Michael Parkhurst called into U.S. camp to face Korea Republic

The biggest addition of the offseason for the Columbus Crew will not be present when the team begins training camp in Bradenton, Florida on January 26.

Defender Michael Parkhurst has been called up for United States National Team duty for the upcoming friendly against Korea Republic. The 22-player roster, which includes only one player based outside of the MLS, will train through the end of January at the National Training Center in Carson, California before their match on February 1.

A larger group, consisting of 26 players has been training together since January 7, but head coach Jurgen Klinsmann finalized the game roster today.

Parkhurst, who turned 30-years old today, will report to his first Crew training camp after the game. Columbus acquired the rights to Parkhurst on January 13 in a trade with the New England Revolution. The Revs held his rights even though he had been playing in Europe since 2009.

Parkhurst made his first appearance for the U.S. senior squad on June 9, 2007 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago. He has earned 23 caps and was a member of the side that took home the 2007 and 2013 Gold Cup titles as well as the 2009 runner-up team.

This is another opportunity for Parkhurst to impress Klinsmann before he selects his team for this summer's 2014 World Cup in Brazil. There is only one other scheduled game before the announcement, so the defender will want to be at his best.

The match verses Korea Republic will take place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California and is set to kickoff at 5:00 p.m. ET.