Glad, Herrera, Ochoa named to 20-man U.S. Olympic qualifying roster

In what is something we all likely saw coming, three Real Salt Lake players have officially been named to the roster for U.S. Olympic qualifiers.

David Ochoa, Aaron Herrera and Justen Glad all made the roster; they’re joined by former RSL player Sebastian Saucedo, now playing at UNAM Pumas in Liga MX, and RSL academy graduate Sebastian Soto, now at second-division English side Norwich City.

The U.S., in group A, will has three matches on the docket:

• March 18 — Costa Rica — 2:30 p.m. (FS1)
• March 21 — Dominican Republic — 5 p.m. (FS1)
• March 24 — Mexico — 7:30 p.m.

Quotes from the release follow.

U.S. U-23 coach (and former RSL coach) Jason Kreis

“We know that qualifying will be a challenge, but it’s a challenge that we’re ready for. We’ll need all 20 players on this roster to contribute for us to achieve our ultimate goal of qualifying for the Olympics. We’ve had a productive training camp in Guadalajara and our players are hungry for the opportunity to compete. After starting this journey nearly two years ago, we’re excited to get started with the tournament.”

RSL general manager Elliot Fall

“We are thrilled to see Justen, Aaron and David continue with the U-23s. We wish them luck in the tournament. We are excited to see them represent the United States, Real Salt Lake and the RSL Academy in a successful Olympic Qualifying tournament.”