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Carter-Vickers, Pulisic, Green headline USMNT roster for Mexico, Costa Rica matches

Photo by Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

Several young faces will join the U.S. Men’s National Team for two of the biggest games of the qualifying cycle.

Cameron Carter-Vickers has been called up to the USMNT for the first time, joining fellow youngsters Julian Green, Christian Pulisic and Lynden Gooch on the squad. A majority of the USMNT regulars will also be a part of the group, headlined by Jozy Altidore, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley and John Brooks.

Geoff Cameron headlines the notable absences as the Stoke City defender misses out due to a leg injury. Chris Wondolowski and Kyle Beckerman also miss out due to injury issues.

In total, 26 players join the U.S. for camp in Columbus, although only 23 are permitted to dress for each match. Of the 26, 20 players have World Cup qualifying experience, with just Carter-Vickers, Gooch, Green, Brooks, Ethan Horvath and William Yarbrough in search of their first WCQ appearance.

The U.S. faces Mexico on Nov. 11 before visiting Costa Rica on Nov. 15.

Here’s a closer look at the USMNT roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough), Ethan Horvath (Molde), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)

Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg)

Comments

  1. So given the call ups and injuries I think you’ll see chandler at LB… and all the changes that entails further up the field (I don’t think Jones starts, unless he has enough gas in training and I think that would be hard given the layoff. 83 minutes in MLS is not 83 minutes in US v MEX hex game). Then, What I had hoped, if Morris was around is to go all Chile on them. 3-4-3… but with Morris maybe out, I think its straight 4-4-2… and all the pieces now fit: Bedoya and Bradley in the middle, FabJo left, Puli Right… you can go diamond, 4-1-3-2 or flat… bedoya can overload on either side or play dropped off. I think that is our best line-up today.

    Reply
    • The way JK was salivating over Chandler’s ability to play the wing makes you wonder about 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. Brooks, Gonzo, Besler, Yedlin, Kljestan, Bradley, Chandler, Pulisic, Altidore, FJ, two man front probably Wood for Chandler/Yedlin.

      I think we still see the diamond though.

      Reply
      • If it was 3-5-2 it would be Bradley, FJ, Pulisic, Bedoya, Yedlin… I’m not sure Chandler sees the field there and Pulisic and Wood are both going to be on the field on Friday. So I only see 3 in the back if you also have 3 FW… and without Morris, I don’t see that either. I guess Green, but he hasn’t shown me enough to say, yeah… lets go all 3-4-3 and rely on Julian in a big way. Again, Pulisic is a Midfielder.

  2. Not too upset with the group called in, I’m guessing CCV and Horvath are there to just get used to the system and all. Big gripe I have is johannsson, hasn’t really been playing with his club and don’t really understand his call, as well as Stanko, not sure I get klinsi’s love for him. I’m also feeling nagbe probably is gonna be out of the picture going forward, would have taken him over green, who has played one game since the last call-up. Not exactly deserving of that call-up. Lastly, I would have brought in another natural LB, even if its just bornstein or morrow, just another body in there at the position, probably over orozco. That being said my 11 to face mexico on friday
    ————————-Altidore————————
    –Gooch————-Kljestan————–Pulisic—
    ————Bradley———-Bedoya—————–
    FJ————Brooks———Gonzo———Yedlin
    ———————-Howard—————————-
    If we need a boost bring in wood, zusi or morris. If we need to shut it down bring in jones in the middle.

    Reply
    • I think Green has earned the call up. He scored for the USMNT in both recent friendlies and when given a chance for BM, scored for them too. If you don’t want him in the team because he doesn’t play then I don’t know how you can argue to start Gooch, who barely plays for a horrible Sunderland team.

      Reply
      • They were “B” friendlies really, just I think there’s more deserving guys who are getting regular playing time, arriola, finlay, even gatt and wooten. Gooch at least has a role in that team, comes off the bench almost every game, even if its only for 5-10 minutes, then start zusi on the right and shift pulisic to the left.

    • I’d tweak that 4-2-3-1 a little bit by flipping the side that Pulisic lines up on and inserting Jones in place of Bedoya…shifting Bedoya further forward.

      ————————-Altidore————————
      –Pulisic————-Kljestan———–Bedoya—
      ————Jones———-Bradley—————–
      FJ————Brooks———Gonzo———Yedlin
      ———————-Howard—————————-

      2nd half subs: Gooch for Bedoya….Wood for Altidore

      Reply
    • Well its a good thing unlike Copa or WC you can add people whenever you want, and that’s why we brought in 26. Josh Gatt or Andrew Wooten?

      Reply
      • How about someone like nguyen, more of a like for like replacement for kljestan, and I think we’re only gonna play one striker, so could use some depth behind them.

    • Keeper is the one position that has never been much of a concern for the US. Granted it would be nice if Guzan was seeing the field in England….but we’ve got Howard who’ll continue to see consistent minutes in MLS, Horvath who’s seeing plenty of minutes in Norway, and any combination of Hamid, Yarbrough, & Bingham who are all decent.

      Hopefully we’ll have a strong enough defense and squad in general by 2018 that we won’t need the kind of heroics that Howard had to pull off in the match against Belgium. We might not be there yet….but we are starting to see improvements across the board (except at LB).

      Reply
    • I think JK is sending a message to Hamid and Bingham that its time for them to look to challenge themselves outside MLS. I also hope that Horvath is able to move to a higher league, especially since Molde missed qualifying for European play.

      Reply
  3. CCV was also just playing for Ramos and the U20s last month so he had a week of up close looks from the 2nd assistant. He’s likely the captain for the U20s should they qualify for the WC so makes sense to bring him in and have him be around the veterans and learn.

    Reply
  4. Like the fact he called in some younger talent. What happens with the CM now that Jones is back and went 83 mins today, do u bench SK for Jones or go 4-3-3 with them and put BW JA and CP22 up top.

    Reply
  5. Shock inclusion was CCV, but I think this is more about the coaches letting him know that they have noticed him and that he’s in their plans. It’ll get him introduced to the Sr. Players but I don’t expect him to make the game-day rosters. A close 2nd for shock inclusion was Stanko.

    Shock exclusions for me are the absence of Wondo, Williams, & Kitchen. I think Kitchen played his way out of discussion in the game against New Zealand. Wondo is a JK favorite, but thankfully wasn’t called in. The coaches must have seen something in training to have raised Stanko above Williams (who I thought played well against New Zealand).

    Ultimately 3 players will be cut out before game-day Vs. Mexico. I kind of expect it to be Yarbrough (didn’t impress in his last call-up), CCV strictly from the standpoint that we’re playing against our 2 greatest challenges in CONCACAF, and finally it’ll be a toss-up between ArJo & Green (neither are seeing much game-time at the moment).

    Reply
  6. Let’s go for it:

    …………Altidore………….
    Pulisic……………..Morris
    …………Kljestan…………
    …Bradley……..Jones….
    Johnson………..Yedlin
    …..Brooks…Birnbaum..
    …………Howard…………

    Reply
    • I like it, though now we may need to have Wood or (hmm Zusi? ugh! Bedoya? eeehhhhh maybe… Green? not against Mexico! Johannsson? not really winger material) probably Bedoya in for Morris depending on how bad his hammy is.

      Reply
  7. Johansson the biggest surprise for me as he hasn’t even been dressing. Stanko one of the few pure #6’s in the pool, Zusi had been playing well down the stretch so not surprised by him. Orozco like Yarbrough provides insight into a lot of the Mexican players who in Liga Mx in team planning.

    Two comments from JK I found interesting. “We had been talking about playing Cameron as the #6.” “Timmy Chandler plays almost a winger role for Frankfurt.” Maybe its gamesmanship trying to get Mexico to prepare for different formations or we could be looking at a 3 man back line with Chandler, Yedlin, or Johnson on the wings.

    Reply
    • You’re right he did not dress yesterday or last week, but he had been on the roster a couple games before that and came on as a sub in one. I still agree with you it’s a big surprise, but I guess it’s just more of slowly working him back into the mix as he comes off injury than a real intention of playing him.

      ::cue jozy hammy injury::

      Reply
  8. Hmm why 26? I’m guessing he will send certain players home after the first game. Lot of interesting/odd call ups: CCV, Ice Man, Zusi, Stanko. Stanko goes but Williams and Kitchen left home. We got our answer in regards to Nagbe, looks like he’s in the dog house. I know Orozco will annoy alot of people.

    Reply
    • I tuned in just as he was talking about that, basically he was saying better to have a few extra guys , than have some injuries and have to call guys in late. I think it probably provides cover for Jones and if anyone picks up an injury today a la Kljestan’s nose.

      Reply
    • He picked 26 because he’s tired of being embarrassed when his injury call-ups end up being the best player on the pitch and everybody wonders why he didn’t just have them in the 23 in the first place.

      Reply

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