While the U.S. Men’s National Team’s annual January camp is only a day old, injuries have already plagued Jurgen Klinsmann’s team.
On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced that Klinsmann was forced to release D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid due to an injury sustained during training. With the loss of Hamid, the German head coach has called up Chicago Fire netminder Sean Johnson.
Hamid reportedly suffered a knee injury prior to the start of the USMNT’s training camp, but had to be re-evaluated by U.S. medical staff and was ultimately sent home.
On Friday, Klinsmann added four players to his current roster, following the loss of San Jose Earthquakes pair Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi to injury.
The U.S. camp runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. 6, and will feature friendlies against Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5. Both matches will be played at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Are you worried about Hamid’s injury? Is Johnson the logical replacement for the USMNT?
Share your thoughts below.
In response to The Imperative Voice re: Robles’s “fair shot” — So conceding two goals in his only USMNT appearance seven years ago, in front of a woefully inexperienced team (including an overmatched Jay Heaps, who was responsible for both Haiti goals),after his only USMNT call-up, permanently disqualifies him? Um, ok.
As I posted in another thread, keeper may be the main concern for the USMNT heading into 2016.
Howard and Guzan are both badly off form, and this may be the new normal for Howard. Even Guzan may be entering a decline after putting Villa on his back for much of past few years.
Hamid is no longer young, and he can’t stay healthy. I’m hoping he emerges as a viable candidate by the time the Copa America rolls around. Otherwise, we are in a world of hurt going into the Hex.
We may be asking Rimando and Robles to carry this team through the Hex.
I get what you’re saying but GK is still one of our stronger positions. If that’s our biggest problem this cycle we are in good shape. I think we have bigger issues however.
I think Keller was lamenting the perceived decline of American keeping. I will say that the professionalization of the player corps is not necessarily ideal for the early stages of high level development, as a young keeper who might formerly have been a four year college starter given plenty of playing time is now potentially a backup to some guy who could play til he’s 40, at a position where just one player will dominate the minutes.
I see the overall youth NT struggles as similar, players who used to train together at Bradenton and then some go on to college, the focus of attention and playing time, are now signing pro deals and having to fight up the pecking order beginning as teenagers.
Please – college soccer is a wasteland and our best players shouldn’t spend one second there.
I seriously doubt Cropper, Steffen, and Horvath are higher. Hamid is, arguably, the best keeper in MLS and just turned 25. Steffen plays for Freiburg II (not the first team). Horvath plays in Norway, (Tippeligaen) which is at best on par with MLS. They just pay a typical player (not star) a little more. Cropper needs to get time.
That being said, he should move abroad. He has shown that he can excel at this level.
Except that Horvath was also playing (& winning) in the Champions League and is still competing in the Europa League, a level of play that MLS cannot touch.
Tough to say whether Horvath is higher/lower than Hamid.
Occasional Europa League game doesn’t count for that much (and many games in that competition are not really any better than MLS). They played Celtic, Ajax and Fenerbahce in the group stage. Wow! They played the liked of Dinamo Zagreb and Pyunik (the Armenian giants) in the UCL.
Celtic, Ajax, Fenerbahce and Dinamo Zagreb all better than typical MLS competition
Not sure that’s true but even if it is that’s only 8 of his games over the course of the season. The rest are against Norwegian League teams.
Unless Hamid makes a move over seas he will never be anything better than a number 3 goalie. Cropper, Steffen, and especially Horvath are probably higher on Jk radar. Now with William yarburroh starting at Leon he’s got a steep mountain to climb
I’ve never been a big Sean Johnson fan but right now Cropper is a backup at MK Dons, Steffen is playing with the Freiburg reserves and Horvath is playing in a league that isn’t as good as MLS. In other words, right now Johnson has a better claim to a USMNT spot than any of them.
I would think the Mexican would be called in as the 3rd if this was an international date. But I still don’t buy this is the crème of the available offseason crop.
I’d like to see Gonzalez (I know the story, but he’s good), Kwarasey, and/or Kennedy. I feel like Hamid/Johnson/Robles is basically going around in the same circle over and over again.
Kwarasey….Ghana no?
I mean, geez, didn’t Kwarasey start against the USMNT in the World Cup? LOL.
Gotcha. I just looked at some of the statistically superior MLS keepers not already in camp, didn’t realize he was spoken for.
Robles has never really gotten a legitimate shot, so it seems unfair to say that he represents “going around the same circle again”. I rate him higher than Johnson.
Never really gotten a fair shot? How about the two fair shots he let in to tie Haiti?
I just don’t buy he’s one of the three best.
So a fair shot in your book is one game six and a half years ago even though he was named GK of the year in MLS last season? Wow – tough crowd.
Just don’t feel like Sean Johnson has progressed much. Someone like Clint Irwin had a better save percentage or Tyler Deric had more impressive saves and they’re all about the same age now.
Deric is a mediocre distributor of the ball and has a fairly high GAA, He does make some highlight reel saves and it’s hard to say how much is team and how much is him but I’d be a little leery of using a 1.3 GAA keeper on the international level. I’m not sure if the Dynamo couldn’t do better at club level.
Deric actually ended season 1.42 G/game.
Fair enough,I just used Deric as an example because I think Johnson’s young age and more difficult saves is what first got him into the National team picture. Now I’m just not so sure what the case for him is.
Sean Johnson’s GAA was still even higher at 1.52
Youre pretty predictable Jack..
Not good