Jurgen Klinsmann has opted to give a handful of United States fringe players a second look against Ecuador, while calling in some new faces as well. NASL winger Miguel Ibarra could get his first cap with the team, while Greg Garza, Joe Gyau, Alfredo Morales and Luis Gil are all being given another chance to impress.
USMNT roster for Landon Donovan tribute match vs. Ecuador announced
Landon Donovan is joined by a cast of fringe players hoping for looks as the United States men’s national team faces Ecuador.
Jamie Sabau
While this game functions as a chance for Klinsmann to get a look at the depths of his rapidly expanding player pool, it’s also a tribute match for Landon Donovan. The USMNT legend will retire at the end of the MLS season, and despite his differences with Klinsmann, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati has set up what is essentially a testimonial for the all-time leading scorer in USMNT history.
Here's the entire squad, notably missing stars like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Matt Besler, Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and a handful of others.
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Bill Hamid, Nick Rimando
Defenders (7): John Anthony Brooks, Timothy Chandler, Greg Garza, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Tim Ream, DeAndre Yedlin
Midfielders (6): Alejandro Bedoya, Joe Corona, Mikkel Diskerud, Luis Gil, Julian Green, Alfredo Morales
Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, Joe Gyau, Miguel Ibarra, Bobby Wood
Why Green is listed as a midfielder while Donovan, Gyau and Ibarra are listed as forwards is anyone’s guess. They’re all likely to play out wide or perhaps underneath a striker, but not up top. Green isn’t any more a midfielder than those three. Also a bit strange -- but also potentially telling -- is that Morales has been listed as a midfielder while Ream is listed as a defender. Both players have moved between central defense and defensive midfield in their careers.
As expected, this squad is light on players competing for playoff spots in MLS and first-choice European players. Most of Jurgen Klinsmann’s preferred starting XI has been left home, and their club teams will probably appreciate that they’re being allowed to play through the FIFA date or get a rest, as applicable.
This is also a fairly young squad, and it's possible that a handful of these players head to Brazil following the Ecuador match for an Under-23 camp that is also taking place during this international break. There was some speculation that even more young players would be included in this team before heading to that camp, but the roster doesn't include some of the United States' most notable under-23s.
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