U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann finally has all 30 invitees into training
camp in California at Stanford University. The last to arrive were Jermaine
Jones and Aron Johannsson, who had their final club games over the weekend.
Jones concluded his Besiktas loan and played 90 minutes for the Turkish
club, which settled for a 1-1 draw against Genclerbirligi. His club
finished third in Turkey¹s Super Lig and earned a spot in Champions League
qualifying. His contract with German club Schalke has expired and unless
Besiktas offers him a contract, he will be a free agent after the World Cup
in Brazil.
Johannsson also went 90- minutes in AZ Alkmaar¹s 3-0 loss at Groningen.
He finished the Dutch season with 26 goals in 55 appearances in all
competitions.
Brad Guzan, Tim Howard and Geoff Cameron were also late arrivals, having
been given permission to miss several days of early training.
Klinsmann has several weeks to made decisions on who to keep and who will
not make the final 23-man World Cup roster. While the U.S. squad is without
anyone considered to be an international marquee player, Klinsmann’s group
is perhaps the most talented and deepest of any U.S. World Cup pool ever.
There are 10 players, fully a third of the roster, who hold dual
nationality. Six are German Americans, including outside right back Timmy
Chandler, a surprise selection who has not played for the U.S. since the
first game of the final Hexagonal regional qualifying. Those half dozen are
joined by a Mexican American (Joe Corona), Johannsson (Iceland), an Irish
American (Michael Parkhurst) and Mix Diskerud (Norway).
A surprise omission to the roster was D.C. United forward Eddie Johnson,
who scored a couple of key goals during the final round of World Cup
qualifying. Johnson, without a MLS goal this season at the time the 30-man
roster was announced, finally scored his first goal for D.C. United over the
weekend.
The USA’s pre-World Cup training camp will conclude with a three-game
coast-to-coast Sendoff Series over an 11 day period. The full 30 will be
available for the first game on May 27 at Candlewick Park in San Francisco,
CA, against Azerbaijan. Next up is a June 1 game against Turkey at Red
Bulls Arena in New Jersey, and the series concludes in Jacksonville, Fla.,
on June 7 against Nigeria.
The U.S. is drawn into a group at the World Cup with Ghana, Portugal and
Germany. The Americans open against Ghana on June 16, and conclude group
play against Germany on June 26. They play Portugal on June 22.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick
Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (11) : DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas
City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy
Chandler (Nürnberg), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA
Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Fabian Johnson
(Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle
Sounders FC)
MIDFIELDERS (10) : Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya
(Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad
Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia
Union), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi
(Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (6) : Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna),
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Aron
Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)