Matt Hedges added to USMNT January camp roster

Jurgen Klinsmann has added Matt Hedges to the United States' January camp roster. He is reporting to the team immediately and will begin training with the team on Thursday.

It's unclear what led Klinsmann to add Hedges. There is no word of any injuries that would have made him want to add another body or anything of the sort, but there is no doubt that it is deserved,

Hedges was one of the best defenders in MLS last season. At 6'4'', he can be a dominant player in the air and has pretty good feet. Last season, he was much better reading the game and it made him one of MLS's best. He put together an outstanding year and most expected him to be on the January camp roster to begin with. He wasn't, but he has been added now and if he can impress Klinsmann then maybe he can move his way into the national team picture.

Klinsmann has shown that he will take players who he has called in late and put them right into the team so it's not fair to say that Hedges will be starting from behind. One good training session is all it takes for him to be on even footing, or even ahead of the guys who have been there from Day 1. Klinsmann doesn't care much about what he thought about players before camp if someone is doing the job in training.

In addition to training with the team, Hedges will also be in the mix to play when the U.S. heads to Chile for a friendly against La Roja on January 28, and then again on February 8 when they play Panama at the StubHub Center.

Hedges is just 24 years old so he's not just someone who can give the U.S. a boost in January. He has a chance to be a central part of the team at the Gold Cup, Copa America, World Cup qualifying and then, of course, at the World Cup in 2018.