Tab Ramos has explained the reasons behind calling together a USA U21 training camp.
21 players have been called into the U21 camp between April 20 and 24 which is taking place at US Soccer's National Training Center in Carson, California.
Ramos oversaw the U20 US side that competed in the 2013 U20 FIFA World Cup and is now looking to develop a similar roster of players as US Soccer looks ahead to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
"The fact is, we knew that we made some mistakes going into the last Olympics because we didn't get the group together earlier, so we wanted to make sure that this time we started to gather the team," Ramos, who also serves as the US senior team's assistant, told ussoccer.com when quizzed on the reasons for the early camp.
"In terms of our programming and in terms of where we're going from here, we're very excited to bring some of our best young players together for this initial U-21 camp.
"We're hoping that we can have another two or three camps between now and the end of the year. This camp is purely to have the team together so that we begin moving in the right direction.
"When the time is right, we can put a group that has kept playing together and is familiar with each other in front of a permanent coach."
Ramos added: "I have other jobs within U.S. Soccer - the U-20s being a very important responsibility, being the Youth Technical Director, where I travel a lot with that.
"But, when Jurgen (Klinsmann) asked me if I could help him with this group and putting it together, of course I wanted to do it. Anything I could do with U.S. Soccer to help. This, after all, is the age group that I coached into the U-20 World Cup last year, so I think I'm probably the right person in terms of guiding them right now before whoever the permanent coach is going to be."
