United States men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann has finalized his 23-man roster as the U.S. begins their quest to qualify for their seventh consecutive World Cup berth.
The 23 players will compete in the Americans' next five matches. The first three will be exhibitions starting with Scotland on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.; followed by Brazil on Wednesday in Landover, Md.; and Canada in Toronto on June 3.
The U.S. begins World Cup qualifications on June 8 against Antigua and Barbuda and then faces Guatemala on June 12.
The roster consists of three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and six forwards. It breaks down as such:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Nick Rimando
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Geoff Cameron, Edgar Castillo, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Parkhurst
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Joe Corona, Maurice Edu, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Jose Torres
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Herculez Gomez, Chris Wondolowski
Fourteen players play for European clubs and four others play professionally in Mexico. Major League Soccer is represented by Donovan, Wondolowski, Beckerman, Cameron and Rimando. Joe Corona, a midfielder who scored four goals for the U.S. under-23 squad during Olympic qualifying, is the only player who has never played for the men's senior team before.
The final players cut were forward Juan Agudelo, defender Alfredo Morales and midfielders Danny Williams and Graham Zusi.
Most of the squad is expected to have ample opportunity to play. The Americans play five matches in just 18 days and will most likely need to consistently rotate playing time to keep fresh legs on the field. In addition, injuries and absences will give younger players a chance to show what they can do. Clint Dempsey is expected to miss the game against Scotland with a strained groin, while Altidore will not join the team until Monday.
The exhibitions will allow the players a chance to gain cohesion as a group. The national team has not played consecutive matches with the same roster since October.
