FRISCO – FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty may wake up with some butterflies in his stomach today, when U.S. men's Olympic coach Peter Nowak announces his 18-player roster at noon.

"Definitely, I am a little anxious," McCarty, 21, said after Wednesday's practice at Pizza Hut Park. "It's a very talented team. I know coach Peter Nowak has some tough decisions on his hands. I just hope I am part of his plans."

McCarty, a three-year MLS veteran, played 90 minutes in three of the four matches he played during Olympic qualifying in March.

However, sports hernia surgery in May interfered with his plans to start for the U.S. in Beijing. Before the operation, McCarty played in six MLS matches, four as a starter. He returned against Chicago just over one month after his surgery and entered as a substitute in four league matches.

"I feel like that might have an effect on his [Nowak's] decision, ultimately," McCarty said. "It's obviously frustrating for me, knowing that I had to get surgery a couple of months before the Olympics, and I was hoping that I would recover a little better than I have."

Nowak will reveal his roster six days before FIFA's July 23 deadline and can choose up to three players over the age of 23. The U.S. team will travel to Hong Kong to play the ING Cup against Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on Aug. 2.

The Americans will make their debut in the Beijing Olympics against Japan on Aug. 7, a day before the opening ceremonies.