SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake has announced that MF Luis Gil will not join the U.S. Under-21 National Team for its inaugural pre-Olympic training camp. The Claret-and-Cobalt MF will remain with Real Salt Lake to continue his recovery from a hamstring injury that saw him miss RSL’s past two MLS regular season matches.
The U.S. training camp kicked off on Sunday, and will last through April 24 at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif. The camp will consist of three days of training and will conclude with a friendly against Club Tijuana on Wednesday evening.
An experienced U.S. youth international, Gil has one cap with the senior USMNT, coming on for the final 15 minutes of the U.S.’s friendly win against Korea Republic at StubHub Center on Feb. 1. He was called to the USMNT’s most recent camp, training with Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad in Phoenix and making the bench for the U.S.’s 2-2 friendly draw against Mexico on April 2. Gil was a major part of the U.S.’s 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup squad, starting all three games for the Stars-and-Stripes at last summer’s tournament in Turkey.
The U-21 National Team was set up to bridge the gap between the Under-20 National Team and the Senior National Team, as well as form a core group of players that will make up the majority of the Under-23 Men’s National Team that will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U-23 National Team will begin programming in 2015.
