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As names start to surface, USMNT roster announcement set for 1pm

Jurgen Klinsmann

By IVES GALARCEP

The suspense continues to build around the USMNT roster announcement for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, and now the wait to find out the players on the roster has been extended.

U.S. Soccer will announce the training camp roster at 1pm, with some weekend injuries apparently forcing the team to reconsider options.

In terms of players who have been reported to be joining the team, Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson, Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and Sacha Kljestan have all been identified as making the trip according to their respective clubs. Sources tell SBI that Brek Shea is also on the roster, while there are rumblings that Joe Corona has not made the squad (UPDATE-I’m now being told that Corona HAS made the team). Also, D.C. United teammates Chris Pontius and Bill Hamid were seen at D.C. United training today, making it appear as though they won’t be on the squad.

We won’t know the full team until 1pm, but for now, tell us what players you are hoping to see make the team. Holding out hope for a Corona call-up? Think DaMarcus Beasley deserves a look? See Klinsmann pulling off any major surprises today?

Share your thoughts below.

 

Comments

    • I would be willing to bet that Klinsi manages to get Edu, Bradley, Jones, Williams, and Beckerman on the pitch with that D.

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  1. I’m worried about the roster if all of these twitter rumors are true. No Chandler? Who is going to be out right back then? The MLS players from January did not impress me at all, so if they are starting and are supposed to provide us with width, I’m expecting another bad performance.

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  2. U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals) – Detailed Roster
    GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa – 5/3 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake – 0/0)
    DEFENDERS (6): Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake – 0/0), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 6/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 1/0), Clarence Goodson (Brondby – 5/0), Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes – 0/0)
    MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla – 26/6), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake – 2/0), Michael Bradley (Roma – 20/5), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana – 1/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 10/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 6/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 13/0), Brek Shea (Stoke City – 2/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 4/0)
    FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 18/6), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna – 2/0), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 27/11), Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC – 12/10)

    The U.S. team has been hit with a rash of injuries as eight players are unavailable for the matches. Edgar Castillo (facial fractures), Timmy Chandler (hamstring), Steve Cherundolo (knee), Tim Howard (back), Fabian Johnson (hip), Jonathan Spector (ankle), Jose Torres (hamstring) and Danny Williams (illness).

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    • This is from the US Soccer web site. Guzan should feel comfortable with an Aston Villa like defense in front of him. The rest of the squad is what it is. At least the forwards are fit and in pretty good form, Dempsey’s injury layoff excluded.

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    • Defensive options are worrisome. I’m guessing Edu will partner Gonzo at CB and Cam will play either LB or RB. Could slot Goodson in as well though. This likely means that either Morrow or Beltran will be starting.

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    • ——————-Body———————
      ——Dempsey—-Corona——Zusi–
      ——-Bradley——-Jones—————
      Edu—Gonzales—Cameron–Beltran
      —————-Guzan———————–

      Come back soon, Landon

      Reply
  3. I just read a tweet that from Straus that dispelled half of what we thought we knew. I think the roster is going to shock us all.

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    • yeah, and Justin Morrow and Tony Beltran are the only natural fullbacks, supposedly. Honestly, I’d prefer Carlos Beltran to Tony Beltran if that’s the case.

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  4. Guys. Chill.

    We released our roster 3 days after Mexico (and it was a weekend– US Soccer would be closed) and people go full out History Channel ancient aliens on Klinsmann.

    There is no vast conspiracy. There is no cover up. There is no concentrated campaign to play mind games or trick opposing teams. The roster was simply released on the latter side of the weekend leading up to the match as opposed to the leading side.

    Players have known ahead of time, and last minute injury/replacements scenarios delay the release of the names to the general public.

    It’s slightly disheartening to see fans accuse the coaching staff of having no backup plans for injuries. Seriously, how could you possibly know that? How could you possibly know which players have been spoken to and which have not.

    To take that a step further we already know that there are several lists of alternate players on call for a call up. Bil Hamid for example.

    Debate and discussion about players is fun and entertaining, but when people start making baseless, incorrect accusations it gets quite annoying.

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  5. It would be a shame if Pontius doesn’t get a chance with the Nats during the Hex. I think he would add something positive to the attack off the bench.

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  6. I will be pi$$ed if Corona isn’t on this team.

    Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michael Orozco Fiscal on the roster.

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  7. Back line:

    Chandler – Boca – Omar – Cameron

    I’m not thrilled about it, but Chandler has played the left for us before, Cameron has played on the right a ton for Stoke and although Boca’s PT has been next to none for Racing, he’s still the captain and will raise his game for the occasion.

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    • Johnson—Cameron—Gonzalez—Chandler

      Respect Bocanegra’s service for the Nats but when you’re not playing for a horrible 2nd division Spanish side, you’re not starting for the Nats.

      Cameron and Gonzalez HAVE to figure out their partnership and figure it out now on the fly.

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    • With Fabian not playing the last few weeks and Castillo and Parkhurst injured, I’m very curious to see what Jurgen goes with. That may be an option, although I’m weary of moving messing with the CB tandem to fix an outside back issue.

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    • Why would you want Boca–who you admit is not playing for a team at the bottom of the Spanish second division–on the field for us? Don’t you think the fact that he isn’t even playing for such a bad team indicates that he isn’t a top flight player anymore?

      Why would you want a player that can’t play at a high level on the pitch for us?

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      • I understand the necessity aspect, but we have better options than a player who cannot see the field for a soon to be 3rd division club.

        Pure necessity won’t make Boca a top flight player again. I like him, but he’s really done with the national team.

      • I agree, it is time to bring in the next generation. Boca will not (better not) be at the World Cup, so why use him all this year, qualify, and then throw the youngin’s in the fire in Brazil?

        Give the kids time now. Boca is nothing but a locker room cheerleader at this point.

      • Very much agreed.

        Boca has been one of my favorite USMNT players over the years, but he’s on the wrong side of 30.

  8. DMB needs to be there, he is playing well and we can use his wing play and experience in Azteca. Wouldn’t mind seeing a player like Corona or Gatt, either. Beyond the player selection, JK needs to drop the deep lying defensive midfielder. A good offense is a good defense!

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    • I have no idea why.

      I haven’t been impressed by any of his appearances in far longer than I can remember…at any position.

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      • Appreciate you referencing a specific date but that only further proves what I’m saying.

        You know who looked awesome in the Confed Cup of 2009? Charlie Davies.

        Amazing how distant three years ago is, right?

  9. I’m trying to hold off judgement until actually seeing the roster, but seeing us scrambling at the last minute to get a finalized roster together just seems amateur.

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      • I’ve seen the injury list but the fact of the matter is you should have a backup plan if a player is injured, and another backup plan if that player is injured. Plans should be made for worst case scenario.It would appear that they weren’t. Obviously, I don’t know everything going on, but its just a very odd situation.

      • I guess we could be waiting to hear how an injury has responded today or results of a scan, but I don’t see the issue with releasing the roster on time and making the necessary adjustments if need be. We have been patiently waiting and don’t want to any longer.

  10. Eddie Johnson is disappointing against good teams, no wonder he floundered so hard in Europe. (heh, floundered). Anyway, perhaps Costa Rica he can do something but I think he is not very good at the national team level when faced with a top defense. wouldnt mind him proving me wrong tho…

    Boyd should be brought back, he was FANTASTIC I dont know what happened. He gave us something no other attacker has, unpredictability and speed

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    • I like Boyd but he plays in the Austrian league and has yet to score for the Nats in 7 appearances.

      After reading your post, you’d think Boyd is tearing the world apart and Johnson has done nothing. Both merit a good look with the Nats

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    • Boyd was FANTASTIC? You’re not confusing him with McBride, are you? I don’t remember Boyd ever doing anything of note for the national team. He seemed out of his depth when playing for the USMNT.

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      • “I don’t remember Boyd ever doing anything of note for the national team.”

        His backheel to Fiscal for the win in Mexico was pretty notable. As was his header to set up Diskerud’s equalizer in Russia.

      • That said, I’m not saying he should be playing over Jozy… don’t think he’s out of his depth either though.

    • Doesn’t Johnson play as a left winger in a 4-3-3 for the Sounders? Hypothetically, he should be able to have a decent impact with the USMNT with Jozy in the center and Gomez on the right, but this is the attacking-inept USA we are talking about.

      He has been on fire in MLS, but WCQ are a different beast, like you said.

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  11. Can someone tell me why holding off until camp has already begun to name the roster is not totally ridiculous? Every other national team in the world named their rosters by at least Friday of last week, yet Klinsmann on the Monday before a key game Friday still has not settled on a roster. Every other coach is competent enough to know who they want 7 to 10 days before their WCQ games and is not forcing their players to swear secrecy and will announce rosters well ahead of time. If a weekend injury happens, then they have a plan in place, a depth chart so to speak, and simply call in a replacement.

    I gotta a bad feeling about this Friday if this is Klinsmann’s Standard-Operating-Procedure. No doubt Klinsmann and Vasquez right now are scratching their heads in confusion and pulling names out of a hat to complete the roster.

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      • ha-ha. yeah. Maybe Klinsmann is a trendetter, and that it why no other coaches do it the Klinsmann way. But, in my mind, it seems higly incompetent and indecisive–not to mention scary as heck.

      • I think it’s gamesmanship, superstition or some combination of the two. A bit annoying for fans waiting impatiently to see who’s coming in, but there’s nothing “incompetent” about the coach not wanting to release the roster until players have finished their club matches.

    • biff, as I recall (and please correct me if I’m wrong) you were a big Klins proponent early in his reign and especially after the win at the Azteca. What has caused you to change your mind? (I’m not criticizing or supporting. I’m just curious.)

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    • Him not announcing it isn’t the same as him not knowing who he is calling in. He just prefers to wait until he is certain everyone is coming before releasing to the public. As fans we want to know earlier, but it really isn’t a huge deal one way or the other.

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    • “Can someone tell me why holding off until camp has already begun to name the roster is not totally ridiculous? Every other national team in the world named their rosters by at least Friday of last week,”

      I mean, let’s keep it real.

      The only reason this is an issue is because WE, the fans, don’t have the list to debate and discuss. That’s not really an issue. That’s a complaint by a generation given instant gratification through the internet and social media.

      You really think individual players haven’t been given the heads up around the same time other national team players are given the heads up? I have a really, really hard time believing players are completely in the dark. In fact, I think it’s nonsense.

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      • 100% agree.

        Fans spend a grand total of a few hours arguing over their favorite player and then we wait until the game.

        Does it matter if the roster is released on Friday or Monday? The players know far ahead of the fans–as it should be.

      • Sorry, Old School. But this is an issue that goes far beyond “because WE, the fans, don’t have the list to debate and discuss.” Klinsmann should have his preferred roster etched in stone at least 7-10 days before a WCQ game like every other national team coach in the world does. If his preferred players are not able to accept the invitation, then he should already have a plan for back-players (depth-chart) etched in stone and simply call them up as every other national team coach in the world does.

        What worries me is that it seems Klinsmann four days before an almost must-win WCQ game at home still does not know his roster and is frantically trying to put it together. That does not instill confidence.

        Camp has already begun. This is crazy. You tell me: Is there another logical explanation why Klinsmann needs yet more time to announce the roster?

      • Mexico’s roster was only released 3 days ago.

        “Camp has already begun. This is crazy. You tell me: Is there another logical explanation why Klinsmann needs yet more time to announce the roster?”

        Right. Camp has begun. So, what’s the issue? That you don’t get to know when the players know? If Camp has already begun than the roster has already been set save a few switches for injuries.

        You contradict yourself.

      • He’s doing this to cover up for his call-up gaffes of the past, making it look like injuries were the problem when in fact he didnt put in the work needed with the players’ clubs. He is shifting the blame to others as usual. I cant wait until Klinsmann is far far away from the US National Team.

      • Do you have evidence to support a single thing you just said?

        I mean really, is Spector not injured? Are his club and US Soccer part of the cover up?

        Not being mean, but you need to rethink your view on the world if that is how far your paranoia goes.

      • My evidence is that until Klinsmann starting delaying his call-ups these last few rounds, there were issues with every single call-up. He botched every single one either in terms of upsetting the club, announcing a call-up that didnt want to come, calling a player already known to be injured, etc.

      • SHANE! Put down the pipe.
        Jürgen knows. The players know. The clubs know. US Soccer knows.
        There’s this thing called a Provisional Roster that has to be put out ahead of time.

        Because you don’t know doesn’t mean it’s a national emergency.

        Again, put down the pipe.

        “Keep CALM and keep supporting the USMNT”

      • Why do you think he doesn’t know?? You are missing what many are trying to tell you. Open your mind to a different concept. It’s quite possible, and more likely probable, that he knew a week ago. Read and learn, not just read so you can argue some more.

      • To me, it is indicative of JK’s obsession with meaningless tricks and trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead of just picking your best side, tailoring the formation and playing style to those players, and drilling and practicing so that everyone is on the same page and knows each other’s roles, JK continuously seems to want to outthink everyone and come up with a surprise or trick that the other side isn’t expecting. To me, this is why the team lacks cohesion, organization and identity. There’s a reason why this team, which has always had the reputation of being one of the fittest and most resilient sides in the world, has repeatedly come out looking tired and listless. Instead of just using the existing training methods which are the best in the world, JK has to tinker, overthink, and overtrain. I think JK gets ideas in his head and forgets the big picture. Just a supposition, of course, but there seems to be a pattern of overthinking, imo.

    • seems to be a concern over who’s fit enough to get the call. Johnson didn’t play again this weekend, due to injury. boca hasn’t played in weeks. parkhurst didn’t even dress. JK is having major anxiety over who to bring, which is why he’s pushing the decision back as much as possible.

      That said, I’d think guys from Europe should be on a plane already to get to Denver today or tomorrow…

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  12. The list of not too attacking midfielders will include Edu, Bradley, Jones, Kljestan, Beckermann, Torres, F. Johnson and Cameron (the pair of whom will actually be used in the back).

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    • Somehow I left off Williams, even excluding the pair of F. Johnson and Cameron that makes for 6 who play pretty much the same position to varying degrees.

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      • Your problem is that these players don’t play remotely the same positions.

        Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley and Torres are box to box midfielders who attack and defend.

        Williams and Beckerman are pure defensive midfielders. They do not attack very often if ever and remain behind the midfielders.

        Johnson is a left winger.

        Cameron is a versatile defender who can play multiple spots.

        Klejstan is an attacking midfielder.

        They do not play the same positions. Not at all.

      • To call Kljestan an out and out attacking midfielder is not really accurate. At Anderlecht he most commonly works with Lucas Biglia, who is the creative attacking force in the midfield. Kljestan’s role is much more of a supporting than attacking role, of a style more like Michael Bradley than Wesley Sneijder. Those who think that Kljestan is the solution to attack-mindedness in the midfield (not necessarily you, but there are some) need to curb to enthusiasm a bit.

      • None of these players is an attacking midfielder by nature, not even Kljestan. It is true that of the lot, F. Johnson is the only odd one in that he is the only one who naturally drifts to the outside. Perhaps Kjestan does not drift back as much as the others, but all of them do tend to drift back into a defensive position when not actively involved in the play and most of them drop to a deep-lying, central position, hence why I called them not too attacking midfielders rather than defensive and why when deployed on the USMNT they tend to get in each others’ way.

  13. Corona should be in. He provides versatility, speed and playmaking. Three very important and very lacking quality in the US side of late. If nothing else, he’s a good guy to have on the bench that you could insert as a spark.

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  14. Breathe easy America–Fabian Johnson is coming. I’m thinking Shea should be categorized as a major surprise given he isn’t playing for Stoke.

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    • Too early to breathe easy. Fabian has not played for three weeks now and if he was still not in shape to play in a hugely important relegation battle last Saturday then he will remain highly questionable for Friday against Costa Rica and will in any case not be 100%.

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    • No Donovan or Holden or Rogers. I think there is a reason why Shea would be called in given Klinsmanns lack of choices for wing play.

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      • Did you *really* just:

        a.)Mention Robbie Rogers in the same breath as Donovan, and;
        b.) Insinuate Holden & Rogers would be viable wide options for the USMNT?

        This isn’t 2009.

  15. Beasley should be in.

    LB is an issue but Chandler has played over there. Parkhurst could fill in as well.

    Danny Williams worries me. He was absolutely terrible in Honduras.

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      • True.

        But unless he is in the 6 role… he’s fairly useless out there. And don’t think he is back playing much at Hoffenheim… where as Edu has been playing well in Turkey.

      • I think Edu and Williams are fairly interchangeable. Personally, I’d like to see MB and JJ as the only center mids, making them mainly responsible for winning possession and beginning the attack, and occasionally making deeper runs, opening up a slot for another attack minded player.

      • Coach Klinsmann has hinted that he would like that as well, but not until the CMs do what they’re supposed to.

      • I am a little confused about Williams also. I just have not seen much from him in the games that I have watched him play, and (although I do not attempt to follow his club games) it does not seem like he a standout in Bundesliga. He might be a good one for the future, but I think we have better options at his position right now.

      • Not to excuse DW of his play recently with the USMN, but i wonder how much boils down to the player selection. Having DW, JJ and MB seems a redundancy and ultimately causes a cluster when the other team has the ball.

        I would like to see DW play with an attacking option in front of him, but cant fathom a lineup without MB or JJ or both.

      • DW is e kind of player that if his name isn’t mentioned much he has a good game. He’s a defensive midfielder. His job isn’t glamourous. If you forget he’s out there then he is doing his job.

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