By FRANCO PANIZO
The U.S. Men’s National Team super-sized roster just became a little leaner.
Maurice Edu, Corey Ashe and Brek Shea were forced to withdraw from the U.S. camp because of injuries, U.S. Soccer announced on Monday. Edu has been dealing with a sports hernia that Stoke City diagnosed after his loan with Bursaspor ended, Ashe suffered a groin strain in the Houston Dynamo’s 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City this past Sunday, and Shea is recovering from a right calf strain sustained while with Stoke.
Of the three players, Shea is the only one eligible to return. He will head to Dallas for individual treatment and be available to re-join his American teammates once deemed fit enough for full training, though no timetable has been set for Shea’s recovery.
Here is the updated 20-man roster that is currently in Cleveland preparing for Wednesday’s friendly against Belgium at FirstEnergy Stadium:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)
DEFENDERS (6): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)
—–
What do you think of Edu, Shea and Ashe being forced to leave camp? Worried by the lack of width the U.S. team has? Surprised by Klinsmann’s decision to not call in replacements?
Share your thoughts below.