CARSON, Calif. – Brian Rowe was preparing for the start of another LA Galaxy training camp when out of the blue, he received a phone call from his former goalkeeper coach Matt Reis.
Reis, formerly of the Galaxy coaching staff and now with the U.S. National Team, had a pleasant surprise for the veteran ‘keeper from Eugene, OR. He was going to be called into the USMNT’s January Camp squad to replace the injured Stefan Frei, giving the 28-year-old a chance to represent his country for the first time.
Initially, Rowe was shocked, but then once the butterflies faded away, he began to prepare himself for the “great honor” that he was about to receive.
“Once camp had started, I anticipated getting ready for the Galaxy training camp and getting back with the club. On Friday night, Matt Reis called me and told me that Frei had been injured and they were bringing me in,” Rowe said. “I scrambled to get everything ready, the first day I was a bit rusty, so I had to play catch up. I’m slowly getting the wheels going again and getting more comfortable. I’m just having fun with it.
“As a kid, you always grow up watching the national team, and that’s something that is always in the back of your mind that one day I’d love to represent my colors like that. It gives you goosebumps when you think about it, but… when you step back and look at it, you realize it’s a really cool honor, and it’s something that I want to continue to do, but I’m just trying to earn a spot.”
Rowe’s call to the national team comes after a stellar year for the young goalkeeper who began the season as a backup to Dan Kennedy before emerging as LA’s regular starter. Rowe ended the 2016 campaign with career highs in appearances (31), starts (30), while finishing among the league’s best in Goals Against Average (1.07) and saves (113).
Although by no means a finished product as a ‘keeper, Rowe’s former head coach with the Galaxy and new manager with the national team Bruce Arena expects the goalkeeper to grow as a result of his international experience.
“This will be a good experience for Brian. We had some choices but again, we know the player, and he could come in right away and contribute in training,” Arena said. “After he gets his feet on the ground, we’ll see how he progresses in terms of the goalkeeping competition. With any inexperienced goalkeeper, the more games, the better. 200 games from now, he’s going to be a lot better.”
Now in camp with the national team, Rowe will need to beat out Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, and New York Red Bulls mainstay Luis Robles to earn minutes in the USMNT’s friendlies against Serbia and Jamaica in the coming weeks.
Regardless of what happens, however, Rowe is confident that he’ll be in good form when the Galaxy convene later this month.
“Being able to play at this high level before the [Galaxy] come together will help," Rowe said. "I’ll already have put in two weeks of good hard training and sharpness. That’s a good start. It’ll also build my confidence and help me know that I had a good year in 2016 and I’m [with the national team] for a reason. I’m going to carry that with me when I go back.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
