By FRANCO PANIZO
On the same day that his federation revealed that the scheduled friendly against the U.S. Men’s National Team would be moved to Cyprus, Ukraine head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko revealed his roster for the match.
Veteran midfielders Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Oleh Husyev headline a 26-man Ukraine squad that is loaded with domestic players. Tymoschuk, the team captain and former Bayern Munich midfielder, and uncapped defender Andriy Pylyavskyi are the only two players on the roster that currently ply their trade away from their home nation.
Other notable players on Fomenko’s team include forward Yevhen Seleznyov, goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko.
In total, seven of the Ukrainians summoned represent Dynamo Kyiv, six play for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, and five suit up for Shakhtar Donetsk.
The friendly against the Americans, which was moved from Ukraine due to political unrest and violence in the country, is scheduled for March 5 at a venue in Cyprus that has yet to be named.
Here is Ukraine’s complete 26-man roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Rustam Khudzhamov (Illichivets Mariupol), Denis Boiko (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Defenders (7): Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Evgeny Makarenko (Dynamo Kiev), Yevgen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev), Artem Fedetsky (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Andriy Pilavskij (Maccabi Haifa, Israel)
Midfielders (13): Oleg Gusev (Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Roman Bezus (Dynamo Kiev), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kiev), Sergiy Sydorchuk (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Konoplyanka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Ruslan Rotan (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Mykola Morozyuk (Metalurh Donetsk), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mikhail Galovs′kij (Metalist Kharkiv), Denis Dedechko (FC Vorskla Poltava), Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Zenit Saint-Petersburg), Dmytro Homčenovs′kij (Zorya Lugansk)
Forwards (3): Yevgen Seleznyov (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Roman Zozulya (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Marko Devic (Metalist Kharkiv)
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What do you think of Ukraine’s roster? Do you see the Americans facing a stiff test in Cyprus? Which Ukrainian player worries you most?
Share your thoughts below.