Photo by USA Today Sports Images
By FRANCO PANIZO
Jurgen Klinsmann was not kidding when he said he would be looking at some younger players at the start of the new cycle.
Klinsmann unveiled his 22-man roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s first friendly of the new cycle on Thursday, and the head coach made good on his promise of including plenty of young faces for the Sept. 3 match against the Czech Republic in Prague.
The squad includes capped youngsters Julian Green, Bobby Wood and Alfredo Morales as well as six uncapped players in Greg Garza, Joe Gyau, Emerson Hyndman, Rubio Rubin, Cody Cropper, and Stanford University forward Jordan Morris.
There is a veteran presence on the squad, as forward Jozy Altidore, fullback Fabian Johnson and goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando were among those selected.
“We look at this as the start of our project towards Russia in 2018, and in this first step we get to look at many of our talented young players based in Europe,” said Klinsmann. “We have some great youngsters coming through the ranks that are starting to break through with their club teams and are ready to challenge for spots on the senior team, and even most of our World Cup veterans from Brazil on this roster will be coming into the prime of their careers in the next four years, so this is an exciting opportunity.”
Here is the full roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Nick Rimando, Brad Guzan, Cody Cropper
Defenders (7): John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Fabian Johnson, Greg Garza, Michael Orozco, Tim Ream
Midfielders (7): Alejandro Bedoya, Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, Julian Green, Emerson Hyndman, Alfredo Morales, Brek Shea
Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore, Joe Gyau, Rubio Rubin, Bobby Wood, Jordan Morris
—–
What do you think of this roster? Which youngsters’ inclusions or omissions surprise you? Does this squad have enough quality to get a result against the Czech Republic?
Share your thoughts below.