller were called up to the United States Under-23 National Team roster by head coach Andreas Herzog for the upcoming FIFA 2016 Olympic CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Play-off from March 25-29.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Dillon and Eric, and these matches will be a great experience for them,” said Paul Bravo, the Rapids VP of Soccer Operations and Technical Director. “On behalf of everyone at the organization, we want to wish them and the team the best of luck in their quest of qualifying for the Olympics this summer.”
Brighton, Colo. native Serna, 21, was signed as a Rapids Homegrown Player on January 14, 2013. Serna has appeared in 44 matches (26 starts) for the Rapids adding six goals and five assists. Last October, Serna saw action in four of the five matches at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers, including the third-place match against Canada.
Acquired by the Rapids on February 14, Miller spent the first two seasons of his career with Montreal Impact, playing in 30 games (24 starts) and adding one assist. The 6-foot defender has represented the USMNT at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. In 2013, he took part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the Toulon Tournament. Miller earned his first-ever call-up into the senior USMNT training camp earlier this year.
The first match of the 2016 Olympic Qualifying playoff will take place on Friday, March 25 at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia, (3 p.m. ET – FS1). The return leg will be played on Tuesday, March 29 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (7:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2).
After going 3-0-0 in group play, the U-23s fell in their semifinal match against Honduras in the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. Three days later, USA bounced back and won the third-place match against Canada to earn a place in the two-leg home-and-away playoff. Meanwhile, Colombia qualified by finishing in second place in the 2015 South American Youth Championship behind Argentina.
The U.S. is looking to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008 in Beijing, when it posted a 1-1-1 record, but did not advance from a group that included Gold medalists Nigeria. The USA’s best showing in the Olympics came during the 2000 games in Sydney, when the team defeated Japan in the quarterfinals and finished fourth in the event.
U.S. U-23 ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Cody Cropper (Milton Keynes Dons, ENG), Ethan Horvath (Molde KJ, NOR), Zach Steffen (SC Freiburg, GER)
DEFENDERS: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC, ENG), Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Desevio Payne (FC Groningen, HOL), Shane O’Neill (Cambridge United), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas)
MIDFIELDERS: Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana, MEX), Luis Gil (Queretaro, MEX), Julian Green (Bayern Munich, GER), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham FC, ENG), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart, GER), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS: Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Mario Rodriguez (Borussia Monchengladbach, GER), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC)
