Jurgen Klinsmann has his full roster for the United States' training camp, friendlies and World Cup qualifiers this summer. The initial 16 players were announced earlier this week and began training, but on Sunday, Klinsmann added 11 more players to give him 27 for training camp. That roster will be trimmed to 23 on May 25 for the team's friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.
Jurgen Klinsmann Adds 11 To USA Roster Ahead Of World Cup Qualifiers
Geoff Cameron, Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Parkhurst, Graham Zusi, Juan Agudelo, Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Landon Donovan, Herculez Gomez and Chris Wondolowski are the 11 players added to the squad. The added players consist mostly of players whose club teams were still playing last week or are still playing now with five coming from MLS.
While expected, U.S. fans will be happy to see Donovan’s name on the roster. The U.S. star has barely played since Klinsmann took over as club commitments, a need to rest and injuries have taken him out of friendlies time and time again. In fact, this is the first time that Donovan and Clint Dempsey will even be on the field together under Klinsmann.
Gomez is also certain to put a smile on the faces of fans as the fan favorite finally gets a call up after a very good year down in Mexico. Whether Klinsmann uses him as a forward or as a a winger, where he has played for Santos Laguna this season, will be one of the more interesting developments in camp.
Among the surprising omissions are Eric Lichaj, Tim Ream, Brek Shea and Benny Feilhaber. With Timothy Chandler asking off the team, Lichaj looked like a sure bet to get a call up and strengthen both fullback positions, but clearly Klinsmann has other ideas. Shea has had a tough run for about nine months now so form could be the reason for his omission and Feilhaber and Klinsmann never really seemed to get along. Ream is the one player whose omission there is a sure answer for as the coach and player agreed that a rest would be good for the Bolton centerback.
Maybe the biggest snub is Sacha Kljestan. His absence isn't a surprise because it was confirmed by Kljestan two weeks ago that he wouldn't be on the team, but with the U.S. looking for some more creativity and passing from deep, his presence will be missed. This snub just fuels the "what did Kljestan do to Klinsmann's mother?" memes as the midfielder continues to be overlooked by Klinsmann despite a fantastic season for Belgian League champions Anderlecht.
After the roster is cut to 23 on the 25th, the U.S. will get ready for friendlies against Scotland, Brazil and Canada. They will then head to Tampa, Florida for their first World Cup qualifier against Antigua and Barbuda before going away to Guatemala in their second qualification match for the 2014 World Cup.
Full roster:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)
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), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
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