U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will bring 22 players to Europe for two of the toughest tests of his tenure, facing away friendlies against two of the top three finishers at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The U.S. meets No. 6-ranked Netherlands on June 5 in Amsterdam (2:30 p.m. ET – ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas, UDN). The United States is seeking its first result in the series, having suffered four losses while scoring only a single goal.
Five days later, the USA faces 2014 FIFA World Cup champion Germany on June 10 in Cologne (Fox Sports 1, UniMas, UDN). The teams played in their final group game in Brazil last summer, with the Germans earning a 1-0 win. It’s been nine years since the last meeting on German soil, when the hosts then led by former coach Jurgen Klinsmann, cruised to a 4-1 win in Dortmund.
With the matches against Netherlands and Germany, the U.S. will have faced five teams in 2015 ranked in the top 20 in the world (Chile, Mexico, Switzerland are the other three), with four of those contests on away soil.
“Our time since the World Cup has been a transition period which now winds down before the Gold Cup,” said Klinsmann. “Playing against top teams like Germany and the Netherlands provides valuable experience, especially for the younger players here. More and more they must understand we come to meet these opponents eye to eye. Obviously it’s a bit tricky when we are without some of our core players, but that creates a huge opportunity for the guys here to benchmark themselves against some of the best players in the world. ”
The blend of youth and experience is evident. Eight players on the roster have 10 caps or less, while nine have made 20 appearances or more.
The United States will be without the services of three key players, as Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore recovers from a hamstring injury and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya from a knee issue, and team captain Clint Dempsey remains in Seattle awaiting the birth of his fourth child.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS (7) : Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8) : Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS (4) : Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
ROSTER NOTES
- Brad Guzan returns to the U.S. fold for the first time in 2015. He missed the two fixture dates in March due to the birth of his first child.
- Fabian Johnson helped lift Borussia Mönchengladbach to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga that earned the club a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The German side went 10-0-2 with Johnson in the starting lineup this season.
- Aron Johannsson recorded four goals in his final three matches as AZ Alkmaar snatched the third spot in the Dutch Eredivisie and a place in the UEFA Europa League.
- Alfredo Morales played a key role in FC Ingolstadt securing first place in the second division in Germany and subsequent promotion to the Bundesliga.
- Eight leagues from six countries are represented on the roster: Canada, England, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, and the United States
- Michael Bradley has played every minute of the USA’s five matches so far in 2015. In addition to Bradley, goalkeeper Nick Rimando is the only other player to start all five games. Two other MNT players have appeared in all five games in 2015: Gyasi Zardes and DeAndre Yedlin.
- Juan Agudelo, Michael Bradly, Aron Johannsson and Brek Shea are the four goalscorers for the U.S. in 2015 on the roster. Agudelo tallied the insurance goal in the “dos a cero” against Mexico on April 15, his first game with the MNT in more than a year. Bradley netted an “Olimpico” in the USA’s second game of the year, a 2-0 win over Panama at StubHub Center in February. Johannsson grabbed the MNT’s second goal in the 3-2 loss to Denmark in the team’s first European trip of the year. And, Shea has recorded a pair, including a stunning free kick in the USA’s 1-1 draw against No. 12-ranked Switzerland.
- Ventura Alvarado has appeared in three straight matches since making his debut in a U.S. uniform on March 25 against Denmark. Alvarado is a regular starter for the Club America team that captured the CONCACAF Champions League title and a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup.
- John Brooks and Michael Orozco have been paired four times in central defense since the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
- Sitting on 50 caps, Jermaine Jones is fit for international duty for the first time since Feb. 8 and the USA’s 2-0 win against Panama.
- Kyle Beckerman started in the victory against Mexico in April before departing in the 69th minute with a thigh contusion.
- Miguel Ibarra, who earned his first cap for the U.S. team in 2014, is the reigning MVP of the NASL.
- William Yarbrough, 26, was born and raised in Mexico to two American parents. He has marshaled the backline for Club Leon to the 2013 Apertura and 2014 Clausura titles.
- Brad Evans started at right back in the 4-3 win against Germany in the U.S. Soccer Centennial Match on June 2, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Bradley, Jones and Johnson were also on the field that day.