By ADAM TROXTELL
He won’t have Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore at his disposal, but Jurgen Klinsmann still managed to call in an MLS-heavy roster loaded with nine members of the 2014 U.S. World Cup team to face Mexico on Wednesday in San Antonio at a sold-out Alamo Dome.
Out of the 22-man squad, 13 play for MLS clubs and one, Miguel Ibarra, plays in the NASL. Recent Tottenham debutant DeAndre Yedlin and on-loan attacker Julian Green are the only European-based players to be called up for a match that isn’t being played on a FIFA date, which means clubs aren’t obligated to release players. MLS and Liga MX have agreed to release players for the match for both squads.
Without the injured Dempsey suspended Altidore, Klinsmann’s attack is completely new compared to the team that faced Switzerland and Denmark. Gyasi Zardes keeps his place, while Juan Agudelo and Chris Wondolowski enter the frame.
“It’s different compared to how we were put together in Switzerland and in Denmark, and I see this kind of a game as a huge opportunity for players to come in and play in front of a sold-out stadium and loud crowd, a lot maybe pro-Mexico,” Klinsmann said in an interview released by U.S. Soccer. “But these are the games where you mature and where you try to express yourself and show what you have, and therefore we are thankful that we can play this game.”
Mix Diskerud and Matt Besler return to the squad after missing the trip to Europe, while Brek Shea keeps his place as a left back. Five players — William Yarbrough, Ventura Alvarado, Greg Garza, Michael Orozco and Joe Corona — will see some familiar faces in the opposition, since they all currently play in Liga MX.
Here is the full USMNT squad for the match against Mexico:
GOALKEEPERS: Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Break Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Julian Green (Hamburg), Jordan Morris (Stanford University), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
———
Much like the U.S., Mexico will also be missing its top European-based players for the match. Here is the Mexico roster for Wednesday’s friendly.
What do you think of the roster? See the U.S. beating Mexico?
Share your thoughts below.
Bill Hamid sucks why is he getting called in over and over…
Robles deserved a call and its long overdue
Wow, no one noticed the typo of “Break” Shea in the list of player names? Pretty apropos typo for his time at LB for the MNT so far…
Does anyone on this site realize that the U23 team plays next week against Mexico? The only U23 played called in for this match are the ones not really playing. Calm down clamoring for Kitchen and other young people. There is a reason they weren’t called.
Just curious if we’re about to see another shot at the 3-5-2 ….
Back 3 of Orozco, Omar, Besler,
Wingbacks of Yedlin & Shea
Midfield 3 of MB, Beck, Mix(or Nguyen)
And 2 guys playing forward…
Just curious….
Klinsmann’s whole “I’m calling up an NASL player!” thing in regards to Ibarra was cool and all, but I think now he’s at the point where he needs to see if the guy can actually contribute. He doesn’t figure in to Klinsmann’s youth initiative (i.e. Morris, Green, guys who will likely play a part in either U-20’s or Olympics). Ibarra’s 25. The staff obviously sees something they like from him in camp (hence the continued calls), but camp performance and game performance are two completely different things. This is now his fifth consecutive camp and what will be the ninth game he’s been available for selection. Do Klinsmann and his staff really know anything more about Ibarra’s ability to contribute against high level competition now than they did six months ago? I mean, I get wanting to bring a guy along slow and allowing him to adjust, but at some point, the guy can either play at this level or he can’t. With the Gold Cup rapidly approaching and the competition for those 23 spots heating up, we’re at that point.
Cliffs: (pardon the expression) Klinsi needs to sh!t or get off the pot.
———–Agudelo—————Zardes————
—-Shea—– Diskerud—Nyugen—-Corona—
—Garza—–Gonzalez—–Besler—-Orozco—
———————Rimando————————-
Finally, a team with an attack.
-Jordan Morris is an insult to professional (key word professional) strikers in MLS, NASL and USL, well that is unless Manchester United and Real Madrid are fighting for him as we speak.
-Bradley and Altidore have had NO impact for Toronto so far. If you can’t make things happen with Benoit Cheyrou and Sebastian Giovinco around you then…….well enough said.
-Lee Nyugen and Juan Agudelo combination with Zardes up top should be good to see
– Ike Opara has out shined Matt Besler since the start of the season but I guess that’ll be taking BOTH SKC’s starting CB if Klinsmann called him in.
-Miguel Ibarra looks really good in highlights (against Seattle Sounders he took on their whole defense) but I want to see what he is capable of against tough international competition.
Only reason Klinsi is calling in Yedlin is because Jurgen Damm has been called in and he doesn’t want to take any chances. The Kid is fast and can likes to dribble not to mention Chelsea and barca are looking at him and wants to make a jump
wut? Damm got sick so he won’t play against us and still it doesn’t make sense to call a RB to try to stop a rival RW
No Graham Zusi? Evans but no Zusi? This is a joke. I can understand, and even desire, experimentation. But we have seen a number of these individuals, and unless they come out with a different quality against Mexico, there is no reason to keep calling them into camp.
A bit off the topic but does anyone know since this game is being played indoors are they playing on turf or are they laying down grass for the game?
Ooow! Missed that! Why the h311 are we playing this game indoors? Tuck Furf! National Team games (no matter women’s or men’s) should never be play on turf. period. Especially a game against Mexico. I don’t care if it is a friendly, there is no reason we shouldn’t be playing this game on grass. It’s not like it being played in July and it’s 110 deg out there.
They are laying down grass. U can go to the usmnt Twitter feed and see the pics
Wondo and Dred are being called in to set a expectation and to bring continuity. They were in Brazil and will play the part of showing the pups how camp is done.
No Benny? What a joke
I checked his bio and he has certainly been an up and down player. His club career has been checkered. Overseas he seemed to start out well for clubs, then ended up on the bench. I thought he was one of our more creative midfielders, but even under Bob Bradley his call ups weren’t consistent. He had 8 caps in 2010 including 2 appearances in the 2010 World Cup, but then wasn’t called up at all in 2011 under Bradley. Since then he has been called up once a year in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Maybe he doesn’t play enough defense for the coaches?
He made 3 apperances at the 2010 World Cup. While he was on the bench we were outscored 1-4, but we outscored our oppents 4-1 while he was on the field. He was left off of the 2011 Gold Cup squad due to injury.
W Kix,
Benny in South Africa, 2010 :
ENGLAND – DNP
SLOVENIA – Came on at half time for Findley with with Mo Edu replacing Torres. LD led comeback Benny and Mo meant tighter defense.
ALGERIA – Came on at halftime for Herc Gomez. Buddle come on at 64 min. for Edu and DMB came on very late for Bornstien.
GHANA – Mo came on for Rico at 31 minutes, Benny on at halftime for Findley, Herc on for Jozy at 91 minutes.
If you are trying to cite that + , – differential as proof that Benny was a defensive stopper I don’t think that case is air tight.
For one thing this is soccer not hockey.
Don’t get me wrong Benny had a nice 2010 World Cup. And I’m sure he could get it up again to play for the USMNT. But he is not as reliable as what we have available now. And he never was as reliable.
In two of those games, Slovenia and Ghana, Benny came in either with Mo or after him and replaced a forward ( Findley) both times. Deuce moved up to play striker. Since any midfielder is probably a better defender than Clint, I would expect a tighter defense. And since Clint was far more dangerous than Findley, I would expect the other team to be a little more concerned with their own defense thus freeing up our own defenders just a little.
And what that 2010 performance from 4 years ago, has to do with April 2015, I don’t know.
You could certainly get that same performance out of the Rasta Man or the Swiss Army Knife or Danny “not a #7” Williams. And Benny isn’t as far as I know a lot younger than those guys.
In the Algeria game the US was shutting out Algeria before Benny came on at halftime. And I remember a pretty nervy, wide open game after that.
I’d be happy to see Benny back. But calling his absence a travesty or some kind of injustice is just silly.
Why is Yedlin in the squad when he just made his debut for Spurs? And of course JK stubbornly persists with his baffling selections – Morris, Ibarra, Green. What have any of these players done to merit a callup?
Yedlin is there because Spurs let him be there.
Obviously they feel that he needs the PT or they wouldn’t let him go. And of course they don’t have to.
If they were going to start him next weekend they wouldn’t let him go.
You’d think Spurs would play him with the reserves or even the u-23’s if it’s solely about PT… what’s the reason for flying him back to the states for just PT when he can get it in England. He’d be with his club where he can get accustomed to the pace of the game and the coaching staff can observe his game even closer. Letting him go on a non-FIFA date raises a few questions.
The spurs let him go, if they thought it was in his best interest to stay they wouldn’t have let him leave. And green they don’t have to except they can turn the call ups down.
Grant,
Obviously the Spurs management do not agree with you. And if you think JK does not have Yedlin’s best interests in mind, you have to think Spurs do.
Pinocchio has a great track record of developing younger players so if you don’t think JK does not know what he is doing then you have to believe Pinocchio does
You lose all credibility when you call the Spurs coach childish names.
I did not think I had any credibility to lose.
I remember how to spell Pinocchio ( Disney indoctrination).
I can never remember how to spell Pochetino’s name so I don’t try and I saw another poster use Pinocchio and thought it sounded good.
If you don’t like it send a letter to your congressman or file one of those White House petitions…
JK doesn’t believe in merit. At least, his callups don’t appear to be based on merit, form or professional first team minutes.
“Merit” is a joke concept, easily manipulated by anybody for any purpose. Go ahead, define “merit”…. Is it goals scored in the last 3 weeks? 3 months? 6 months? Assists? Kilometers run?
Or maybe it’s “long-term merit” (after all, we all need to make sure that LD’s excusion is proven wrong… and his club performance was not metrically differentiable from 20-30% of MLS jobbers at the time of his exclusion). So what’s that? Club? Country? Does it differ by position? Does it matter how the team performed when the player was on the field? How about if he was “clutch”? And what does that mean?
What about “potential” then? Should we not blood up-and-coming young talents until they have performed in a measurabe way on somebody else’s watch? How else would we know if they have “merit”?
Sure, JK doesn’t believe in “merit”. I hope he doesn’t. It’s a myth. Should Landon Donovan and DMB have started against Portugal in 2002 based on “merit”?
The coach’s job is to have vision. He is afforded discretion for this very purpose. If you don’t like or understand his vision, that’s fine. It’s not your job as a fan. But things like this are so meaningless…. they make me wish we’d go back to debating what constitutes “world class”
+1
Best JK fanboy post yet – merit is an allusion! Love it. The only merit is what JK thinks of you. And that’s the problem. It’s supposed to be the best players, not JK’s faves.
Allusion does not mean what you think it means.
Oops, yes thanks for pointing out that typo. I do know the difference between illusion and allusion but typing comments at work can sometimes causes errors. Of course, you knew what I meant though.
Frustrating, isn’t it? To be reduced to using lame, hackneyed expressions like “fanboy” because you cannot actually defend your position. Go ahead…. define “merit” for us.
best players as determined by who? You? Fredo?
So, you’re saying Bruce Arena is smart enough to ignore merit, but Klinsmann is not. Got it.
Just my two cents, and not necessarily great for fans looking for wins, but a guy like Green will get called because one of Klins huge things has been convincing young players with potential and ties to the US to consider playing for us instead of other nations. To continue that, it’s hard for him to ignore Green or others will say yeah ok he went USA got cap tied and now doesnt even get calls
So we have to call him up every time even though he never plays for his club so that we can convince other passport Americans who aren’t any better than the guys we have now to play for us? What we actually need is someone who doesn’t perpetuate the inferiority complex of American soccer.
Brother I am just explaining a possible explanation not arguing your point at all!
Or maybe JK wants him on the Olympic Team and wants to see him any time he can?
If you have an inferiority complex it’s up to you to fix it.
From what I’ve seen American players and the USMNT are respected by other countries around the world at about the level they should be.
You have such a one track mind.
Not really. I just hate people acting like we desperately need passport Americans because Americans from here can’t play. It’s not true. Plus with the exceptions of Jones and Johnson, the guys JK has recruited aren’t any better than the guys we already had.
This is a very good point that I hadn’t thought of; thanks for bringing it up.
It seems to me with green and yedlin keep getting call ups is the jk sees what those two will bring to the team a year or two from now and wants to keep them in the picture so they will are comfortable when its time for them to shine. Let’s be real the gold cup roster is probably already set except for maybe 3 to 5 spots. So I don’t see a problem not bring in a bunch of players that have no shot at helping. Jk does have scouts and other people helping him evaluate players so he has last say but there are others giving their opions.
JK not only has scouts, he actually goes and watches guys play in person. Both he and his scouts have gone over to various European leagues to watch their players both play and practice. He also has videos, I’m sure, of every game every player on the team p;lays. Because he knows so many coaches, managers, and officials after all his playing and managing in the past, I think he also talks to the managers of a lot of our players to get input from them as to how they are doing, what their prospects are at the club level, etc. And maybe most importantly, he watches them practice and puts them through their paces with different combinations to see who works best with whom. I was reading about my college basketball team and they get videos right away of their next opponents and they subscribe to a service that breaks down the opponent’s team, what their tendencies are, what they do in certain situations, etc. I expect that similar things exist for soccer, especially since it is a world game. My guess is that he has statistics on every player’s % of passes completed, how many kilometers they run per game, tackles made successfully, etc. Modern day coaches are awash in data and information and a national team coach doesn’t have to prepare for a game every week, so he can spend lots of time on analysis and scouting..
So r u agreeing with me? I like your commentary about soccer but sometimes I dissagree but do respect it
Yes, I do agree. A lot of people here seem to think that Klinsmann makes arbitrary or ;biased decisions. Maybe some are. But if you consider how coaching works in the modern era, my guess is that his selections are almost always well thought out and logical to him based on his knowledge and experience and his long range plans. We fans here just don’t have access to all the information that the coaching staff has. I would have picked some different players myself, but I admit there is a lot I don’t know about the players in the pool. Sometimes I have an idea about a subject and I look for a good place to stick it in. I put this post here because of that, not because I disagreed with you. I basically wanted to expand on what you said and suggest to readers here that they broaden their thinking about the subject and try to look at it analytically.
Did you guys expect anything different? Klinsmann has to protect his boys. That’s why he keeps calling in the same individuals and is unwilling to give opportunity to other players.
Ironically, the general assessment/complaint seems to be JK calls in too many people and should settle on a consistent 23.
U guys stress way too much.
Only 17 of 22 call-ups will play.
Klinsmann is so unpredictable that it’s anyone’s guess who will start.
Love Shawn’s XI above but can’t see JK starting Nguyen.
In any case, the USMNT will have no chemistry and no possession.
And since this isn’t Mexico’s 1st team they’re facing, it will be a mess.
Maybe not worth watching.
I was with you up until that last sentence.
Can this Ibarra thing just stop?
JK is clearly going to call in who he wants to call in. It has nothing to do with form or any traditional criteria of forming a team. He simply has guys he is comfortable with, and feels he is always the smartest guy in the room. Maybe it will work, but it has also been the downfall of a lot of coaches in all sports.
So why do you feel you know the USMNT player pool better than he does?
So why do you feel you know the USMNT player pool better than he does?
Because internet.
Stephen,
Of course! I’m sorry I forgot. Everything you read on the internet is true and accurate.
A common tactic of JK fanboys. Rather than defend his selections, they shout down anyone who questions them by saying things like “how do you know the USMNT pool better than JK?” With that logic no fan could ever criticize any coach.
slowleftarm,
Tactic?
I want to know why Ben C. finds it odd that a manager would call in the players he feels comfortable with and thinks are the best fit for his team.
Wouldn’t you do the same?.
Would I call in Morris, Green, Wondo, Ibarra? Nope, which is why I’m critical of the selections. That’s what being a fan is about – discussing and debating opinions with other fans. Kind of pointless to just say: “no criticism allowed, JK knows best.”
I don’t really find it odd, actually. He is not the first coach to have a vision and build a team in a way that makes others scratch their head. Nor am I the only person to question his player selection and squad construction; professional members of the media have done that as well.
The one thing I do question is the overall vision of the team under JK. It’s not like the results have been perfect, or that the U.S. is outplaying every team they face. The World Cup was successful in that the U.S. advanced, but one could argue that the team was outplayed in 3 of the 4 matches. Of course I don’t know the player pool better than JK, but that doesn’t mean I can’t come on an open forum and question why he calls in guys like Evans and Ibarra when there are arguably (and likely) better players available.
Benjamin c.
Who said anything about not questioning JK’s choices?
I asked how well you know the player pool because you seem to assume that the process used to select these players is the equivalent of some arbitrary beer pong session
Obviously JK’s choices were not congruent with your expectations given the circumstances.
I ask about your player pool knowledge because it occurs to me that perhaps your expectations and your understanding of what the circumstances actually are very different from whatever is the reality for the USMNT.
Do you know something the rest of us do not?
Do you believe you should know the entire rationale behind every single player choice before the game?
If so E mail JK or Sunil and ask them for that. I understand you can do that. Let me know what they say.
I do not believe in questioning a manager’s choices before a game because I don’t think I know enough about what went into making those choices. I am not so arrogant as to think that I know better than JK and his staff who the “best players” are for what they are planning. I also make the assumption that managers do things for the betterment of the team, either long term or short term. That is what they are paid to do after all. And if it does not work out they get fired.
Finally, it seems to me JK’s has a plan and these selections seem to me to fit right into that.
After the game?
Sure, make them pay and tear them a new one if it doesn’t work out.
This is the last “experimental” game .
Normally, I would have thought a Mexico game anytime would not be but Mexico chose to pick a pretty watered down roster.
By the way, did you expect perfection when JK took over? I must have missed the interview where he said they would outplay every USMNT that preceded his edition.
BEER PONG IS NEVER ARBITRARY!!!
What happens when you get new information that indicates your previous conclusions were wrong? Do you just ignore your new information and continue with wrong conclusions (I’m using the collective you here, not aiming at GW)?My point is that I was often critical of JK in the past and then I came to the realization the results showed he was right more often than I was. I think the difference between myself, GW and some others and the JK haters is that we realize that JK knows more and is maybe smarter about being a national team coach than we are. Nobody never makes a mistake and JK obviously makes mistakes. But he makes a lot fewer than his critics do. There is so much more going on and so much more information available to Klinsmann and his coaching staff that we just aren’t privy to, so that is another obstacle critics face when making judgments.
So Yedlin AND Julian Green were available from their teams?
The inclusion of Evans & Wondo is disturbing. Neither is worth a crap.
Green & Morris should not be with the Sr. Team. Until they play with their club or professionally they should be with the U-23s.
Surprised that Yedlin was released. But he needs games so can kind of get it.
Beckerman’s inclusion is OK since this is only an MLS/MEX squad, but this will likely be his send-off summer. Just don’t see him around after the GC.
my disappointing take away from these picks are that there are no MLS/MX options that Jurgen likes over RB’s Evans, Yedlin (really the best thing for him right now?), CM’s Beckerman, W’s Green, CF’s Wondo, Morris.. we all know what these guys bring and what they don’t. I guess its good that we have solid options and their inclusion makes me think that we will be the favorite to win vs. Mexico’s copa squad… this friendly is just more about building support than really testing more new guys.
Why is JK still bringing in Ibarra???
Why are we still bringing in Ibarra??
Because he is a good winger.
See above comments about locker room guys. Ibarra works his tail off during practice sessions. JK keeps praising his “hunger.” He wants that to rub off on the rest of the team – very similar to how, when hired, he dropped everyone’s chosen numbers to the basic 1-11 position numbers and said open competition at all spots. JK’s belief that competition and hunger is bought and sold for and if you look at all his decisions through those eyes during lead-ups to major tournaments, you’ll understand them better.
how much are you being paid to plant nonsense like this on the comment board? or are you an unpaid intern? do you happen to have an extremely unique insight to see “his decisions through those eyes” or is it just being dictated to you?
JK keeps calling in Morris and Ibarra to troll MLS-that is all.
blokhin,
JK or Sunil could come on this site themselves and you would never know. Either one could be IndyElevenFan.
That would certainly be easier than paying an intern. By the way even unpaid interns are technically compensated. There is no cash but, if they are getting credit, that is their compensation in lieu of Euros or Pesos.
By the way using Ibarra to troll MLS, as you put it, does not make a lot of sense since MU is now in MLS. Also it seems to me MLS is taking their new talent from the NASL which is exactly what JK did.
The US player pool is tailor made for the diamond no matter who is called in.
————————–aguedelo———————–Zardes
—————————————-Nguyen
—————————-Mix ———————Bradley
—————————————-Beckerman
Shea ——————————————————————————Yedlin
———————Besler ———————————–gonzo
—————————————-nick
Not bad. This could be it.
Definitely wouldn’t mind seeing this. It’s interesting. Skeptical about Nguyen seeing a start, but I’d like to see him get his “fair look”, which he hasn’t really.
I do think Beckerman starts, and I think there will be a lot on the line for him if he does. His effectiveness at the last Gold Cup was a major component of his World Cup push, and JK will want to see exactly what he last left in the guy.
Thing with Beckerman is– his ceiling/limitations are almost unapologetically well-known to all. If surrounded by “A” team quality, he can be very effective in helping establish midfield dominance (or at least being an influential disruptor in front of the back four). But he’s had his pants ripped off a few times when surrounded by more experimental personnel/formations (the Ireland friendly and 2009 Gold Cup Final come to mind). If he starts, I’d say he’ll be under the microscope more than anyone on the field as relates to his future.
Having said this (and therefore eliminated it as a possibility of something that will actually happen on Wednesday), I look forward to seeing KB at the top of a false 9 and hitting a hat-trick, before being sent off for punching members of both teams while screaming “Wu Tang” at the 4th official.
This is exactly how Jason Kreis would play it
how i would pick them too.
Still no love for Perry Kitchen, but he brings back Beckerman???? Got to love it as a DCU fan, we need Perry fresh for next weekend, but really, in this roster, no room for one of the best D/holding mids in MLS, and a guy still under 25 with room to grow? Really?
Not a DCU fan, but +1
Not a bad roster. The changes I would make are to drop Wondo and bring in another Mid instead (Shipp?) and let Yedlin build off of his first Spurs minutes and bring in an MLS defender. Other than that, I like seeing Agudelo, Nguyen, Corona and Omar back in the picture.
I don’t get all the people wanting Yedlin to stay at Tottenham over playing against Mexico.
This is Mexico – US. It doesn’t get any bigger for a US player. Let him play for Pete Sake. I wouldn’t want a player that doesn’t want to play in that game.
Tottenham needs him WAY worse than vice versa. Have a little confidence in him.
How does Morris get a call up and harry shipp doesn’t. Morris runs like Cuah but doesn’t impress like cuah. His numbers at Stanford aren’t impressive. I think Harry Shipp deserved the callup. The US needs a creative player like him to play off Nguyen. Rimando’s time is up, he isn’t necessarily lighting it up in the MLS and his past few games for the nats have been cringe worthy. Clark should have gotten a look.
If you only looked at there play so far this season, would you take Shipp or Diskerud?
Shipp.
“Clark should have gotten a look”
Why? He’s behind in no particular order, Guzan, Howard ( if he comes back) , Nicky, Hamid , Johnson, Cropper and Yarborough .
The US are having a hard enough time finding meaningful minutes for those guys, let alone a guy who will probably never get capped.
That is the problem with being a keeper. Only one gets to play.. .
He might be behind Hamid, but Johnson has slipped some in the last year. I would put Clark above Cropper and Yarborough right now as well.
agreed.
Nandez84
Shipp would take Mikey or Nguyen’s spot not Mix’s.
Morris has something you can’t develop, speed and size. And his technique isn’t awful.
I have seen very little of him but he does not seem awed nor does he look out of place.
What little I’ve read of the reaction to him by other coaches and players is that they are all surprised he is in college, If he was out of place as you suggest i’m guessing the players would let the manager know very quickly.
He’s not fit but at most he will only get in for 20 minutes or so at the end and he should be fit enough for that.
Morris doesn’t have speed. I mentioned he runs like Cuahtemoc Blanco stance wise. Morris is not a fast player I’ve seen him at camps. He’s has that Wondoesque shot but I just don’t think he’ll pan out usmnt wise. Staying in College has hurt his development a good bit. There are better players than him who are a bit raw and younger such Jamieson IV and Tommy Thompson who I think will end up passing Morris soon. ( Kinda feel they should have gotten a callup since the U20 is coming up and they’re primed big things for the USMNT.) I don’t think we’ll see Morris just because big names are in the mids and forwards.
Personally, I think Shipp would replace Mix but I guess we’ll see what klinsi thinks before the Gold Cup since klinsi likes to tinker.
Well people have been on that clark hype train for ages and he did great in norway and he’s done good in MLS but Rimando just scares me in goal. I just personally want to see what the hype is for clark.
I wonder how Zardes and Agudelo are going to pair. (It’s always great conversing with you on here )
Nandez94,
JK seems to see something in Morris and Green. I trust him on that because of his record with the USMNT.
I was not entirely sure about Brooks, Green or Yedlin going to Brazil. Obviously, I was wrong about all three. They all went and they all produced and the USMNT is a little bit better off and younger.
I did not know who Zusi and Besler were. I still think Zusi is ungainly but all he does is produce. I would say they both acquitted themselves well in Brazil.
I had never heard of Bill Hamid and when I first saw was him I thought he was WAY too raw for the USMNT. Look at him now, still raw but potentially a monster in goal for years to come.
I thought Mix was a powder puff weakling who might eventually be a luxury player for the USMNT. It looks like I might be wrong about that and maybe he eventually replaces Mikey.
Nicky scares you in goal because you are under the impression that all good keepers have to be big tall and athletic. They don’t . First and foremost they have to have character and brains. They have to understand what it takes to be a good keeper. And Nicky does. He’d last longer if he was 6’2” but he isn’t. Tough s++t.
What I notice about Nicky is that RSL has been a very tough team during his tenure and that he did very well for the USMNT in the 2013 Gold Cup. Neither of those things is an accident. These last two games he was crap but before then I don’t remember him having a bad game for the USMNT, so I cut him some slack.
It is not as if he needs to be reminded that there is a long line of keepers available waiting to take his back up job.
Clark is fine but if Howard comes back and is serious about shooting for Russia then the Three Amigos are Guzan, Howard and Hamid barring injury or massive loss of form.
And in event of injury there will be a plethora of candidates to sit on the bench, Yarborough (new, but I very much like what I see of him), Johnson (who has regressed a little), Cropper, maybe Nicky and whoever else ( Clark, Irwin, etc., etc. ) is keeper flavor of the season.
I agree. So many youth players in MLS, MX and MercoSur with International experience to call, instead Morris.
You might be the only person who has ever watched Jordan Morris play and not called him fast. No clue what you’re talking about.
Does it really matter with JK? Some of his picks for the WC team never got looks throughout the entire year either.
Evans and Wondo just don’t belong. Yedlin should be allowed to stay at Tottenham, that is better for his career at the moment. Ibarra is possibly a ‘Yes man.’ I can’t see any other reason why he continues to be called in to every single camp.
” Yedlin should be allowed to stay at Tottenham,”
Yedlin is only on this list because Spurs allowed it and, because he wanted to come.
DeAndre is free to turn down the call up.
If Spurs planned to start him or play him a lot next weekend, they would have said no and there is nothing the US could have done about that. My guess is both Spurs and Deandre thought this would be a chance to get in some game time for him which he needs.
. .
Watching Yedlin last time out seemed to indicate that being AWAY from Tottenham would be good for his career.
We will see. Maybe it will be different now that he is playing in the real games.
If Klinsmann is going to keep calling Green in then I want him to play. I don’t see how else we’re going to know if he’s going to be able to give anything to the Gold Cup.
I’d rather see Alan Gordon then Wondo at this point. Is Jordan Morris really better then Jack Mac?
I’m with you across the board, Jack Mac.
Green? Morris ? It’s about the Olympics not the Gold Cup
The U-23’s play Mexico next week. This has nothing to do with the U-23’s except for the fact that Klinsmann keeps trying to convince everyong that it does. Would it be nice to have our team do well at the olympics and get 3-6 players who end up playing in a World Cup? Yes. However, it would be better to win the Gold Cup, and play the Confederations Cup with 15-20 players who end up at the World Cup.
WK,
Why not try to do well at the Olympics, the Under 20 WC, , the Confederations Cup and win the 2014 Gold Cup?
And get a few new players for 2018 out of all that.
At this point no one says you can’t.do all those things.
I would love to see Gordon as well, has a bit of the “ol’ McBride” in him.
Whats the deal with jordan morris? If he’s truly national team caliber, why isnt he playing professionally?
HA! Didn’t notice him, a bit disrespectful to call an amateur player to a senior national team…
JK rates him, as do a lot of managers. He had decided to stay at Stanford and finish his (extremely expensive and difficult) education first, then go pro. He would have been a top 5 pick in at least this years, if not the last two years MLS drafts.
So it’s bad to come back to MLS from Europe because you’re not testing yourself at the highest level but ok to waste four prime development years playing at a super low level when you can always just go back to school after your career is over if that’s what you want to do.
I think it’s pretty clear that JK would prefer that ELITE players be in ELITE European academies. However, that does not stop him from calling in players who came back to MLS so why should it call him from calling in kids with potential?
This is not a full strength squad. From what I see, he is calling a mix of some veterans and some youth with potential who will not really see the field, but be around camp enough to enough established stars that it is not a big deal.
Elite prospects, not elite players.
You know Morris is only a Sophomore, right?
The above post said he was going to finish his degree. Don’t actually know if that’s true or not but it doesn’t matter. Any further time spent in college is a waste from a soccer perspective.
No point in leaving school if you do not get enough money to compensate. This is not the NBA where you would get between 2 to 5 million/year as a lottery pick or MLB where you can get up $10million signing bonus.
Why sacrifice $50k post tax each year to make $60K pre-tax? I would not leave unless I could put away at least $50K a year.
College baseball players don’t get $10m signing bonuses when they’re drafted. A college degree guarantees you $50k extra a year for life? Maybe. But you can always go back after your career is over. You only have so many years that you can physically be a professional athlete.
And if he wants to do that, that’s fine but then JK shouldn’t call him up to the national team.
$10million was a typo. I meant $1million. I was pretty sure I deleted the “0” until the comment displayed. That being said, players selected in the MLB 1st round (mainly high school) had signing bonuses between $1.6million and approximately $7.0million (http://m.mlb.com/news/article/79082538/2014-draft-signingbonus-tracker). In fact, signing bonus did not dip below $1million until near the end of the 2nd round.
However, I only brought up the other leagues in a typical analysis of opportunity lost from Jordan Morris’ point of view. $50K is what Stanford costs. So by going pro, he would be giving up $50K/year for 3 years to make $60k a year PRE-TAX to play soccer in a field that only last year10-15 years where the best players make $300-500K a year (except for the best 10 or so who make over a million). That pales in comparison to what his prospects from Stanford. Like I said, I went to a similar type school on the east coast. All my friends make 6 figures (2 guys make over 1 million). While I feel you can always go back to school, I would feel pay me enough to cover tuition. If I were him, I would be ok with $60K a year if you gave me $250K signing bonus since that post-tax amount would cover my lost scholarship.
Finally, just because he chooses to stay in school does not mean he should not call him in. If JK sees talent or potential, call him in. This has a lot more to do with the Olympics and grooming him for the future. As you can tell, this is not a full strength squad right now.
Yeah, I’m starting to wonder about that too. I thought the Ireland/Colombia call-up was JK thinking he has a ton of potential and essentially nudging him to consider turning pro. But now that he’s become almost a regular call-up, I wonder if coach thinks he’s actually national team caliber already. I haven’t seen nearly enough of him playing to really have an opinion on it, but it’s neat. The BeIN Sport France commentator did a double-take when he came on against Switzerland as he read who he plays for.
Hmmm, get a free degree? Transfer overseas without a fee? Hangout with college girls? The options are endless.
Yeah I guess it depends on how serious he is about pursuing a soccer career. I’d imagine he’d do all right with the girls if he were a professional soccer player too.
Then pay him enough to cover the lost 50K post tax tuition cost. I would never come out for $60k/$70k. You do know that US soccer is a big risk even for sure things or borderline USMNT talent. The median pay for kids from Stanford is more than that 1 year out. I made that I when I left (a similar type) school 10-15 years ago. Beckerman is a 10/12 year vet making 300-400K/year. That is not much when your career is over at 35.
He has a lot of options and MLS has to make it worthwhile for him to leave or Europe will. The issue is Europe does not pay kids from non-professional backgrounds significant money unless you go to Scandinavia or Belgium.
Ok, like I said, it depends how serious you are about pursuing soccer as a career. Sounds like Morris isn’t all that serious – he’ll get to it when he has a chance.
Exactly. Google NFL player Chris Borland.
Or, perhaps, he likes boys. Just sayin’
Don’t understand a lot of these call-ups. Why call up Beckerman or Wondolowski when they are over 30 and not good enough for the National team? Also, why not leave Yedlin at Tottenham with their first team? Brad Evans has looked horrible this season, so I don’t understand his inclusion either.
You don’t think Beckerman is good enough for the national team? Apparently you weren’t watching the World Cup.
I agree that younger blood should be brought it, but I’m pretty sure that you are the last doubter left standing on Beckerman’s capabilities.
I can understand bringing in Beckerman. Klinsmann needs to see if he where he is in the d-midfield order. Wondo’s going to ride the pine for the US; can’t we find another striker who can do something different to replace him. The answer isn’t Jordan Morris. And Brad Evans needs to be kept out of training camp.
Klinsmann also love Wondo as a locker room guy. He works hard, has a positive attitude and pushes others to do better. I think Beckerman is a locker room guy too, but not sure.
I agree. Both Wondo and Beckerman were horrible at the World Cup and getting up there with age. Both players are only good against weaker CONCACAF teams.
I really have to question your judgment if you say that.Beckerman was FAR from horrible. He was actually quite good as the defensive midfielder who sits and protects the back four. Wondo was underwhelming because he did not bring the instant offense or threat of it.
Yeah…the midfield was so strong in holding and recovering.
…and you saw the US played much worse when he was on the field.
What World Cup did you watch? Beckerman was one of our best players in the WC.
Not bad, surprised about Yedlin.
That Mexico squad sbi has is outdated….