The January camp for the U.S. Men’s National Team rarely has much meaning. It was referred to as Camp Cupcake for most of the past decade. While the moniker has been hard to shake, the goals for the camp have shifted in the last few years. 

The most obvious example is this year’s roster. U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalther called in a predominantly U23 group with a couple of veterans sprinkled in. Among the 25 players called into camp are three teenagers: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), Ulysses Llanez Jr. (VfL Wolfsburg), and Bryang Kayo (Unattached). Araujo and Llanez were part of the U.S. U20 Men’s National Team in 2019. Llanez played in three of the five games during the World Cup. He was a key piece in the win over France in the Round of 16. Araujo did not appear during the World Cup, but he did finish the MLS season with 891 minutes played in 18 games for the Galaxy during his debut campaign. 

Kayo is the real outlier from the group though and the clearest indication that this camp is different than previous editions. The 17-year-old from Maryland is listed as unattached on the roster, but the Washington Post reported in September that Kayo is “expected to move to German club [VfL] Wolfsburg” in 2020 when he turns 18 years old, the “FIFA threshold to sign abroad.” 

The youngster previously played for the D.C. United Academy before spending some time last year with the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team. Kayo was a part of the group that finished runner up at the 2019 Concacaf Championship. USA struggled mightily during the World Cup with a last-place finish in the group. Kayo only appeared in the second half of the final game of group play during the World Cup. The stink of that event did not linger long on his CV. 

Kayo has not played in many official games in the past six months so getting him into camp is a big deal, and an excellent opportunity for the youngster to compete for a more prominent role at the international level. 

However, this is not the first time Berhalter has had a look at Kayo. The midfielder trained with the U.S. Men’s National and U.S. U23 Men’s National Team in May when the two teams had a combined camp in Annapolis, Maryland. The initial appearance was chalked up to being a body available from a nearby club - at the time he was fresh off a strong performance with the U17 group in Florida at the Concacaf Championship and he was still playing for D.C. United. 

The group also welcomed U-17 @USYNT midfielder and @DCUnited Academy product Bryang Kayo to training this morning. #TheFutureIsUs pic.twitter.com/algEubPps6

— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) May 28, 2019

With a second call-up in the space of a year to a camp that is being held in Qatar, that does not seem like the case anymore. Kayo, clearly, is more than just a fill-in as some reports initially described. He has something in his game now or shows promise of having in the near future that Berhalter believes will help the full national team. The box-to-box player is following a similar path to Schalke 04 and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Weston McKennie.  

After accomplishing plenty at the youth level in the U.S., McKennie jumped to Germany (at the chagrin of plenty at his former team, FC Dallas). He worked hard on his game there and established a role with the first team. Now, he is a key player for Berhalter’s squad at 21 years old. 

The Bundesliga has been a microwave for player development for U.S. players with a few of them going from U17 success to first team soccer within a calendar year. Christian Pulisic was the first through the door with Borussia Dortmund. Pulisic’s success (and free transfer and low-risk investment) made other German clubs eager to sign U.S. teenagers. 

There are plenty over there now including the aforementioned Llanez who is destroying the U19 league with 10 goals in 11 games, but not all of them will find a clear path to first team soccer. There are only so many spots on the roster - a funnel to the first team, not a conveyer belt. It is a numbers game at some point and players with low-investment (free transfer, small salary, easy to cut) tend to get left behind unless they outwork everyone else in the facility every day - like Pulisic and McKennie - plus have a little luck. 

An appearance with the full National Team certainly helps players from the academy stand out from their peers. On the field, it could be a big boost to the confidence of the player. Off the field, there are some obvious benefits to having a pair of U.S. National Team players on the roster (USA defender John Brooks is already on the first team with Wolfsburg) especially when your English language twitter account trails RB Leipzig in followers.

Berhalter’s call-ups seem more calculated than some of the previous coaches in his esteemed position. Kayo being the first 2002 through the door into the full team might not mean much 10 or 15 years down the line, but it could be significant in 2020 as a number of players from that age group look to sign professional contracts or line up transfers. Kayo has the prized spot in January. Now, it’s his time to show he belongs.