Gyasi Zardes living the American dream as a U.S. men's national team player

CARSON, Calif. – The city of Hawthorne is about nine miles from the StubHub Center, maybe a 15-minute drive down the 405 if you're lucky not to encounter any traffic. For Gyasi Zardes, who grew up in that city of some 85,000 just southeast of LAX, the thought of wearing the United States men's national team shirt seemed as wishful as seeing no brake lights ahead on an L.A. freeway.

[Live commentary: International friendly – United States vs. Panama]

"This is a dream. This is what you dream about," Zardes said, looking down at the U.S. logo over his heart, on the first day of the U.S.'s annual January training camp. "I had a bunch of friends who played on a club team of mine and they would always go to residency or the national team. I was like, 'Man, one day I'll have that opportunity and, sure enough, the day is here. This is a dream come true."

Don't let the geography and proximity fool you. Zardes has indeed come a long way. From Leuzinger High School in nearby Lawndale to Cal State Bakersfield to Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the 23-year-old forward drove himself to new heights before enjoying a breakthrough sophomore season in MLS last season with 16 goals in helping the Galaxy win their fifth league crown.

Zardes's emergence earned him the individual reward he had dreamt about – an invite (via email) from Jurgen Klinsmann to join the U.S. camp that kicks off its year. Fittingly, Zardes's first stint with the USMNT ends on Sunday at the StubHub Center, where he raised the MLS Cup with the Galaxy just two months ago. The U.S. conclude nearly four weeks of training with its second game of the year in a friendly against Panama.

[FC Yahoo: Klinsmann continues blame game with more criticism of USMNT players]

"All the hard work I put forth got me here," Zardes said. "I'm thankful, but I'm going to keep working hard to progress as a player."

Down the road, Zardes could be an important player for the Americans. With Klinsmann seemingly intent to employ two strikers in a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 formation, the U.S. coach has few reliable and experienced options after Altidore and Clint Dempsey, who turns 32 next month (although 18-year-old Rubio Rubin, as he showed in the U.S.'s last two friendlies of 2014, remains an intriguing prospect).

Zardes, with his size (6-foot-2, 175 pounds), strength and pace, certainly fits the description of what Klinsmann would want. He gave a glimpse of those skills in his USMNT debut last month against Chile, using his speed to manufacture a chance at an equalizer in stoppage time of a 3-2 defeat.

But his best quality might be his desire to improve. He knows he is far from the finished product. And training and playing with two accomplished forwards on the Galaxy has certainly taught him a thing or two about the position.

"I always say I'm a student of the game," Zardes said. "And I try to learn as much as I can from the veterans."

"Playing next to a guy like Robbie Keane, or a Landon [Donovan] before then, is huge," Klinsmann said. "They make you understand how to move around, how to create your own chances and how to be a part of the bigger picture. We're happy to have him [Zardes] with us."

Zardes wouldn't want to be anywhere else.