The U.S. national team has now entered into its final week of January camp in California and many young players are looking to force themselves into head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s plans with important qualifiers fast approaching.

The annual January camp for the U.S. team usually runs for three weeks and consists primarily of players from M.L.S and Scandinavian leagues which are inactive in the winter.

The camp usually provides the opportunity for younger players to break into the team. Graham Zusi and Geoff Cameron emerged as as important players for Klinsmann last year. This year Klinsmann acknowledged that as many as seven players from the camp could make the roster for the Feb. 6 World Cup qualifier against Honduras.

One player who is making a strong case for himself is Houston Dynamo forward Will Bruin, who scored two goals in the U.S team’s 3-0 win over Club Tijuana’s reserves on Tuesday.

Bruin, a native of St. Louis, has never been capped by the U.S. team but is coming off a strong season in 2012 where he scored 12 goals in 32 games and helped lead Houston to its second straight M.L.S Cup final.

“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in but things have gone very well so far,” Bruin said. “It’s a long camp and you have your good days and bad days. If you stay consistent for the most part, that’s pretty good. I think I’m holding my own.”

A callup to the U.S. January camp was almost a foregone conclusion for Bruin who was one of the league’s better forwards in 2012. In his rookie season in 2011, he battled through injury and scored only five goals in 25 games.

Bruin said he believes that one of the biggest reasons for his improvement lies with his improved adjustment from college to the professional game. Before joining the Dynamo, Bruin played three seasons at Indiana University where he was one of the best players in the country.

The Dynamo selected Bruin with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 Superdraft.

“I think the whole year last year I improved on and off the field,” Bruin explained. “The whole job of being a professional and taking care of your body is something that I had to adjust to after coming in my first year and having an injury. I knew what to expect in my second year. I kind of evolved as the year went on but there is still a lot I need to work on.”

This upcoming season will be a very important year for Bruin as expectations will be much higher. In M.L.S, many players usually struggle the season following a a breakout year.

Bruin will now be the centerpiece of a Houston team that is once again aiming to compete for a third straight trip to the M.L.S Cup finals. Despite the added expectations, Bruin insists that he is not feeling extra pressure.

“I don’t feel any more pressure,” Bruin said. “I expect myself to score goals and help my team earn three points. [A year from now] I would like to have had a better season than the year before and win an M.L.S Cup. I like to improve on every aspect of my game year in and year out. I don’t want to think that because I had a good year, everything is fine.”

The Houston Dynamo have been one of the most successful M.L.S teams both on the field and in terms of developing players. One of the biggest reason for this success is Dominic Kinnear who has been the team’s head coach since 2004 when the club was located in San Jose.

Under Kinnear, the Dynamo has played in four M.L.S Cups, winning twice. During that time, many U.S internationals have come through the club including Stoke City’s Geoff Cameron and Bolton’s Stuart Holden.

Bruin said he understands why Kinnear has played a big part in the development of quality players.

“Dom is a straight shooter,” Bruin said. “He tells you what he expects of you and he expects it every day. He holds everyone to a high standard and he lets you know when you when you’re not meeting it. He also lets you know when you are. If I don’t score when I should or if my first touch isn’t as clean as it should be, he’ll let me know. He makes people accountable and that’s very important. There is just good communication.”

Now with Bruin surging with the Dynamo, he will likely have his first opportunity on the international stage next Tuesday when the U.S. will take on Canada in its final friendly prior to the start of the final round of World Cup qualifying.

The game will be held in the Dynamo’s home field, BBVA Compass Stadium and Bruin is sure to be the crowd favorite. After his two goal performance this week against Tijuana, he will be heading into the game with added momentum.

Bruin admits that the callup to the U.S. national team is a huge accomplishment and it continued callups will be a new source of motivation heading into his third season with the Dynamo.

“It gives you the confidence to know you’re on the radar,” Bruin said. “That’s good but now that you’re on the radar you want to prove yourself even more. You want to make him have to make tough decisions. That’s all I can control as a player. Ultimately it comes down to me to play my game and not try to play as someone that I’m not. If that’s good for him, then that’s great. If it’s not ,then it’s just more motivation for me to work harder.”