Brek Shea to Attend U.S. Men’s National Team Training Camp

It’s apparently a day of rumors being made official for Orlando City SC.

U.S. Soccer released the official roster for their annual training camp today, and Brek Shea will be there to represent the Lions. He’ll join a number of other prominent USMNT stars from this summer’s World Cup, including Matt Besler, Jermaine Jones, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley, among others.

While those four players have little doubt about their standing with the U.S. squad, the call to camp might mean a bit more to Shea. While the roster primarily consists of domestic players because European leagues are currently in mid-season, it's still a good sign for Shea, who had fallen out of the USMNT picture. Last summer, he wasn't even included in the initial 30-man camp prior to the selection of the 23-man roster for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

As we've covered before, Shea's career has been a roller coaster that was at a low point prior to his signing with Orlando City in December. He left MLS in 2013 to join Stoke City in the EPL as a top prospect. His time in England was largely disappointing though, including subsequent loan stints with Barnsley and Birmingham City.

Orlando City is counting on Shea to bounce back and return to the form that he showed early in his career in MLS and, apparently, so is USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Shea's technical ability has long made him a favorite of Klinsmann's, even when he was failing to earn much playing time in Europe. Klinsmann said in January:

"We see all our players in their individual situations trying to find solutions. Brek Shea is a good example. He's tried badly to find a solution for quite a while since he couldn't break into the team at Stoke City, so he tried to go on loan and figure out other solutions. Now, he found his solution going to Orlando City and starting over again."

It can only benefit Orlando City if Shea continues to get looks with the National Team. Additionally, it will hopefully serve as a confidence boost as well as provide some valuable fitness work as he comes off a difficult 18 months in England.

In addition to Shea, fullback Tyler Turner is currently in Jamaica with the U.S. Men's U-20 team for the CONCACAF Championships, and fellow youngster Tommy Redding is very much in the picture for the youth teams as well. Midfielder Amobi Okugo missed the call for the USMNT camp, but will certainly be on Klinsmann's radar this season as he tries to earn his first cap for the U.S.

Here's the full camp roster: