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Klinsmann names young 22-man USMNT squad for first friendly of new cycle

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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.

Comments

  1. Shea will probably play the full 90 and none of the young strikers will play. I’m really tired of Brek getting so many chances.

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  2. Morales is really the only defensive midfielder (aside from defenders who can play defensive midfield like Cameron and Ream). He’s probably going to play most of the game.

    Reply
  3. What you are going to get with this squad is a lot of youthful attacking technical exuberance with a butt load of pace.

    Their naivety may just run the Czechs off of the park.

    But my prediction is a 3-2 Czech Republic win.

    Reply
    • Cameron is injured. maybe Morales instead.

      This is a pretty attack-oriented group, Replacing Mix with FJ and giving Garza a start might work. I worry about how well the midfield you listed will handle the Czechs; if the back 4 are under attack a lot, it could get ugly, adding FJ to the midfield might help

      Reply
  4. And the blind loyalty to no score Altadore continues. At what point will JK ever admit hes a bust? I just looked at his stats for this season in Sunderland. In the first three games, he subbed on late in games #1 and #2, started game 3 and got and assist in a 3-0 win. Not exactly the kind of results that we need for a starting striker. If we’re looking at new young talent then forget Altadore. He is not the answer and the sooner we realize that, the better.

    Meanwhile Juan A.doesnt even get a call and yet Brek does. I give up. Why JK props up people that produce NOTHING just kills me. Guess Brad Davis was busy

    Reply
    • lol this comment is priceless. complaining about Jozy’s output yet asking why Agudelo, who hasn’t played in how long now, be included.

      but hey, you’re relying on two stats, goals and assists, instead of watching him and getting some context.

      Reply
    • I love how people are always just ready to move on. Maybe its because you can always just imagine some young kid is the next Messi. Not sure why everyone has a go at Shea. When’s the last time Bedoya produced anything? Would he start or play in the Premier league? We have to actually look at the players we have and stop pretending we have a ton of world class players no one’s seen.

      Reply
      • i think this is unfair to Bedoya. i like Shea but at least Bedoya is starting for his team in Ligue 1. cupcake goals in the Gold Cup are nice and all, but I’d rather take Bedoya who is training and playing hard in a top league every week.

        that said, sounds like Shea got his S together. so hopefully he gets a nice loan and can move up the depth charts for the US. when i saw the team practice in San Diego before the Gold Cup, i remember thinking that Shea looked a level above a lot of the other players. you could just tell he had something that separates himself from the rest. his issue is attitude.

      • I like both players, and enjoying watching Bedoya at Nantes. I didn’t really mean to knock him.
        My point is, yes Shea got in over his head at Stoke. However its hard to totally hold that against him when, we don’t have many other players at that level either. If the roster was full of guys starting every week in a top 4 league, then I’d question why he was getting called in. However that’s pretty far from the case.

    • Who is this AltAdore you speak of? I know of no AltAdore. If you are going to denigrate in favor of a guy who can’t get a team, at least get his name right.

      Reply
  5. On Morris, an athlete like a soccer player, who gets atleast 1 semester in can come back until the age of 35 (15 years I believe it may actually be) so that door will be open for him from now as he has finished one year. He played 21 games as a freshman for Stanford, 6 goals (2nd on the team) and 7 assists (led the team) in those games. Aaron Kovar, who was a teammate at Stanford, recently signed an HGP deal last offseason for Seattle.

    The plan was for him to sign this offseason but that may be accelerated now as Seattle would receive nothing in compensation (NCAA rules make it this way-child labor laws as well) if he left for some other Euro/Mexico squad

    Reply
  6. Like it. Have been following quite a few of the young guys, via the U-# teams, for awhile and looking forward to seeing what they can do – particularly Gyau, as a few others have called out. I put all my chips on the table with him and even bought a USA jersey with his name on the back 😉 Hopefully Rubin proves to be the real deal as well. Morales was another who stood out big time years back against Mexico (another U-# game).

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  7. Okay, I’ll say it. So much for players “earning” appearances on the national team. Remember, plenty of players have crashed out or level off from youth programs at elite clubs even after demonstrating great potential. Countless examples, Spector who was left off the roster, for one. I like the idea of youth, but this seems to be more speculation than strategic integration of youth. I hate to over analyze the first roster of the new cycle. I guess it sends a message that positions are open for competition, but it also sends a message that the best way to get a run out is to be younger and have less of a body of work to evaluate than the last guy.

    Reply
    • You would be kinda right but this is the European roster and its looking might slim over there these days except for some young guys.

      So we get young guys.

      Reply
      • Fair point. A sign of the times, I guess. We should all be proud of the progress MLS is making, regardless of personal league/development preferences.

    • That’s exactly right.

      Guys who have already proven that their upside is fringe participants aren’t ahead of guys who might be more.

      Seriously, what’s the point in bringing in borderline guys? If Spector or Lichaj is starting for us, we’re likely struggling to advance out of tough groups. They might come in as an injury replacement as one of the last guys on the roster, but I doubt it.

      There’s literally no reason to bring them in.

      Reply
      • I think you’re discounting the value of role players in search of a diamond in the rough. For every flash in the pan their’s a DMB that can help us get results while we strengthen the squad and build to the next level.

      • I don’t put much stock in quotes like these. I’ve come to terms with the fact that there really aren’t any rules that should be applied consistently. Every player and every situation is different. I guess my point was that even if every situation is different his actions can have both positive an negative results.

      • Smacking,

        First of all, these guys JK called up haven’t gotten on the field yet. More than a few of them may not play a minute.

        You can debate whether they deserved to get called in in the first place but to get an actual cap they will have to “earn it” on the training ground by being better than the other players present.

        If Morris, for example, looks like, well, a college kid, vs professionals in the training sessions, and looks in over his head, why would JK run him out vs. the Czechs?

        Second of all, American sports fans argue over the make up of team rosters in all pro sports all the time.

        One reason they do is because if you look at the NFL, the NBA, major league baseball or even NCAA football and basketball, there is almost literally, a ton of accessible information available to the American sports fan on just about every player out there going back to their high school days and earlier.

        Now look at the roster that JK just called up. Compare the information available to us on these kids vs that humongous data base I just referrred to and it is a fricking joke.

        How many of you even knew who Morris was? How many of you have seen the lesser known guys like Hyndman, Rubio, Morales, Wood , Cropper or Garza play more than a game or two, if that much? For that matter how many of you regularly get to see even the better known guys like Johannsson, Mix, Fabian,Lichaj, Spector, Packwood or Wood, play and train?

        If they were NFL or NBA prospects I’m betting we all would have had access to a much greater amount of diagnostic data on these guys than we all have now.

        The point is in the case of the USMNT it seems likely to me that the manager and his staff have a dramatically greater amount of up to date information on these players than the average person posting on SBI does.

        And you are correct, every player is different. To paraphrase what they say in the Pirate movies, they are not so much rules as they are guidelines.

  8. So would I be correct to assume that since Morris is still in college that he is unable to collect the money that comes with representing the national team as it would ruin his eligibility.

    Reply
  9. Doesn’t it seem like it would be a good idea for Yedlin to play as many USMNT games as possible for the probable work permit issue? I may be wrong. Perhaps it is already a supposed done deal. Does anybody have additional info?

    Reply
    • Maybe we should wait to showcase him in Mexico, where he created the goal that beat Mexico at Azteca for the first time in history.

      Shea has contributed and will continue to contribute.

      Reply
  10. There is certainly an anticipatory element to this roster, in that several of these players are not particularly ready to contribute at this level, but they might be in a few years: Hyndman, Rubin, Morris, even Wood and Gyau. But, JK will get a look at them, get a chance for some face time with them, and basically all the young players will get to see what it means to be in a National Team camp. Then two or three years down the road, when there pro careers are perhaps more stabilized, they will have this experience under their wing and be ready to make a difference on the international level.

    Reply
    • You got it.

      He’s planting seeds in the minds of the next group of young players moving up the ranks.

      This is a big year for Gyau. Hyndman and Rubin are ahead of the curve.

      Reply
  11. LOVEEEEE the roster. Exactly what I was hoping for, and I feel the Shea inclusion is mostly to showcase him to teams for a potential loan.

    Reply
      • but Shea is in shape, Agudelo has just been training on his own. can’t showcase someone who isn’t in shape or form. either way, i would have been ok with him in camp. anything would help.

  12. —————————–Orozco———————-
    Orozco——————–Orozco————Orozco
    —————–Orozco———–Orozco———-
    Orozco—Orozco————-Orozco——Orozco-
    ————————–Orozco———————————–

    Reply
  13. Only two names on the list I am not happy to see…Garza and Shea. Shea isn’t playing, and Garza isn’t good enough to be a national team player. Living in San Diego, I have seen Garza extensively with TJ, both on TV and in person at Estadio Caliente.

    Reply
    • Fact is a lot of guys here aren’t playing for Premier league level sides. Yes, Shea got in over his head but he had a decent preseason by most accounts. Scored a brace, in a reserves match a week or so ago. Maybe it helps him get a move somewhere.

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    • leaving in San Diego and also seen Garza both on TV and in person, i disagree. i think, at 23, he can absolutely be good enough. we’ll find out.

      Reply
    • I’m excited to see the development of both Shea and Garza. Garza can play. Both guys have plenty to offer the USMNT. JK wants them to know that they have a shot if they continue to develop. Nothing wrong with that at all.

      Reply
    • Rimando is the only MLS player on the roster, and I am surprised to see him there. Otherwise, you would have guys like Bradley, Gil, Yedlin, Zardes, etc., in camp.

      Reply
      • I agree with patience (I wouldnt be surprised to see him called for the US based friendly). He looked legit against Seattle last week. Probably was the most effective player on San Jose not named Wondo- who I hate even more cause of Belgium

    • glad to see you are promoting your friend here, but lets be serious. He plays for a 3rd division here in the states who he hasnt yet recorded a professional goal for. on top of this he is a 5’7″ forward. nothing about him right now even whispers “potential wc 2018 squad member.”

      Reply
  14. A few thoughts;

    Klinsmann wasn’t joking about giving Guzan and Rimando the opportunity to win the #1 spot with Timmy out for a year since Rimando is the only MLS player brought over and one of only 4 from North America at all.

    Shea gets thrown another life rope. Klinsmann has always been a supporter and I get that to an extent because with his physical ability he could be great if he ever gets his head on straight. He’s too much of an “artiste” personality for me though. But that’s just my opinion, I really do hope he does well some day.

    Awesome to see all of the youngsters. I had no clue who Jordan Morris was until a day or two ago and now he gets called up? Absolute shocker there but if he’s half as good as what I’ve read about him he’s definitely one for the future.

    Who captains this team? Rimando is the oldest but believe it or not, Jozy is the most capped! I’d imagine Guzan starts and plays the first half anyway. I’m all for Captain Jozy though I know a lot of people won’t be. Rimando, Guzan, and Altidore are the only 3 I can really see wearing the armband in this group. Kinda makes me think Guzan and Rimando might split it between the halves.

    Reply
      • Well Cameron is injured so I’d be surprised if he isn’t dropped for someone else in the next couple days.

      • I think JK wants to make sure Alitdore has psychological validation and this helps. Sunderland is doing him no good mentally – but here he will be the top striker beyond doubt and will get good minutes and possibily some good opporunities to get back amongst the goals against a Czech side that will likely be experimental, as well.

        It’s a good new role for Jozy, as well. He is becoming a veteran and will be a leader in the group over the next four years

    • Klinsmann has seen Shea get results for the USMNT.

      Young players sometimes have mental struggles that hinder their performance and then break through at some point. JK is expecting that from Shea.

      When you get down to brass tacks, Shea is a threat to create a goal every time he is on the field. He has numerous traits and skills that translate to opportunities. There aren’t too many players like that in the USMNT pool right now. That’s also why Green and Yedlin went to Brazil. Shea would have occupied one of their spots had he been able to get consistent playing time.

      Klinsmann is opening the door for him to walk through.

      Reply
      • Agreed about Shea which I guess I didn’t make very clear in my post. Consistency has always been his biggest problem though. Which is why I referred to him as an “artiste”. He’s capable of producing works of art on the field no doubt but when he’ll do it seems to be a mystery to everyone including himself.

      • He is temperamental. A bit rash, even. He seems to get along well with the other players, but doesn’t always do well with structure or pressure.

        He’s an incredible physical specimen. He’s incredi-fast, can pass the ball really well, and has good feet. Not to mention that he’s left-footed. Oh yeah, dude’s like 6’2″ or something and gets to top speed in a flash. He can break down players and beat them to the baseline pretty regularly. Brek’s a one-man fast-break as well. Get him the ball in space and you have an immediate high percentage scoring opportunity.

        He just hasn’t put together the professional mentality yet. If he ever does that, he’ll be a potent weapon for club and country on a consistent basis. That’s when players start honing their play from the mental side…not wasting opportunities, not playing the back-pass, etc.

      • A very good assessment of the player and his role in the pool.

        Sometimes a weak mental game is enough to get a guy railroaded, but not in a case like this…. I think JK believes he can unlock this problem where others are failing him. As long as Brek is contributing (and we don’t have anybody else who fits his unique role) I think it’s not such a bad thing.

      • Agree. Keep capping him when you can, keep building his confidence, keep putting a foot up his butt…sometimes guys take awhile to grow up…sometimes they never do.

        Who knows which way it’ll go? If Shea ever decides to be great, though, he can.

        One omission that surprises me a bit is Gyasi Zardes…though this is largely an all-European squad. Might he have been left off for the same reason as Yedlin – lot of MLS games in that time frame? You’d certainly think he’d rate higher than, say, Morris, however high Klinsmann may be on him. Zardes is by a bunch the most physically talented striker in the US pool, bigger, faster, and more athletic even than Altidore…my suspicion is, once Zardes gets into the USMNT setup, he might be very difficult for anybody to get back out.

      • I think it’s an MLS thing w Zardes… very few in this team. Could be he will be in the the next group– we shall see. I couldn’t agree more about getting him a look– he has blown up anything I had thought about where his ceiling might be. I don’t see any way he’s escaped JK’s attentions… we’ll be seeing him soon and I am def looking forward to it.

  15. wow, no Lichaj is surprising only because there is no reason to not have him. Morris is a surprise. even though Shea hasn’t played first team, he has still been playing in preseaon and reserve games i believe. so while it seems surprising no Agudelo, dude just hasn’t played in way too long.

    i think Spector and Packwood would have been good to bring along and i really don’t understand the Rimando inclusion. seems like a lot of travel just to back up Guzan.

    Reply
    • and of course, Cameron being included makes this a 21 man roster. he is probably just going so the US staff can take a look.

      Reply
  16. So were really only gona have one game during this window? Interesting group, very experimental which I dont know if I really like. I thought one of our problems last cycle was a lack of familiarity, which is due to never having the same group of guys together. I would go with this 11

    —————————–Altidore———————-
    –Wood——————–Diskerud————Bedoya
    —————–Morales———–Hyndmann———-
    Johnson—Brooks————-Cameron——Chandler-
    ————————–Guzan———————————–

    Reply
  17. —————–Jozy—————–
    Shea———Green———Bedoya
    ——Hyndman—Diskerud——
    Garza—Ream—Brooks—Johnson

    Reply
    • —————–Jozy—————–
      Green———Corona———Bedoya
      ——Morales———Diskerud——
      Chandler—Orozco—Brooks—Johnson
      —————Guzan——————

      Reply
  18. Best guess at a lineup:

    Guzan
    F. Johnson, Cameron, Brooks, Ream; Morales; Mix; Bedoya, Corona, Green; Jozy.

    Basically a 4-1-1-3-1.

    Reply
      • I would not be surprised to see Cameron sent back to England and Packwood called in. A little baffle that didn’t happen in the first place.

      • Yeah I thought we’d see Packwood for sure even if Cameron wasn’t hurt….that makes it even more surprising

    • This lineup is what I was thinking too….that’s of course until I heard about the injury to GC smdh. This has to be the year that Mix makes a midfield role his own or else

      Reply
      • although we could see Orozco get the partnership alongside Brooks at CB which would leave Ream at LB, so all is still right again in the world! I’m sorry but I don’t see Garza starting at LB just yet!

    • I don’t understand the need to rush everyone into the national team. Even if he was eligible what has he done to merit a USMNT callup? And don’t get me wrong, I hope Zelalem chooses the US and earns 150 caps while leading Arsenal to tons of trophies (ok the part about Arsenal winning things was just a joke) but not yet.

      Reply
  19. ——Guzan
    —-Ream–Brooks—-
    FJo—————–Chandler
    —-Hyndman–Mix——-
    Bedoya————–Green
    —–jozy———-Gyau—-

    Reply
    • I see a lot of people clamoring for Hyndman to start, and there’s been a lot of rave about him, but he’s on a pretty bad team.

      On the other hand, we have Alfredo Morales, a guy who’s gone the full 90 every match this season and most of the last, for a team near the top of the table. He’s also a more defensive minded mid (to complement the offensively-minded Mix).

      If Danny Williams were healthy, I’d expect him to be starting. Barring that, I think Morales is gonna get the nod. We haven’t seen him much for the US, but he’s been a complete beast in his limited appearances. Dominated Mexico’s U-23s pre-Olympic Qualifying and looked very strong in limited minutes against one recent European opponent (Belgium, I think) even though the rest of the squad was bad.

      Reply
      • Klinsmann is a pecking order guy, barring injury the regulars will start and then newbies he likes in camp will get capped as subs.

        But then we say this and Yedlin swapped in for a hurt FJ.

      • “Klinsmann is a pecking order guy,”

        JK made it clear after the World Cup that these games were all going to be about experimenting and the kids so the pecking order business, which JK has never been afraid to violate, is probably out the window.

      • That’s the point…he’s still shining despite being on a bad Fulham team. To be fair, I think they’ll turn it around, but right now they’re bad. They’ll finish in a playoff spot, at worst, once they start to gel.

      • hasn’t he only played one official game though? no doubt the kid looks good, but “shining” seems a bit strong given his one game.

      • “shining” seems a bit strong given his one game.”

        Hyndman is the new Xavi did you not know?

        THomas saw that after one game which is a lot of time given how much hoopla 20 good minutes can raise with USMNT fans.

        Why do you doubt the ability of SBI people to see world class talent after 5 minutes on a field?

      • i know, forgive me. what was i thinking questioning that?!

        US fans; quick to anoint, quick to bash. have to love kneejerk reactions!

      • i know, forgive me. what was i thinking questioning that?!

        US fans; quick to anoint, quick to bash. have to love kneej3rk (yes, that had to be edited) reactions!

      • i think you’re right. the starting CM pairing is going to be Mix and Morales. Hyndman is a bench option and is in camp for JK to get a good first look. i think Hogatroge has it about right. although, as JK explained at the WC, Brooks is a left-sided CB while Orozco has been playing RCB or RB for Puebla. so with that, and a few other changes, i think it’ll be:

        —————–—Jozy—————–———
        FJ—–———Corona————–Bedoya
        ——–Morales———Diskerud————
        Garza——Brooks-—Orozco—Chandler
        ——————-Guzan————————

      • I am probably in the minority, but I still think Corona is better than Diskerud. I think Corona plays in a better league and I think he plays more minutes. Plus, he got as far as the semi-final with the Xolos team that played in the Copa Sudamerica.

      • Honestly, I am with you as well (on all points). However, I think they are slightly different players in that Mixx is can be more of a playmaker whereas Corona seems to be more of wing/withdrawn forward/attacker in what I have seen of him.

      • in a small 21 man camp, Spector would be just fine. clearly JK agrees with you about Lichaj, but he’s a 25 year old fullback who can play both sides. again, in a small, quick camp like this, i don’t see why he shouldn’t get a look.

      • I don’t get the Lichaj thing at all. He was good enough to start in the Gold Cup Final and good enough to get minutes in the EPS so the least he should get is a chance. I’m not a fan of his but I think he has earned the right for a face to face audition.

      • Plus the fact that in the 2009 Confederations Cup he played quite a bit and played quite well. Doubt he has a chance to play in the next WC, but he certainly could provide use as a backup in case of injuries during future qualifying.

      • Licha looked like a nervous wreck and I’ve seen turtles faster than Spector (or Ream for that matter).

      • JK said just after the World Cup that he was going way young with these early friendlies trying to see what these kids have to offer.

        I am assuming JK has seen enough of Spector and Lichaj, who may not yet be back to full fitness anyway, to know what they have to offer.

    • Lichaj hasn’t played much this season. After all these years, we just have to move on. Klinsi isn’t interested. He wants to see youth.

      Ream > Lichaj in his mind at the moment.

      Reply
      • Not this season, since he’s been recovering from an injury.

        That said, he’s getting subbed in every match, which means the management obviously rate him and probably see him as the starter when fit.

      • we’re both wrong, his season so far:

        – Eric Lichaj came off the bench and played three minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 win vs. Blackpool on Saturday.

        – Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win vs. Tranmere Rovers in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

        – Eric Lichaj came off the bench and played four minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw vs. Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

        – Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win vs. AFC Bournemouth.

        – Eric Lichaj came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 4-0 win vs. Reading on Saturday. (did not start since he played the Tuesday right before this game against AFC)

        – Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 win vs. Huddersfield Town in the Capital One Cup.

        played 90 minutes in 3 games, subbed on in 3 games. go figure. in 6 games, 540 minutes, he has played 322 minutes. just under 60% of total minutes thus far.

      • That said, I think he started at LB in their last match, but I think that was his first start this season.

      • Nottingham Forest = 1st place in Championship
        Bolton = 22nd place in CHampionship

        both players play the same position for there teams (normally).

        Lichaj has less minutes, but he is coming off injury and playing for the best team in the Championship. Ream is playing for one of the worst.

        I want both players there. I am just annoyed that Lichaj cannot get his chance when he deserves it. For those who has claimed he has not proved himself, he has not had a chance too in the Klinsmann era. I want to see his chance.

      • Club level means nothing. Individual performance matters. Ream has been playing well at LB and CB for the past two years.

      • Yea, because we all would have been just as excited if green had been playing for hoffenheim and not Bayern, right?

      • “I am just annoyed that Lichaj cannot get his chance when he deserves it. For those who has claimed he has not proved himself, he has not had a chance too in the Klinsmann era.”

        Maybe he doesn’t get chances because he is not that good with the US..

        He was with the JK’s team for a two games, Scotland and Austria in the fall of 2013. He did not do enough in the games or training to unseat Brad Evans.

        Lichaj hung around Villa for about four years without ever really winning a full time job. When he don’t impress manager after manager you have to wonder.

        He may yet develop at Forest but right now there is a pretty long line of Americans in front of him at right back and left back is not a position he likes ( his words) or particularly excels at.

        Right now he is mediocre. The USMNT can do better.

        .

      • Except Garza just turned 23 twelve days ago and Lichajis close to 26 years old meaning he will be nearly 30 by the next World Cup. Spector is 28 and is not in the running for the next World Cup at all. So I think that would be the reasoning. Honestly I expect Garza and Klute to battle for 2018 while Im sure others will be involved (Chandler?)

      • Kellyn Acosta as a long shot!

        He plays in back for Dallas. Super young though and needs to build up his game time too but he is like Dallas’s very own David Alaba.(Not that good of course.) A full back who may secretly be a midfielder.

  20. Experimental would be an understatement. Some interesting new names, with Jordan Morris being the biggest shock inclusion by far. Juan Agudelo a somewhat surprising exclusion.

    Reply
      • Recently scored a goal with the U-23s v. the Bahamas. Played collegiately at Stanford, and I think he has been in the Sounders system. Don’t know a ton about him, either, to be honest.

      • A quick Google search pulled up some teen wannabe actor. So a refined search with the keyword “soccer” pulled up the following:
        – Seattle youth player
        – Was playing for the u23s a few months back
        – Maybe playing for Stanford

        Call me shocked. But if there’s one position Klinsi would know how to scout for, it’s striker.

      • Sounders Academy kid. Sophmore at Stanford. His bio from last year reads:
        Named to All-Pac-12 First Team
        Led all conference freshmen in assists (7) and points (19) and tied for lead in goals (6)
        Finished second on the team with 19 points

        Earned three caps with the US U20 National Team at the Toulon Tournament in France

        I want to say we offered him a Homegrown contract (or it was Darwin Jones) and he turned it down to go to college another year. He trained at Everton and maybe another PL team last spring break. I would watch for him to be signed this winter

      • Don’t forget that the pre-World Cup camp was at Stanford. The Stanford soccer team was used to help get our boys ready for the World Cup, and Jurgen got to see a lot of young Jordan Morris. Obviously he must have impressed. That Stanford-World Cup camp connection (besides his youth USMNT work) is probably the main reason why we are seeing a college kid in a USMNT camp.

      • Jordan Morris was the U-18 National POTY in 2013. Scored 27 goals in 28 games for the Sounders academy that year as a Senior in High School. He would have already been signed by Seattle but he wanted to go to Stanford (father was adamant). Was a bit of surprise omission for U-20 World Cup. He is strong, fast, and plays that way as well. Kind of the way some wish Jozy would play. He has a BRIGHT future. IF he sees the field he would be the first collegiate player to gain a cap or the senior team since 1995 I believe.

        He has also trained with Everton’s youth and there is some speculation that Seattle wants to sign him now since they are worried he gets poached by a European club.

      • By the way the same coaches in the Sounders syste, scouts as well, believe he has more upside than Yedlin at the same age. That is saying something

      • Klinsi might also be setting up a post USMNT camp trial with a club team.. Gets some teams some extra looks

    • Apparently he still plays for Stanford though he is a homegrown Sounders player. Not sure why an aspiring soccer player would continue to waste time playing college soccer but it hasn’t stopped him getting a USMNT callup.

      Reply
      • Smart decision by the young man. He must be listening to his parents. How many young players have flamed out in MLS, making the league minimum and then they’re out on the street waiting tables or working at Home Depot the next year? It happens all the time.

        Get that Stanford degree for free young man! Brilliant.

      • Yes, he should abandon education for a shot at playing soccer professionally until he has some serious injury that ends it. There is really no point in a college education, especially if you are already bright enough to get into Stanford.

      • Perhaps he wants to get a degree so he can earn a living?

        Anyway, some guys like the comradery of the college team, and don’t want to give that up for a long shot at a pro career.

      • Jordan Morris is good enough to be a pro right now. He just chose college. He trained with the US in Stanford before they went to Brazil and is a Seattle HG. I’m pretty sure he’ll be there next season.

      • That’s nice but did you know that people can go to college after they have pursued a sports career?

        If his chosen career is playing soccer, playing a handful of super low level games in the fall against future dentists and engineers is not a good way to prepare for it.

      • Fortunately Jordan Morris is the exception, rather than the rule. If our best players continued to play 3-4 years of college soccer, we would have absolutely no chance of progressing as a soccer nation.

      • A degree at Stanford costs well over $60,000 per year. Technically he’s making more money and providing himself with more of an opportunity by going the Stanford route.

        He has been seen in USMNT camps. JK must have really liked him in the pre-WC camp.

      • Slowleftarm, without a college degree most players would never be able to pay for a Stanford education if a soccer career doesn’t work for them. The best thing for Morris in this case would be to get a Generation Adidas contract with MLS. Then he can leave college for a pro contract but still have the remainder of his college paid for per the Gen Adidas deal.

      • He wont get a Generation Adidas deal. He will be Seattle’s off cap above minimum HGP once Yedlin is gone. In fact it could happen soon since MLS could bend the rule since Yedlin is a Spurs player pretty much.

        There is real concern that someone in Europe will poach him. I would rather he stayed at home (Im biased tho) and learn from Dempsey. Cant hurt to practice everyday with the Captain of the National Team

      • It was not. Aspiring pro soccer players should not be wasting time playing college ball if they have other options, which Morris certainly does. Gee, I wonder what’s better preparation – playing for the Sounders in front of 40,000+ fans alongside Dempsey and Martins or playing with some guys who are going to be applying to grad school in a few years. Hmmm.

      • He’s at Stanford. Presumably, he’s bright. It seems to be working out for him so far. Top shelf education AND a call up to the USMNT.

        Klinsmann seems to be supportive of this path, at least in his case. Does anyone know if he had an opportunity to play for first team Sounders and turned it down? Maybe he likes poetry.

        BTW re: Thomas’ comment on the value of a Stanford education: iI wonder if he’s getting a full ride. Pretty unusual.

      • I don’t think any of us here are in a position to judge what is best for this young man. We have no idea where his interests lie, what his potential is or hardly anything about him

      • Slow, I have to say that I completely disagree with you on this one. First of all, you are making the assumption that he would actually make the full squad and play. You fail to see that he could not end being a super star, but just a very descent or above average pro and DOES NOT have a career ending injury. There is a an article of a player that just retired today because of concussions. Additionally. he could be injury plagued liked Holden. The only thing that saved Holden is the fact that he made $2-4 million a year for 4 years, so he has a nest egg. Eddie Gaven was Stud as a youth, where did his career go? Bobby Convey faired a little better, but still

        There are too many “if’s”. If he was going to junior college, go pro. However, you get a full ride at Stanford, Berkeley, Duke etc., you go for at least 2 years then go pro at 19/20 (still young if you have). If things don’t pan out hopefully, take loans for the last 2 years. Most stud prospects, do not develop into stud professional footballers in the US.

      • slow left arm is absolutely correct. Morris may be an outlier but if all our players went to college our national team would be very poor.

      • I tend to agree but it’s not just any college. It’s Stanford. You get a chance like that, you take it. The assumption that everyone has to take the exact same path to the soccer promised land is absurd.

      • Because short of playing in Europe it’s better for him than Seattle reserves. He would actually PLAY. Regularly.

      • This^ It is highly unlikely he would be seeing many first team minutes with Seattle this year. Dempsey and Martins in the attack plus Barrett (who may get 10 goals in less than 2000 minutes as a reserve) and even Kenny Cooper in his way.

        Seattle will sign him to an HGP deal along with Darwin Jones (watch out for him down the line as well- scored a hat trick in preseason for Univ. Of Wash against the Sounders)

      • slowleftarm: as a point of reference, Yedlin is also a Sounders homegrown player and played college soccer for two years before being offered a contract with the Sounders team. Needless, to say, that arrangement worked out very well for everyone.

      • I agree this is the likely explanation. However, if it had been my mom who made the decision, she would’ve told Juan, “Why can’t you be more like that Jordan Morris? Here is a boy with a plan for his life! A college degree. A STANFORD degree! And nice internership with playing with a professional soccer club! And you’ve just spent the last 5 months bumming around Europe like a no-good, no-job hoodlum. Come back when you’ve straightened your head out!”

    • Agudelo is an interesting omit because he would seem to slot right into the “marginal who knows” level alongside Shea, Ream, Gyau, Garza, Morales. The game screams experiment hence no risk in bringing him in experimentally.

      So there’s a personality conflict, he asked to be left out, JK doesn’t like him, something.

      Reply
      • yeah, the more i think about it maybe it is a bit strange. but JK has always been a BIG fan of Agudelo. so this is either new club related (hopefully) or he just isn’t at a place to be playing for the US.

      • I think Agudelo needs to find a place to play and spend time with that team. US friendlies are nice but… the season started. He needs to find a home now rather than in 3 weeks.

      • for sure, i find it ridiculous he is still a free agent. mostly because of the reports that he’s had multiple offers that he either rejected or the club pulled out of because his agent was asking for more $$$.

      • I didn’t assume anything, I started rattling off a list of possibilities which include the coach and he not getting along. Or he’s looking for a new team and there is no issue. It’s all guessing, we don’t know.

        But, my point is that he is at the same level or perhaps better than some of the experimental players brought in, many have had their own ups and downs with the team — Shea in particular has had some awful games — but they got called in just the same. So if this was just “he needs to prove himself,” JK seems to be giving a lot of players that chance in the callup itself. A lot of these guys aren’t playing much or have been out of the picture just the same. He’s basically the same as them,

        Which suggests that the reason he’s not there is not so much that we aren’t tinkering with experimental players of his type, as that something else is going on. Either he is being left alone to nest somewhere, or there is a Lichaj or Landon situation where the coach either doesn’t fancy or like him. Because otherwise to most people he rates at the level of the callups.

      • IV,

        “Which suggests that the reason he’s not there is not so much that we aren’t tinkering with experimental players of his type, as that something else is going on. Either he is being left alone to nest somewhere, or there is a Lichaj or Landon situation where the coach either doesn’t fancy or like him. Because otherwise to most people he rates at the level of the callups.”

        You don’t know why Agudelo was excluded.

        There are lots of reasonable possibilities for Juan’s exclusion , personality conflict being just one of them but you chose to mention it anyway. So forgive me for thinking that “suggests “ that you rate personality conflict near the top of your list of possibilities.

        I don’t think the exclusion says much of anything about Juan.

        The transfer window may not apply to Juan because I think he is a free agent but still he needs to find a new club and needs to get into to camp with them right away once he signs. This is a very involved distracting process and is not an ideal time to be called up for a friendly.

        So it is entirely possible JK left Juan out there to focus on getting that done.

        Juan is a reasonably well known candidate to JK and the USMNT.

        The very next step for Juan to become a USMNT regular is also blatantly obvious, get a job and start playing regularly at the most competitive level he can find. Once he does that and gets going there should be plenty of opportunities to get Juan A. back in the fold.

        Guys like Morris and Wood are far less familiar to the USMNT staff.

        Of course it is possible that JK has some unknown deep seated hatred of Juan . Or maybe he hates Colombians and found a way to sabotage the proposed friendly.

        Perhaps someone can tweet Jon Klinsmann and ask him?

    • Seems to me that Klinsmann is serious about giving Guzan and Rimando both ample opportunity to earn the starting spot. Wouldn’t be surprised to see both at the Ecuador game and the Ireland game either.

      Reply
      • I agree. Because we’ve been so spoiled at this position Rimando has never really had the benefit of a fair crack as the first choice goalkeeper for the the “A” group. And its perfectly consistent with the message that all spots on the team are won via competition.

        I have no problem with it. Rimando has been by all accounts an absolutely first-class leader and everything you could ever want from a third keeper. And his play is just as sharp as ever, so why not?

      • There’s been no real need to resolve the issue. I think Howard missed some games for his back but otherwise he owned it. It would be wise to open it up. Guzan to me roller coasters so this might keep him honest.

      • “Rimando has never really had the benefit of a fair crack as the first choice goalkeeper for the the “A” group.”

        That is untrue. I’d be perfectly happy with Nick as the #1 but he is not as good as Howard or Guzan. There is nothing unfair about that..

        He has had precious few chances to prove it but that is the nature of the position. It is just his bad luck to play a position where only one guy plays and there was a log jam ahead of him.

      • Bad luck, fair crack… I don’t know how different these things are when you are the the guy trying to show you deserve something. But he’s handled it well and I’m glad he hasn’t been written out of the plot while he is not showing decline.

    • Regarding this issue, I just looked it up. Rimando is 35 (he’s almost as old as Tim Howard) and Guzan is 30. For the next WC, Rimando will be 39 and Guzan 34. 39 is pretty old even for a GK, while 34 is pretty much their prime. So, why Rimando is a good question.

      Reply
      • “39 is pretty old even for a GK, while 34 is pretty much their prime.”

        That is old even for a GK but not too old, especially when you consider a WC is at most 7 games long.

        When Friedel was 39-40 he was putting in 38 games a season for Aston Villa and still as good or better than Timmy Howard at that time.

        Age alone is no reason to rule out Rimando.

      • There’s a big difference between a 7 day turn-around and 3 day turn-around in terms of rest and recovery.

      • He’s a good squad player and he could play in a pinch. I doubt they would want to throw Cody Cropper out there.

    • It’s certainly interesting and its the perfect time to do it. I wouldn’t be too shocked if we lost just due to the amount of new players in the team. The defense is solid though.

      Reply
    • Agreed. I’m usually one to call for more youths and even I’m shocked by the age of these guys. Morris?

      But I like it. This is a game to bleed in youths and let them shine. Nothing to lose, something to gain.

      My starting (assuming Cameron is fit):

      —————–Guzan————-
      Chandler-Cameron-Brooks-Garza
      ————Mix—Hyndman——–
      FJ———–Corona——-Bedoya
      —————Jozy—————–

      But I’d love to toss FJ instead of Garza, Gyau instead of Bedoya, and start Green.

      Morales has been playing a lot and I know he can play DM. So he may earn the start over Hyndman.

      Reply
      • i can’t believe there were people trying to say they wouldn’t get a call up for this game. the writing was on the wall.

      • Can’t help it. I set that up years ago as an experiment and it’s tagged to my email address because of some obscure website.

        I’d argue with my mug too!

      • Seriously, there is just so few guys in Europe, they almost had to be. Also Klinsmann had already said he was going young.

      • That’s fair. I didn’t think these guys had done anywhere near enough to get USMNT callups. I actually still think that but evidently JK disagreed.

        Should be interesting to see some of these guys though. The friendlies this fall are the time in the cycle to experiment and see what’s out there in the pool before we get a little more serious leading up to the Gold Cup.

      • I’ll eat some crow. Don’t know if I specifically disagreed with you, but I’m shocked to see Rubin there much more so than Hyndman.

      • Why do you make your guess at a starting 11 then write that you would rather have three different players than you picked?

        Voices again?

      • That nice and all but I’m pretty sure we are going to lose this game. I hope no one overreacts and calls for these kids head if we do. Our pool is really deep so we have to filter them out early now.

      • Don’t get too down. The Czech’s may very well do the same thing. Very few teams will be trotting out their A squad for the next 6 months

      • Uh, this game is warm-up friendly for the Czechs before they play the Dutch in a Euro qualifier a few days later…so they absolutely will be bringing an A squad.

      • They are going to have a regional tournament every year for 3 years mid cycle, which will provide a lengthy chance to gel and work with the full senior team. There is going to be substantial turnover this cycle so I think they need to churn the pool now.

      • Agree completely. Gotta start sifting now. Really want to see Garza get meaningful time. We are looking pretty solid at RB but LB is a bit of a hole. Garza, Klute, etc need to get time there. If we can find a LB rather quickly (next year plus) then we have pretty much figured the backline out. Im REALLY excited about Morris. Just worried that someone is gonna poach him from the Sounders in Europe, He already trained with Everton’s youth. Seattle may not be able to wait to offer him a HGP contract. He would have been with the squad had his family not been adamant about going to Stanford.

      • I think we’ll see Ream start at LB…..this is a majority young team and I think JK will bleed the uncapped players into these games slowly but surely to not only see what they have but also if they can help out in certain situations. I can also see Juergen starting FJ at RB, Green at LM and Bedoya at RM

      • Do you think Mix defends enough to play that deep? I always saw him higher up the field. He is a good tackler, but never seems as willing to defend as others.

      • he can absolutely play as a traditional #8-type, but if he isn’t in Corona’s position, then my guess is Morales starts next to him to take on most of the defensive duties. either way, Mix will have to show improvement in his two-way play if Corona gets the start in that more forward position.

    • I wonder about 3 guys–Danny Williams, Lichaj, and Packwood. I know Williams has been out injured, but think the other 2 are fit. He could certainly leave off Shea as he knows what he brings to the table, but Packwood and Lichaj have had very few chances under JK. Other than that, it’s about as meaningless as a friendly can get,m so might as well experiment.

      Reply

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