KINGSTON, R.I. – MAY 23, 2014 — Former University of Rhode Island soccer player Geoff Cameron has been named to the final U.S. men’s national team roster for the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup this summer in Brazil. The roster will be officially submitted to FIFA on June 2.
The Attleboro, Mass. native is one of eight defenders chosen by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the only player in URI history to represent the United States at the World Cup.
Cameron posted the following on his Twitter page after learning the good news: “So blessed & truly honored to be able to represent in the World Cup! Appreciate all the love & support!”
“It’s an exciting moment when you have narrowed the roster down as a coaching staff, and these 23 players that you’ve chosen can focus now purely on Brazil,” Klinsmann said in a U.S. Soccer release. “We can go into more specific things about technical approaches, and about the opponents. For the players, it’s very important to know that they are now part of it and they can relax and know they are on the list going to Brazil and taking it from there. After almost 10 days of work right now, we thought the point has come to make the decision.”
Cameron entered the men’s national team training camp fresh off the completion of his second season in the Barclays (English) Premier League, where he has been a mainstay in the Stoke City lineup. As the club’s starting right back, Cameron helped the Potters to a 13-win, 9th place finish this year — a five-spot jump from where Stoke City finished prior to his arrival (14th place in 2011-12).
On the home front, Cameron has appeared in 23 games for the U.S. national team over the past two years. He scored his first international goal for the national team on May 29, 2013 in an international friendly vs. Belgium.
Prior to his move to the United Kingdom, Cameron was a two-time Major League Soccer All-Star (2009, 2011) for the Houston Dynamo as well as a member of the MLS First XI in 2009.
While at URI, Cameron was a starter for the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship team, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The next year, he was voted to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team and received the league’s inaugural Midfielder of the Year award.
Following the conclusion of his senior season, Cameron was Houston’s first pick in the MLS SuperDraft (42nd overall).