Klinsmann names U.S. men’s national team 23-player travel roster for Aug. 15 friendly vs. Mexico

U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in 23 players to train for the upcoming friendly against Mexico on Aug. 15 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. Kickoff for the USA’s first friendly against Mexico on Mexican soil since 1984 is set for 8 p.m. ET.

The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision.

The players are reporting to Mexico City beginning Sunday, and will train for two days prior to the mid-week fixture.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to bring this group together and challenge Mexico for a win,” Klinsmann said. “For every game, we always look at who is in the best form, who is fit and who is ready to go. We have a lot of veteran players and also some new, hungry guys who deserve a chance. Every player in the pool looks forward to an amazing opportunity like this, the chance to take on Mexico in such an historic stadium like Estadio Azteca. With the World Cup qualifiers coming up next month, we can start preparing these players mentally and physically for Jamaica.”

A little more than a year into his tenure, Klinsmann seeks to lead the U.S. team to its first-ever victory against Mexico in its country. Several U.S. regulars will get their first experience at Azteca, as only three players on the roster have ever played against Mexico on Mexican soil. The match is the first for the U.S. since the 1-1 draw on June 12 in Guatemala, and represents another opportunity to prepare for the critical set of impending World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica next month.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – DETAILED ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (6): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steven Beithasour (San Jose Earthquakes), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim)
MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes)

ADDITIONAL ROSTER NOTES

• Six players on the roster play professionally in Liga MX in Mexico: DaMarcus Beasley, Edgar Castillo, Corona, Herculez Gomez, Michael Orozco Fiscal and Jose Torres.
• MLS contributes the most players of any league, sending ten to Mexico City: Kyle Beckerman, Steven Beitashour, Matt Besler, Landon Donovan, Sean Johnson, Nick Rimando, Brek Shea, Chris Wondolowski , Alan Gordon, and Graham Zusi.
• Eight players on the roster appeared in the last meeting between the teams, a 1-1 draw on Aug. 10, 2011, in Philadelphia (starters in bold): Beckerman, Castillo, Donovan, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, Orozco Fiscal, Shea and Torres.
• Four players will arrive Monday after competing in matches on Sunday: Terrence Boyd, Donovan, S. Johnson and Jones.
• Both Boyd and Gomez have already contributed goals in the new seasons with their club. Boyd has tallied a pair of league goals and one in Europa League qualifying for Rapid Vienna, while Gomez has deposited two in four games for Santos.
• With 19 goals in all competitions in the last year, Gomez became the first U.S. player to win both an MLS Cup title and Mexican League title as Santos defeated Monterrey in the two-leg final.
• Wondolowski is atop the MLS goalscoring chart, having scored 17 goals in 21 matches for San Jose.
• Wondolowski scored the opening goal for the MLS All-Stars in their 3-2 win against Chelsea. Four other U.S. players were on the field that day: Beckerman, Beitashour, Donovan and Zusi.
• Geoff Cameron arrives after completing his transfer to Stoke City in the English Premier League.
• Joe Corona makes his second appearance on the MNT roster. The midfielder and Development Academy product debuted for the senior team in the 5-0 win against Scotland on May 26 in Jacksonville.
• Beitashour and Besler are the only players on the roster seeking their first cap with the senior national team.
• Update: San Jose Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon was a late add in Sunday night.

After two matches, the U.S. leads Group A in the Semifinal Round of CONCACAF Qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. resumes qualifying action with back-to-back matches against Jamaica on Sept. 7 and 11. Jamaica hosts the Sept. 7 match in Kingston, and then four days later the U.S. will welcome the Caribbean nation to Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. That match will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3 and the Univision family.

As part of the effort to provide more access to the National Team, the U.S. will host a public training session Sunday, Sept. 9, at 10:30 a.m. ET at Columbus Crew Stadium. Admission and parking are free.