Jurgen Klinsmann has chosen the first 16 players that will take part in the United States' 29-man training camp and two friendlies before the roster is trimmed to 23 for the first two World Cup qualifiers in early June. The remaining 13 players, expected to be predominantly MLS players, will be added to the roster on May 20 and join the team for training then.
Jurgen Klinsmann Announces Initial USA Roster For Training Camp, World Cup Qualifiers
The first batch of players for the United States World Cup qualification roster was announced by Jurgen Klinsmann on Tuesday.
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Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
There are a host of surprising omissions from the roster, led by Jozy Altidore, Sacha Kljestan and Oguchi Onyewu. They could be added to the roster on May 20, though, so judgement on Klinsmann's roster will have to wait until then.
One notable omission that came with an explanation is Timothy Chandler. The Nuremberg right back is not on the roster and won't be added.
Klinsmann explain the Chandler situation in a statement: “He has expressed his appreciation for all the opportunities we have given him, but he also feels at this point he needs to take a break. The door is certainly not closed on Timmy, but in the moment we move on without him.”
Chandler's omission has sparked concern among U.S. fans, who are beginning to fear that the promising right back may be considering a move to play for Germany. He is a dual citizen eligible to play for Germany and while he has played for the U.S., he hasn't been cap tied so he can still switch. Had he played for the U.S. in one of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers then the door would be closed on a Germany switch, although at the moment this is nothing more than speculation. Chandler has stated his intention to play for the U.S. and Germany has named their provisional squad for Euro 2012 so there is no evidence that a change is coming.
Beckerman and Rimando are the only MLS players on the roster, but that is because Real Salt Lake does not have a match this weekend so they can join the U.S. team early without missing club matches, which isn’t the case for the rest of the MLS candidates. That was the reason many expected the May 20 additions to be mainly MLS players, but with so many European omissions, that may not be the case.
The players will begin reporting to camp today and the rest will join the team after the remainder of the roster is announced. The U.S. will play Scotland in a friendly on May 26 in Jacksonville, Florida, Brazil on May 30 in Washington, D.C. and then Canada on June 3 in Toronto. The road to the 2014 World Cup begins on June 8, when the U.S. hosts Antigua and Barbuda and continues against Guatemala four days later in Guatemala City.
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