photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has added 11 players to the group currently partaking in a camp in Orlando, Fla., and he has summoned a mix of veteran and inexperienced players to round out the roster.
Landon Donovan and Oguchi Onyewu are some of the more seasoned players added by Klinsmann to the 16-man roster he announced earlier this week, while Graham Zusi, Geoff Cameron and Terrence Boyd were among the more inexperienced guys included. Forwards Chris Wondolowski and Herculez Gomez were also summoned by Klinsmann, who will trim the roster on May 25 to 23 players.
Here is the full 27-man roster with the latest additions in bold:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting CP), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Clarence Goodson (Brondby IF)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar)
Among the more surprising players not called into camp are Brek Shea, Eric Lichaj, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan and Tim Ream. Klinsmann specifically addressed Shea's absence, saying several factors resulted in the the winger (who has played in every U.S. game since Klinsmann took over as head coach) being left off.
"We have watched Brek during the last few months, and given his performances and some of the other issues we felt he should be on the standby list," Klinsmann told ussoccer.com. "He’s still a young player with a lot of talent, and also a lot to learn."
Klinsmann did bring in six forwards to the roster in Donovan, Boyd, Juan Agudelo, Chris Wondolowski, Jozy Altidore and Herculez Gomez. Agudelo's inclusion may be surprising to some given his recent trade to from the New York Red Bulls to Chivas USA, but Klinsmann touched on Agudelo's current situation.
"We have Juan Agudelo coming in after a difficult first part of the season for him." said Klinsmann. "Not qualifying for the Olympics, struggling with an injury, and now with the trade to Chivas USA that we hope gives him a lift because he couldn’t pass by Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper at the Red Bulls. He has an opportunity now, and we want him to grab it and make clear to everyone that he deserves to be a starter no matter where he plays.”
Agudelo being called into camp means he will miss a chance to take on his former club on Wendesday, when Chivas USA visits Red Bull Arena.
Other MLS players added to the roster include Cameron, Zusi, Wondolowski. Klinsmann was impressed by the former two's performances during January's month-long camp, while Wondolowski's torrid scoring pace was part of the reason he was included.
"Graham Zusi left a very strong impression in the January camp," said Klinsmann. "Geoff Cameron is a guy that is really knocking at the door, with a very strong January camp but also very strong performances for Houston. You have Chris Wondolowski who is scoring and scoring. This is what he loves to do and his attitude and his spirit is just great for a team to have."
Klinsmann will cut four guys before the Americans play in their first friendly this summer against Scotland at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 26. The U.S. head coach admits that part of the process is not fun, but necessary.
"There is the displeasure obviously of having to tell players that it was great to bring them and they brought everything to the table that they could, but now we have to choose the final 23 for the games," said Klinsmann. "Those are very honest and straight forward discussions. Still, it’s important for the guys that don’t make the cut that they still feel a part of this process. They are knocking at the door to become part of the roster.
"Similar things will happen two years down the road. You start with a bigger group and step by step you cut it down, and basically on the last day you have to name the final 23. Now we have the advantage going into these four weeks that even if a player doesn’t make the cut, he’s still on the standby list in case something happens."
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What do you think of the roster? Surprised by anyone's inclusion or omission? Which four players do you see getting cut from the final roster?
Share your thoughts below.
Beasley absolutely deserves a call up to a camp made of 29 players. I’m curious to know JK’s reasoning. Having said that, Beasley would be nothing more than a depth option. But I’d still like to have that depth.
supposedly JK wanted to give him some rest. either way, it guarentees (not that we didnt already know) that Jozy will be in the final 23.
Ugh, Castillo and Morales over Lichaj and Kjlestan?
Terrible choices.
Willaims has done nothing special to earn the spot, for club or country…that is simply the facts.
spin it however you need to GW
coach has favorites, just like Bradley did, just like Arena did…they all do. And just like his predecessors, when his favorite choices deserve chiding, Klinnsman will get it too
it says a lot about you that you feel the need to be the blog cop to defend Klinnsman…give it up dude
and Williams has looked lost! what the F have you watched? If that is your analysis, try cooking instead of soccer
and why has Williams been so poor? Becasue he’s been misplayed on the flank where he is not nearly as good
simple answer
because he hasn’t done it for the USMNT under Klinnsman…duh
and it will be dramatic no matter what you think
what a boring answer.
of course JK knows more than me…duh. I question some picks because this is a blog you boring apologist
So go ahead and stick your nose up there, I’ll just remain the fan who questions the picks that beg to be questioned.
Much more interesting is your brown nosed feeling that you need to defend Klinnsman
That is revealing GW
Where’s Whitbread?
Flashbacks to when you were a male cheerleader?
JK has had 10 games to get to know Lichaj. Aston Villa lost or drew all 10 of them.
The sample size is not very large, and while I personally would have brought him in, his exclusion is not that surprising.
I’d give at least one of the two a good chance to stay.
Morales can be cap-tied as a late sub against Antigua.
Corona is the class of the U23s and one of the few up-and-coming AMs in the US pool. He’s got a nose for goal second only to Deuce (from the guys on this roster).
That said, I can’t really offer any guys more likely to get the axe. Reason says Agudelo and Beckerman go home, but we’ll have to see what JK thinks.
Spector’s been injured to close out the season.
Lichaj’s only played 10 games since coming back from a major injury. Klinsmann must not think that’s a large enough sample size for a call up.
I really hope they captie Boyd. The guy has a lot of talent. Given Timmy Chandler’s lesson, Klinsmann will be wise to captie Boyd in one of the upcoming WC qualification games.
Is that you Backe? There is a big difference between the international level and MLS. When given chances, Cooper has not performed at the international level. On the other hand, Agudelo had flashes of brilliance (e.g. his goal and overall performance against Argentina). He is not ready to start, but he is a good option of the bench.
+ 1 Agreed.
In order for him to get to the EPL… he needs to have a certain number of national team call ups….
Nope. I meant irrelevant.
It is a clearer term than moot which most people here always mispell as mute anyway.
JK has always said this camp was about the best guys right now, that there would be”no experiments”. That means to me performance now, not future development is what matters.
Hence the presence of Dolo, Boca,Gomez and Wondo.
If Buddle had been doing anything at all you might have seen him in over Boyd.
Someone explain to me how Agudelo gets picked when he’s coming off an injury, trade, and not playing at NYRB? I know he has an upside – young, been in the camp before – but I’m not a fan of these sort of selections based on potential, or (so called) reputation.
Gomez had to work so damn hard in Mexico to get sniff of the Nats, Shea dropped b/c of bad form in MLS, Adu never going to get selected until he puts together a good run of form in MLS – these decisions make sense.
Of course, we never know what guys are like in the locker room, as team mates, their attitudes, so that could be what it’s about??
Hey, no problem. Any time. Bob is now manager of Egypt and doing very well.
Benny and Beckerman do not play the same position, they do not do the same thing and are not in competition with each other.
Beckerman is however, consistent.
With Adu and Benny, you never know who will show up. In the recent Olympic qualifiers, Adu had one good half out of six. That is just not good enough.
Freddy and Benny were okay when there were no alternatives but that is not true anymore.
Barring an emergency unless both get better, get more consistent, I don’t see either player ever playing for the US again.
Where Shea?
Bingo
Your clueless. Parkhurst will make the final team
So could Twellman … even more so, and these boards NEVER gave him a break
Benny is far better than Beckerman but for what ever reason, Klinsmann has people he flat out doesnt like and Benny and Freddy are two of them.
I would have been upset if Ream had been called in. Remember the Gold cup? He bleed goals
No comments on the omission of one tall blond soccer board hero?
And finally, finally a coach that appreciates the quality that Michael Parkhurst brings. He’s not gonna knock u down and take the ball, yur simply not going to get it. I give him good odds of making the final team here since he can play all back line positions. Flexibility is valuable with a small roster. See Ives article today saying Michael had the assist on the game winner for his team…from the LEFT BACK position. That means he can play any back position… very valuable
I think when you were taking that patronizing tone with the poster above, you meant to say ‘moot’ rather than ‘irrelevant’. Just thought I’d let you know.
Actually, Aston Villa’s issue was scoring, not defending their own net. They only conceded 53 goals over the season, which is roughly the same amount as top-half teams like Newcastle or Fulham. Surely that can’t mean that Brede Hangeland or Fabricio Coloccini are crap defenders?
Really? I don’t remember ever seeing anyone posting as, “Call Up Lichaj.” If that is true, then I apologize. I am all for open and spirited discussion and have absolutely no problem with someone voicing their opinion on controversial topics such as asserting that Klinsmann is favoring German-born and Hispanic players for the USMNT at the expense of others and then outlines the reasons why he/she believes so. What I cannot stand are regular posters who use a regular name on SBI and who want to take a stand on a potentially controversial subject and don’t have the guts to post under their usual (fake 🙂 name, but instead swoop in an for one thread to post their opinions under a new one-time-used pseudonym and then revert back to their normal name.
By the way, I am with you 100% on Lichaj, a good player who I think has a lot to offer the USMNT. But as I said in another post, after being injured almost a full season, my guess is that for his future it was decided that time off would be better for his development than a grueling Klinsmann camp and 5 games in 18 days. I hope a reporter will ask Klinsmann in coming days. I would like to know where he stands.
I understand that Parkhurst is an option at left back even though on the national level he has played at center, but I am surprised that neither Lichaj nor Spector were called in. I’m also surprised to see Agudelo get called in–it seems to me the best thing or him right now is to settle in with his new club–and play against his former one! Lastly, no Beasely is a stunning omission to me. Considering his current form I’d say h e’s one of the higher rated players to chose from right now.
How is that dramatic? He played there for Everton and has played both wings for the US many times over the years and frequently switches wings during the course of a game.
You can add Dolo and Johnson as overlapping backs if you are concerned about width.
Williams would not have been picked over DMB. DMB lost out to Zusi.
Wiliams is a better defender and a more versatile player than Sacha. And if these things matter, the Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Jupiter league.
And in the USMNT games under JK, Williams has looked more useful than Sacha.
And if Williams is a favorite of JK that trumps Sacha being a favorite of beachbum.
Why? Because JK is much more experienced at picking players and he knows a lot more about both players than beachbum does. Plus, it is his butt on the line if he chose the wrong favorites and he will pay for that.
If beachbum is wrong nothing happens to him.
So I side with the guy that has more experience and more on the line.
Going by the amount of CM’s my educated guess is that Klinsmann intends to use the Italian 4-3-1-2 formation. Makes total sense our strength is at CM/DCM, and Klinsmann wants to play Dempsey at CAM behind two strikers. Here is my final 23 man roster.
GK: Howard, Guzan
Defense: Dolo, Parkhurst, F.Johnson, Castillo, Boca, Gooch, Cameron, Goodson
Middies: Corona, Edu, Zusi, Bradley, Jones, Williams, Torres
FWDS: Donovan, Dempsey, Boyd, Altidore, Gomez, Wondo
Williams is a better defender than Sacha and more versatile.
maybe he meant the mexico game, where Mix and Gyau where singled out by the spanish press. I was surprised we didn’t get to see Gyau that much during the actual tournament.
Sacha plays as one of two central defensive midfielders for Anderlecht, He normally sits in front of the back four.
Is that what Zusi does for KC?
Rumor on the street is that Ream had Klinsy’s blessing to skip out. Remember, he had to bail on his honeymoon when he signed with Bolton and he is now headed to a much deserved honeymoon 6 months later. He owns it to his wife.
Yea, why on Earth didn’t he call up this websites MVP: Tim Ream?
1) Wondo is on fire right now.
2) Two entirely different positions.
3) Kljestan, under either manager, has never showed he has what it takes outside of one game against Sweden (or Norway, whoever it was).
Kljestan certainly isn’t a winger.
Bob Bradley isn’t the manager anymore?
What would I do if you weren’t around, GW?
Great to see Onyewu back in the defense, always have been a fan of his strength in the back. It’s starting to shape up to be a respectable squad, can’t wait to see what the boys can do in 2014!
Give Coach K a break guys…It’s his team, his call, his camp. At least he recognizes Dempsey and Donovan as forwards…maybe we will start scoring goals now…?
+1
I agree, plus in the league play Lichaj went against much better competition than Mexican league teams. EPL is a superior league.
This is just insane. Are you sating that it’s easier to score in MLS than against Barbuda?
The thing is Wondo does nothing but score. He hasn’t had a ton of chances recently because he hasn’t shown over the course of his career that he can score on an international level and he doesn’t do anything else. He’s not a hold up guy, he won’t set Jozy or Juan or Clint up particularly often. He doesn’t send it particularly good crosses. He stands in front of the goal, and finds a crease in the defense. Those creases are bigger in an MLS defense than they are in internationals, even for Antigua and Barbuda. He’s a poacher in MLS, and a poacher who can’t score at an international level isn’t worth repeated call-ups. Invite him to camps sure see if he’s figured it out yet, but I’m disappointed every time we start
Morales and Corona…don’t think either make the final cut but hope one or the other surprise big. still believe the Olympic team would have qualified with Morales as the destroyer in that midfield
the most dramatic change will be Landon on the right flank. The USMNT have been playing with a handcuff on that side of the field under Coach Klinnsman, now with Landon out there our boys could be lethal because many other areas have progressed nicely