Intriguing picks highlight Klinsmann’s roster for U.S. Men’s friendly vs. Russia
U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called 20 players into training camp to prepare for the final match of 2012, a friendly against No. 9-ranked Russia in Krasnodar. Kickoff at Kuban Stadium is set for 10 a.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision.
Players began reporting Sunday night into Frankfurt, Germany. The team will train twice Monday before departing Tuesday morning for Krasnodar.
“We ask for these games because they are big learning curves for us,” said Klinsmann. “We need to measure ourselves against the best teams out there and build even more confidence. We want to close the year in a very positive way and then go into a busy 2013 that includes World Cup qualifying, the Gold Cup and some exciting friendlies.”
The United States concludes a successful year holding its best winning percentage in the modern era, having posted a 9-2-2 record and a (.769) winning percentage. The next best performance came in 2008 when the team earned a 9-3-2 record (.750).
The U.S. is looking for its first victory against Russia, which holds a 2-0-2 advantage in the series that dates back to a 1-0 Russia win on Feb. 13, 1993, in Orlando, Fla. The team has already collected historic wins on the road this year against Italy in Genoa and Mexico at Estadio Azteca.
After winning Group A in the Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, the U.S. learned its schedule for the Final Round following the Official Draw on Nov. 7 in Miami. The team kicks off the Hexagonal on Feb. 6 in Honduras, and will play three of its first four matches on the road.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – DETAILED ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Roma), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Joshua Gatt (Molde), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna)
ROSTER NOTES
- Timmy Chandler is back in camp for the first time in 2012, having last appeared for the United States in the 3-2 win against Slovenia on Nov. 15, 2011, in Ljubljana. Read this ussoccer.com Q&A with the young defender.
- With his goal against Guatemala in the last match of the Semifinal Round, U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra became the USA’s all-time leading scorer for defenders with 14 career goals.
- Tim Howard leads all players in games started this year (11). With 83 caps, he is now third on the USA’s all-time list of appearances among goalkeepers.
- Jermaine Jones has played in a career-high 11 games, with 10 starts.
- Herculez Gomez has three goals in 2012, tied for second-most on the team.
- Jozy Altidore returns to the U.S. squad after being left off the roster for final two qualifiers in the Semifinal Round. The AZ Alkmaar-based striker has 12 goals in all competitions, including nine in the Dutch Eredivisie which is good for the third highest total in the league.
- Two players are making their first appearance in a senior team camp: former U-23 internationals Joshua Gatt and Joe Gyau. Gatt’s club Molde just clinched the 2012 Norwegian Tippeligaen title this past weekend.
- Also reunited in this camp are Juan Agudelo and Mix Diskerud. The pair combined for the lone goal in the USA’s 1-0 win against South Africa in the 2010 Nelson Mandela Challenge, when Agudelo became the youngest U.S. player in the modern era to score for the senior team.
- On a roster of 20 players, leagues from 11 different countries are represented. The German Bundesliga contributes the most with five players.
