It’s official – Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham has been added to the U.S. National Team Camp roster in Carson, Calif.! Ahead of his first-ever national team call-up, we talked to East Bay native about his phone call with Jurgen Klinsmann, what this means for him moving forward and more.
sjearthquakes.com: Congratulations, David! First-ever national team call-up – how are you feeling?
David Bingham: “Thank you. I’m really excited about it. My goal at the beginning of last season was to have a good year with the team and hopefully get called up to the January camp. I was lucky enough to have it work out this year. “
SJEQ: Talk about how this call-up went down.
DB: “I was a late add. I got a call three days ago from Jurgen [Klinsmann]. He asked me if I was ready for January camp, so obviously I was excited about that and of course I accepted. I hung up the phone and it was just a surreal feeling that it actually happened. I felt like a kid in a candy store.”
SJEQ: Once you got off the phone with Jurgen, who was your next call to?
DB: “After I got off the phone with Jurgen, I hopped on a call with John [Doyle] and Dominic [Kinnear] to talk about it and they were excited for me. I got home and told my parents which was a really cool moment for me. It was definitely a fun couple hours that I will always remember.”
SJEQ: What are you hoping to get out of your first-ever national team call-up?
DB: “It’s just a learning process for me. To be playing with some of the best American talent is a great opportunity for me to grow as a player. I just have to go in and work hard. It’s a long camp, so I’m going to take it day by day.”
SJEQ: This time last year, you just got back from loan. Now, you’re representing your country. Can you speak to the journey you took to get here?
DB: “It’s definitely been a surreal year for me personally. To come back from loan and into a team with a new coaching staff, a new stadium and being able to win the starting role was a big moment in my career. Playing consistently last season was important and I was ecstatic that I could come in and help out the team right away. This camp is really the icing on the cake for me and I’m looking forward to building on this experience.”
