Homegrown goalkeeper Jon Kempin will join the United States Under-21 Men’s National Team for a training camp from April 20-24 in Carson, Calif., U.S. Soccer announced on Friday.
"It's going to be a good opportunity," Kempin said. "It's the first camp for the Olympic team. I'm really excited about it and blessed to have that opportunity. It comes at a good time. I'm feeling pretty confident and feeling good with all the games I'm getting so it should be a good week of training."
“Next week with the first Under-21 group getting gathered together, which is basically our future Olympic team, we want to make sure that we start the process early enough,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “We have to qualify for Rio de Janeiro in 2016, so that’s why we start that process already next week.”
The Leawood, Kan. native is one of 21 players selected to the United States Under-21 Men’s National Team roster. The training camp will consist of three days of training before culminating with a friendly against Club Tijuana on Wednesday.
Kempin is a former member of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program and has extensive experience for the United States at the youth national team level. He most recently joined the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team in January 2013 and has previously played with the United States Under-23 Men’s National Team.
A product of the Sporting Kansas City youth development academy, Kempin became the team’s first homegrown player at age 17 in 2010. He made his competitive debut during the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and has spent the last two seasons on loan in the USL PRO.
Kempin has started three games in OKC Energy FC’s inaugural campaign in 2014 with one shutout and 10 saves. The 21-year-old is now in his fifth professional season after making 34 saves in nine games while helping Orlando City SC claim the USL PRO championship in 2013.
“We’re excited to bring some of our best young players together for this initial U-21 camp,” said U.S. Soccer youth technical director Tab Ramos. “This camp is purely to have the team together so that we begin moving in the right direction. When the time is right, we can put a group that has kept playing together and is familiar with each other in front of the permanent coach.”
