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Klinsmann sends five home, adds Parkhurst to USMNT squad to face South Korea

MichaelParkhurstUSMNT1-ElSalvador (AP)

By DAN KARELL

As the U.S. Men’s National Team prepares to head back home from a 12-day dry run in Sao Paulo, Brazil, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has decided to trim down the roster.

U.S. Soccer announced on Friday afternoon that Klinsmann sent five players home while calling up new Columbus Crew signing Michael Parkhurst to his final squad of 22 players for the upcoming friendly match against South Korea. The players heading back to their clubs are are Colorado Rapids defenders Shane O’Neill and Chris Klute, Sporting Kansas City full backs Seth Sinovic and Chance Myers, and Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall.

“All of the players have put in a tremendous amount of work and effort these past two weeks,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “We had a great opportunity to introduce some new players into the Senior National Team Program and they have done extremely well. I think they have a bright future, and now they go back to their clubs with a better understanding of what it takes at the international level. We now move forward with the chance to finish off the camp with the goal of getting a result against South Korea.”

Mike Magee, Michael Harrington, Luis Gil, and DeAndre Yedlin all remained in the squad and are in line for their first USMNT cap.

U.S. Soccer also added in their press release that 22,000 tickets have already been sold for the match on Feb. 1 at the StubHub Center. The USMNT will return to the U.S. on Saturday and have the rest of the weekend off before resuming training on Monday.

Here’s the latest USMNT roster for the South Korea friendly:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Harrington (Portland Timbers), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Eric Alexander (New York Red Bulls), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (4): Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Mike Magee (Chicago Fire), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

———–

What do you think of this squad? Glad to see Magee stay? Surprised that Harrington and Yedlin beat out Myers, Sinovic, and Klute? What’s your preferred starting lineup from this squad?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Magee or Wondo? Both are players who are tactically astute and work tirelessly to get open. Wondo has the better scoring record, while I think Magee is better at helping out the defense. I do not think either will see much if any time at the WC, but either could be an able substitute who could play a role if need be.

    Reply
  2. So Hall continues in his role as GK bridesmaid but never the bride? He gets called up for a lot of the big tent camps and then I’m not sure if they ever dress him and they haven’t capped him. I like him for shotstopping although he can parry it back into play too much. But I prefer him to everyone but Rimando and wonder why Klinsi doesn’t see it likewise.

    Reply
    • as others have noted above, it may have more to do with their respective ages (and ceilings) than their current level. rimando is the first-string veteran; hamid and johnson are there to watch and learn. (and i know hall’s not exactly old for a keeper, but whatever.)

      Reply
      • Agreed.

        Rimando is 34, this is likely his last go around. Same with Tim Howard. Both will be 39 by the time WC2018 rolls around (not impossible for a GK to still be playing at a high level but unlikely for a national teamer to keep going that long).

        Guzan is likely the heir apparent as he is 5 years younger, Hall similar age so will probably continue to get looks.

        Johnson and Hamid are a “generation” (WC generation, that is) behind that in their early 20s still and if either steps up could be come the #1 for a couple of cycles just like Howard … or may be one of them can be a disaster like Keller in ’98 and ’06, thankfully Friedel was #1 in between and that ’02 squad was better for it.

  3. the 4 Forwards look set in the form of JA, AJ, EJ, and T.Boy….

    who’s droppe in the event that teenage-sensation Julian Green commits and wants to go to Brazil?

    Reply
    • EJ is the most likely to be dropped in favor of the hot hand player…be that Green, Gomez, or Agudelo. Jozy is our #1, Boyd is a good back-up for Jozy, AJ is a very good option off the bench who connects well and has a nose for goal.
      EJ is the weakest link…..and if he gets into a slump with DC at the start of the year could easily see him dropped from the squad.

      Reply
      • hmm… I know we need JA on the team but can you logic be applied to Jozy?

        He has had a horrendous year for club in a WC year!! He probably wouldn’t make the other 31 team rosters the way he has been playing… we know he can be streaky but as of now he’s the coldest of all 4 forwards.

      • Mr.222,

        “ I know we need JA on the team but can you logic be applied to Jozy?…He has had a horrendous year for club in a WC year!! “

        Really? What kind of year has Jozy had for the USMNT? So JA has outscored Jozy when playing for the US ?

        “as of now he’s the coldest of all 4 forwards”

        Then it’s probably good for Jozy that the World Cup isn’t being played right now isn’t it?

      • “ I know we need JA on the team but can you logic be applied to Jozy?…He has had a horrendous year for club in a WC year!! “

        Really? What kind of year has had for the USMNT? So JA has outscored Jozy when playing for the US ?

        “as of now he’s the coldest of all 4 forwards”

        Then it’s probably good for Jozy that the World Cup isn’t being played right now isn’t it?

      • players are selected for nat duties based on club performance, do you agree?
        Like JK says, you don’t play for club, you don’t play for the nats.. you perform bad at your club, you will perform bad on the nats… as simple as that….

        the logic from “Lost in space” above can be applied to anyone, players with a hot hand will make the WC roster.

      • This is a basic rule of thumb but there are exceptions. And their names are Howard, Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, and yes Altidore. This is the veteran core of the team who have played together for years, who the team is built around, and whose talent is a significant notch above anyone else. And the scary truth is our fortunes will rise or fall in large part due to the play of these 5. Hopefully someday there will be 20 players of this caliber, but for now, there isn’t.

      • Mr. 222,

        “players are selected for nat duties based on club performance, do you agree? Like JK says, you don’t play for club, you don’t play for the nats.. you perform bad at your club, you will perform bad on the nats… as simple as that….players with a hot hand will make the WC roster”

        I don’t agree with you, not really would be my answer.Club performance is important but it is just one factor.

        Besides the obvious skills and abilities and physical attributes there is the position(s) you play, adaptability, soccer intelligence, overall contribution to the team unit, how you fit into the overall plan, etc., etc.

        In other words we can all see the tangibles but it is the intangibles that those of us who do not attend the camps or get inside the locker rooms and training sessions, cannot see.

        And those intangibles matter just as much as the things we can see.

        A lot of the people who post here seem to feel they know these players real well.

        I just think JK and his staff know the players quite a lot better. And that they are more interested in what they CAN do not what they CAN’T do. After all the USMNT staff know what they need to ask these players to do while we do not.

        Most of you are more interested in being right about a player as opposed to being interested in whether he can overcome a slump or come back from making a mistake.

        What you think of as a hot hand may not be thought of in the same way by the USMNT coaching staff.

        After all most of you think AJ has a “hot hand” yet he is only doing what Jozy already has done and Jozy has other attributes that AJ has yet to prove he has.

        Those of you who defecated all over Jozy for scoring in a league where defense seems to be devalued should also defecate all over AJ for the same reasons.

  4. Anyone have any information on South Korea’s roster for the game? Are they also bringing a mainly “experimental” squad?

    Reply
    • The list on wikipedia looked like players from Asian leagues, Korea, Japan, China, not the European based name brands.

      Reply
    • According to ESPN in Spanish, reports are South Korea will bring a domestic-based squad to the Mexico friendly, I am certain that will be the same South Korean squad facing the US. South Korea played very well in the 2013 Confederations Cup (remember their game vs Italy?), it will be interesting to see our domestic talent measured up against theirs. I think people underestimate our domestic league here in the US (media outlets in Latin America often look down at our league), we have made constant strides to make it a competitive league albeit not as glamorous (I find it to be the baby brother of the German Bundesliga, in terms of how it operates).

      Reply
      • Hate to break it to you but South Korea didn’t play in the confederations cup. Man you’re hopeless! Japan…..

  5. I am curious as to what makes Bill Hamid or Sean Johnson rate higher than Tally Hall. I honestly don’t know much about the other two other than when I have seen articles where they perform really well or badly. Anyone mind enlightening me?

    Reply
    • I think it has more to do with bringing up guys who could be the next generation of keepers more then where they might rate at the moment.

      Reply
      • Agree….with Howard & Guzan the starting keeper for the US is secure for the next 5 years (barring injury). Hamid & Johnson are currently the best of the next generation who are getting consistent time with their clubs (Cropper is close as well).

  6. What do y’all think – is it worth it to drive 5 hours from SF to see this game? I was originally going to don’t know if it’s worth it to see so many B/C team players.

    Also, I think Feilhaber’s ship has flown or whatever.

    Reply
    • I would go. There are a lot of up and comers in this roster so it will be interesting to see how they perform against South Korea. Should be a great game and atmosphere.

      Reply
    • What are you expecting to see? Are you a USMNT fan?

      This will most likely be a game for USMNT fans not soccer purists looking for a tactically fascinating , see saw, battle full of coherent,entertaining, skillful play.

      This group has never played a game as a team before. If liberal subs are used, and they probably will be, the game could get a little disjointed.

      If your standards are, for example, Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City with blood and money on the line, then I think you may well be disappointed.

      But if you are a fan of a number of the new guys and would be curious to see how they look in a USMNT shirt then, yeah a five hour drive is no big deal.

      Just be careful when and where you buy your gas as it gets dramatically more expensive the closer you get to LA.

      Reply
    • I have a friend that is flying down from SF to watch it, and I’m driving up from San Diego myself. I’m actually really curious to see how well LA’ s big Korean population will show up for their team. I think the atmosphere will be fantastic.

      Reply
  7. this midfield selection lacks bite with the exception of Beckerman, McCarty and Zuzi, Hopefully two of these will be on the field at all times unless Donovan is used as a midfielder.

    Reply
      • Rowe has really impressed me with how much he grew the past year in New England. I don’t think he’s at the point where he’s as good as Gil, but I would have loved for him to get a look during a prospects camp like this. He’s the kind of player who really would have benefited from the national camp experience, both in terms of being exposed to a better quality of play and in terms having some time with the USMNT staff.

    • I’ve watched a lot of Yedlin. I agree he has rare qualities of a true attacking right back that could translate to the international game. He is in the mold of a Nani / Evra / Roberto Carlos style player (though obviously I’m not suggesting he’s anywhere near that level of quality currently).

      I think Klinsman will recognize these qualities and start grooming him. Being ready for 2014 would be a stretch, but sometimes in World Cups young break out players burst onto the scene (ie Henry in ’98 at 20.) So it wouldn’t be rediculous.

      Klute was better overall in MLS this year, but he doesn’t have as high a ceiling or the same qualities that translate to international play.

      Reply
      • Yedlin’s attacking leaves his spot vulnerable which means that someone will have to have the wherewithall to fill that spot. That’s the way it’s supposed to be done. But I have seen that move not coming off in time and the only person between the goal and the ball was the goalie.

      • It is the responsibility of DeAndre and whoever the midfielder or winger in front of him is to work that coverage out before the game and stick to it.

  8. Personally I like the idea of having Yedlin to use off the bench because he can add to the attack without having to take off an attacking player. Thats something you have to think about more with other positions. If you are bringing on EJ then who is coming off? I want Castillo there for the same reason.

    Reply
  9. My 11 (4-2-3-1)

    ————————-Johnson————————-
    –Donovan————Mix——————Zusi——-
    ————–Beckerman–Feilhaber—————–
    –Parkhurst—Besler——-OG——–Yedlin——
    ———————–Rimando—————————

    Reply
    • I like this the most. If you are gonna let Yedlin qualify for the roster then start him and see what you got. You may get misinformed if you sub Yedlin on because his speed would look even faster after halftime. Get a good bearing on him. Honestly I would think about letting him go 75 minutes and let Evans come on after that.

      Knowing what Jurgen does it will probably be Evans starting and Yedlin mopping up.

      Reply
    • I like the above line-up too. I just wonder if Parkhurst is in game shape, and I agree with others that Klinsmann’s method seems to be to start what he thinks is his strongest, most veteran eleven and then sub in newer players, meaning Yedlin would be coming in off the bench.

      Reply
  10. don’t understand why he would send O’Neill home, especially with only 22 players. maybe Bradley will actually join up?

    either way, not a huge deal. i’d like to see something similar to:

    —————-Magee—-LD——————
    ———————–Mix————————
    Davis————————————–Zusi
    ——————Beckerman——————
    Yedlin——Besler—–Omar——-Evans
    ———————Rimando——————-

    Early subs so we can then see:

    EJ——————Wondo—————–LD
    ———–Feilhaber———–Gil————–
    ———————Beckerman—————-
    Yedlin—Besler—Goodson—Parkhurst
    ————-Johnson or Hamid—————

    Reply
    • I’d take Johnson up top, Donovan left, Mix middle, Zusi right. Then Benny and Beckerman behind.

      Others should remember that Parkhurst had played LB before for the US.

      Reply
      • That would quite a surprise to see Benny over Mix to start the game. I agree with Johnson starting over Magee based on the same logic that the incumbent players are going to start over the new guys.

        It wouldn’t make much sense to have Landon and Magee start up top together anyhow.

      • I see now. That’s very attacking oriented.

        Hypothetically that would work because Zusi and Landon have the speed to track back defensively on counter attacks.

        More speed on the flanks though, so I saw Harrington out left and Yedlin on the right

    • My choice:

      ————-Wondo————–LD————–

      ————————Diskerud————————-

      Feilhaber————–Beckerman—————–Gil

      Yedlin——-Besler——–Goodson——-Parkhurst

      —————————-Sean Johnson—————-

      Reply
  11. I personally would have sent Wondo home and kept Klute. But that’s just my opinion since I didn’t see the training and because I can’t stand Wondo.

    Reply
    • Wth would you send home a veteran who has a real shot at helping the WC team instead of a newcomer who was always just getting a taste of international football to get him hungry for next cycle? I don’t understand the irrational hate people have for Wondo. Is it his height? He doesn’t look the part? The facts are that Wondo and Magee have been the best American goalscorers in our domestic league for several years. They both have earned the chance to get multiple serious looks to make the final roster. Remember how many goals our strikers scored in the last world cup? I hope both those guys get big minutes in this upcoming friendly.

      Reply
  12. Klinsman is due to set his final WC 23-man roster in March. This friendly and the Ukraine friendly will be his last chance to look at all the MLS based fringe players. He’ll do the same with all the Euro fringe players in March, and that will be that. No need to play guys like Bradley – they’re a lock to start.

    Hope to see Magee in a USMNT shirt at the Stub Hub Center next weekend. Just one more twist of the knife for Galaxy president Chris “Worst Trade in MLS History” Klein.

    Reply
    • The Magee trade was 100% on Arena. Might have been different if Lieweke was around since he might have been better able to stop him than Klein would have, but the trigger was 100% pulled by Bruce.

      Reply
    • Final WC roster wont be set in march. They’ll surely have a camp again, call in 30 and cut it down to 23. No teams set their rosters in March for the WC.

      Reply
  13. Hmm, as a Portland fan well aware of Harrington’s limitations (though grateful for his solid performance last season), I am finding it very very difficult to glean much from this round of cuts.

    Reply
      • Boyd is more of a lock than any of those guys, IMO.

        AJ, Jozy, and Boyd. form can change, but i think, based on form, Boyd beats all of them out for spot #3 and leaves them to battle for #4.

      • agreed. that’s why anyone who talks about Wondo having a good chance to make it is not being realistic. especially now that Gomez is back and Agudelo is off to Holland.

      • …no, clearly someone gets called in based on their club form. his goal total before the break was impressive. assuming he keeps it up, i believe he’ll still be #3. especially given JK’s preference for him.

      • But if they don’t perform for country what does it matter.

        12 caps and no goals.

        He needs a layoff from the team IMO

      • Stir – that logic makes no sense and is not even true. of those 12 caps, how many did he start in? how many did he even play significant minutes (e.g. 20+) in?

        Boyd is exactly where he needs to be.

      • This is what happen when you only look at stats and don’t actually watch games.

        Of those 12 appearances, he’s only made 1 start (back in 2012). Of the minutes he’s logged, he’s only played at most 20 in each of those appearances.

        That said, he has 2 game-winning or game-tying assists (Mexico, Russia).

      • Does it matter? 12 appearances two assists.

        Boyd doesn’t do anything better then what Eddie or Jozy already do exceptionally: Hold up the ball and win headers. Agudelo and Gomez bring different dynamics and are better suited for situations that call for different players.

      • You’re forgetting our savior, Julien Green. He’s going to delcare for the US and then win 3 consecutive Champions Leagues while claiming the Golden Boot and 2 Ballon D’or’s.

      • Lol the Germans are only going to play for us when they know for a fact that they won’t ever get a sniff of the senior German national team.

      • But Stir, obviously he is American and will choose us!! To say that all the other German American play for us, not for the love of our country, but because they are not good enough for Germany is blasphemy!

      • Terrance is awesome and I love him and he has shown great promise and potential.

        But in terms of what he has actually done during his USMNT appearances, it adds up to a lot nothing.

        When he played against Germany he was so hyper I thought he was going to jump right out of RFK.

        I would not be surprised if he makes the cut but Ialso would not be surprised if he does not..

      • i don’t think that is fair at all. the kid hardly gets time on the field when he gets called upon. in that germany game he was on for like 10 minutes. yes, he was a spaz but that didn’t bother me. dempsey gave him a good verbal beatdown for it and i doubt it ever happens again.

        point is, the sample size for Boyd and the US is incredibly small. he’s always there though because he is playing well at the club level and provides the US some good depth.

        i guess what i’m saying is, at this point, i’d be more surprised if he wasn’t on the roster than if he was.

      • How long was it apparent that Diskerud, Agudelo and Johannsson were legit based on sub appearances? Not 12 caps long, I can assure you that.

      • bryan,

        Ah, a chicken or the egg issue.

        Yes, the sample size for Boyd is small and has stayed that way for a while.

        Which tells me there is a reason it has stayed small.

        And that reason is, when you only get a few minutes do something good not bad with them.

        Terrance has not made as much good use of his minutes as he should have.

        I will have no problem with him going to Brazil but, at this point, it will be mostly on potential not actual production.

    • Harrington plays LB at Portland right?

      or maybe Jurgen spent the last few weeks in Brazil trying out the 3-5-2 with a Besler-Gonzo-RB backline…

      Reply
      • Harrington is a natural right back, but he does indeed play left back for Portland. He also played a lot of left back for Sporting KC prior to the emergence of Sinovic. He’ll be fine.

    • Why do people focus so much on L vs R

      We should just say fullback so people chill. Obviously if they usually play on the right then you wouldn’t want to drop them on the left without getting some practices in, but it’s really the same position. You don’t worry about: ” But he’s the Left CB for his club! Why’s he’s on the right!?”

      Sure it depends on things like delivery vs dominant foot vs overlapping/holding etc etc- but these are all things that can be coached up in practice. A fullback is a fullback.

      Reply
      • You can only succeed on the the right being left footed or vice versa if your technically astute enough.

        Players that can’t do s**t with their off leg won’t be able to pull of playing on the other side and will be back passing all day which would mean disaster when the opposition presses high

      • Just look at Chandler, you can be a pretty good right back and not have the left foot to play left side. Do you want passes to feet, crosses to heads? People talk about pros needing to be two footed but there’s two-footed and then there’s being international sharp with your left foot. Part of the reason coaches often try to push a left wing backwards, is because they know they can get forward and possess on their left foot.

        A defender should be able to defend either side, but my personal experience was I hit a lot of outside-right foot passes on the left side rather than trust my left.

        This is kind of like when I hear people complaining about Jones or Beckerman, because they want all their mids to be slick two way types. There is an attacking and defending division of labor for a reason, and a right side guy may not be worth a hoot left side. Landon and some players can adjust but many have a favorite foot. The division of labor has a rationale.

      • Chandler’s left foot is not that bad. He has scored from the edge of the penalty box with his left.

        His few games at left back for the USMNt were very good.

      • I thought he looked like a duck out of water compared to how he did on the right, where he would smoothly pass and run down the flank.

        Considering how Dolo’s health has played out, and how we’re still talking who starts at RB, it was a dubious decision to move Chandler rather than demote Dolo. That is, if we look beyond professions of not wanting to fly or wavering loyalty and question whether some of the personnel decisions encouraged Chandler to have better things to do.

      • He was poor on the left.

        It’s like, Jackson, now of TFC, no way could you envision someone like that playing on left side. For those who have seen him play in Dalas then you know what I’m talking about.

      • Obviously, we disagree.

        I thought Chandler was the left back the US had been looking for. JK did too and said as much.

        That was before Dolo came up lame.and Chandler went walkabout.

      • Lets take it a step further and ask why do we focus on positions at all? Remember this is Klinsmann we are talking about so who knows who is going to be where come time in Brazil. Freddy Adu in goal anyone????

    • Aaa Grasshopper, the answer is inside the question.

      Because it IS a friendly. Would you rather risk injury to one of our bet players and become the next Colombia?

      Reply
      • We have always fared pretty well against Colombia. I think we last played them in a Friendly in 2010 to a scoreless tie. Before that, we lost 1-0 in that Copa America where we had a 3rd string team. Beat them in the 94 World Cup. I would put us ahead of them with the exception of the last two years, which are largely the result of one player, who is now injured.

      • Not a valid comparison. Like the US, Italy has consistently qualified for the World Cup. Unlike us, they have frequently gone deep into the tournament, and have won it multiple times. They are a powerhouse.

        Colombia has not even qualified for the World Cup since 1998 and they have only made it out of group one time in their less-than-illustrious footballing history. That time, in 1990, they lost in the round of 16. At least we have made it out of group more times than Colombia and gone deeper into the tornament than they have. I would still put is ahead of them any day.

    • Not a waste at all.
      You never know what’ll happen in the next five months. A couple freak injuries and suddenly you look at those fringe players differently.
      Plus which, just because the world cup is this year doesn’t mean you stop working on expanding the pool. Klinsmann is looking at the bigger picture, which is why he gets paid the big bucks.

      Reply
      • Like Yedlin for example. Evans has a recurring injury that always comes up for a few weeks every year. I cant remember if it is a groin or a back thing but it happens annually or so it seems.

      • January camps pre-WC are almost always about finding depth options. Klinsmann already knows pretty well who his first 11 are, the real question is who are the next 11. While he probably thinks he has a good idea, unless you bring in options you may well be making an error and assuming you know when you don’t. Add to this, a few of these guys are quite young and probably factor into 2018 (and the time between after this WC) when the current best players become too old and retire from international play. If you think Donovan and Dempsey are going to factor into the USMNT after this cycle then you are sadly mistaken (they will be 35 and 36 by the time summer 2016 rolls around. Tim Howard will be 39 which is still possible for a keeper, though probably will have passed the torch also.

    • Half of these players are not “fringe” players. If you take one of either Parkhurst or Evans (hopefully not both), then I count 11 players who are legitimately locks and/or seriously competing for a spot on the plane. Plus, any chance to get our CB pairing more reps is a good enough reason in my book.

      Reply
    • Friendlies are where you try stuff out.

      A fringe player can increase his stock or blow himself up. The score in a friendly is more or less irrelevant but there are many other variables relating to the fringe guys that can only be evaluated under game conditions.

      Reply
    • The way to look at it is this: these are (for the most part) guys who will compete for the last 2-3 roster spots. OR, if someone get injured (like if Altidore or Bradley or Gonzalez or Howard can’t make the WC) then they’re competing for a reserve spot. Not true of everyone. But examples like Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson–if Howard or Guzan gets hurt, then they’re competing for the #3 spot as GK. Same with Feilhaber and Davis at MF–as things stand right now, neither is in our WC roster. But if 1-2 guys get hurt or lose form badly, then they’re both reasonable candidates.

      Reply
    • Because Klinsmann’s other WC options at right back are playing out of position (Evans), green (Yedlin) or he’s not sure what their strongest position is (Cameron). Why not assess the status of your RB with the most international experience, now that he’s in position to get playing time in the coming MLS season?

      Reply
    • jk knows that bradley is a for sure starter, if he brings in MB he has to start him. If he doesnt bring him in he can give this 90 mins to two, or three different cm’s that he is testing for the two backup spots to MB and JJ for the WC. Parkhurst is still very much a fringe player in a position of need as the WC gets closer, it’s more important for JK to see where Parkhurst is at because we all know what we are going to get out of MB come June.

      Reply
    • Because Bradley’s been playing for months and is a mainstay– not sitting like Parkhurst and on the bubble for Brazil — and because he probably feels comfortable with his M options but not where-ever he’s going to use Parkhurst. Mixx, Beckerman, Feilhaber, and Gil can handle central spot sufficiently well and are probably under continued consideration for the 23. It sounds like many or all of the cattle call new backs disappointed to the point of either being sent home or making numbers but basically watching Parkhurst play in their spot.

      Reply
  14. Parkhurst has only ever impressed me once. And i think it was vs either el salvador or honduras in the last gold cup. Either way, neither of those teams even had a full strength squad.

    Reply
    • I am soooo happy Parkhurst was called in. He is so much better than any that are in camp cupcake. Just wait… he’ll be starting in the friendlies

      Reply
    • I know Parkhurst changed homes and probably opened the callup window, but I’d say calling in another RB on top of everyone else is not complimentary of the people he looked at. The sheer numbers suggested to me that someone would make their presence felt and push into the picture but when you call up a usual suspect — even an iffy one — it sounds like you’re more comfortable with the status quo ante than anything he saw in LA or SP.

      Reply
      • to be fair, i haven’t seen much of harrington’s play. if he did indeed outplay klute in this camp, then i guess i’m just as excited to see what he brings.

      • As a Timbers fan, I was surprised at Harrington; he brings it for sure, just not 100% confident in his being able to keep up speed wise with top shelf talent.

      • Nobody gets by Harrington though. True the speed isn’t there, but it must be positioning and stand up play because I can’t recall last time I seem him beat. PTFC.

      • RSL burned him almost every game, throw that with the speed of the international game and he will get punished a lot. Good player, but to say he doesn’t get beat is not true and I actually watched a lot of PTFC games this year

      • Agreed here. I was surprised he made the cut as well. However I think Porter’s system has a lot to do with it and the fact that he provides good service from the wing back spot. On a related note Timmy Chandler had a great game today for Nurnberg and Verbeek really has that team playing well. Hopefully he can get the call for the Ukraine match and get back on good terms with the team.

    • Certainly love the underdog story of Klute and pulling for him for that reason…. and the need for depth at the position. Unfortunately I haven’t seen enough of him to have much of an impression. Considering where his career was a short time ago, it’s pretty remarkable he got called in.

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    • Klute is still young and his time will come. He just had his breakout year, he may need to prove he’s not just a flash in the pan to get serious time with the Nats.

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