Christian Pulisic, Lynden Gooch and Julian Green headline the USMNT’s 23-man roster for the pair of upcoming friendlies. The U.S. will kick off the international break with a visit to Cuba on Friday before taking on New Zealand four days later in Washington, D.C.
“These two games are very important for us because it’s the last time we can see certain players before making the decision on the 23 going in to represent us for the Mexico and Costa Rica clashes,” said Klinsmann. “There’s a lot at stake for the players to make their case, to show where they are right now. We have the opportunity to bring some players back that haven’t been with us for a little bit, and we want to see if they can put a stamp on this camp and have a chance for being in the roster next month. The bigger picture behind this is definitely Mexico and Costa Rica, and these two games will show us a lot about individual players.”
In addition to the trio of young outfield players, the U.S. will feature a younger group of goalkeeping options. Regular starters Tim Howard and Brad Guzan have not been named to the roster, as David Bingham, Ethan Horvath and William Yarbrough have been selected to hold down the goalkeeper position.
“Obviously we have the two experienced guys with Tim Howard and Brad Guzan,” Klinsmann said. “Both are in different situations right now – Tim is obviously very busy with the Colorado Rapids and Brad is not getting the opportunity to play at Middlesbrough. I think it’s a perfect time to give an open window to three younger goalkeepers with William Yarbrough, Ethan Horvath and David Bingham. That’s why we decided to leave the two older guys out and give these three youngsters a chance to prove their point.”
Of the 23 players called in, 15 were a part of the USMNT roster for recent September qualifiers, incluiding regulars Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood. Gooch is the lone completely new face, as the Sunderland midfielder joins the senior team for the first time.
Here’s a closer look at the USMNT roster:
GOALKEEPERS: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Ethan Horvath (Molde FK), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS: Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle)
MIDFIELDERS: Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Perry Kitchen (Hearts), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV)