One by one, players walked off the bus and entered their first day of camp ahead of a decisive World Cup qualifier against Panama.

Scattered clouds and a light breeze made the heat more bearable than in weeks past while the United States men’s national team trained at Lake Sylvan Park in Sanford.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena had 23 of the 25 players in camp Monday morning. DeAndre Yedlin and Jorge Villafaña arrived in Orlando later in the afternoon. Gyasi Zardes, who originally made the roster 26 players, suffered a groin strain while playing with the L.A. Galaxy over the weekend. He withdrew from the roster and was not replaced.

A couple days ago, Arena said he hoped to have everyone on the same page by Wednesday to get a good idea of what the starting lineup will be for the Friday qualifier at Orlando City Stadium. After the first day of camp, he said they are on track to meet that timeline.

When asked if he will rotate goalkeepers at all, he said, “We’ll make a decision on our goalkeeper Thursday.”

After a short, 45-minute session, Orlando-area players Graham Zusi and Dax McCarty spoke with media.

“Introducing Orlando’s favorite son,” a spokesman for the team said as Zusi stepped up.

“Second, second,” Zusi said with a smirk. “I think Dax is ahead of me, barely.”

Zusi of Longwood, and McCarty, of Winter Park, both smiled and raised their eyebrows, perking up a bit when asked how it feels to play such an important match in a stadium not far from where they grew up.

“I’ve been in close contact with family and friends and everyone is excited for this game,” Zusi said. “I kind of let them know that my focus will be completely on the game.”

McCarty said the upcoming match is one of the most important he’s been a part of and he’s received a lot of ticket requests from those close to him.

“I think for the most part all my high school friends know it’s not going to be that simple to just get as many tickets as I want, so I’m keeping it strictly to family and close friends, and then whatever my wife tells me I need to do I’m going to do that,” McCarty said.

“I’m hearing it’s going to be a sellout, hopefully a pro-U.S. crowd. For me, it’s going to be an honor to be able to put on a crest in the place I grew up. To me, there’s no greater honor.”

The Wall

One of the main features of Orlando City Stadium is the safe-standing supporters section called “The Wall.”

Fans wondered if The Wall would remain a standing-only section for the U.S. versus Panama match or be converted to a seated area given FIFA rules dictate that games must be played in “all-seater stadiums,” and that standing sections remain vacant.

Bleacher-like benches are installed on The Wall. They typically are locked down flat, but can easily be unlocked and flipped up. That option will be used, a spokesman for U.S. Soccer told the Sentinel on Monday.

The Wall will have seats for the game. Whether people use them is to be seen.

ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.com