Landon Donovan, Brek Shea ruled out of upcoming World Cup qualifiers
Landon Donovan and Brek Shea have been ruled out of the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers after further evaluations conducted by the U.S. Soccer medical staff on Tuesday morning. U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has indicated that no immediate replacements will be added to the roster.
Donovan suffered a knee injury in the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 loss this past Saturday night. He will return to Los Angeles later today to be further evaluated by club doctors.
Shea entered camp with an abdominal strain that he kept him sidelined for FC Dallas since Sept. 29. Shea will continue treatment in Dallas.
“It’s unfortunate for Landon and Brek that they won’t be able to play,” said Klinsmann. “Landon was very optimistic over the weekend when his knee was feeling much better, but now he needs time to recover. We knew Brek was a question mark coming in, and now we have a clear picture of where he stands. We feel confident that the group we have will get the job done.”
The U.S. team is in Miami to prepare for its final two matches in the Semifinal Round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala. The U.S. faces the Benna Boyz on Oct. 12 in North Sound, Antigua. Kickoff for the USA’s first visit to the island is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on beIN SPORT.
Four days later, the U.S. will close out the Semifinal Round at sold-out LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. That match will be broadcast live at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, WatchESPN and TeleFutura. ESPN2 will have a pre-game show beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer.
The U.S. is currently even with Guatemala at the top of Group A with seven points and matching totals in both goal differential and goals scored. Jamaica also has seven points but sits in third place due to a lower goal differential. With the three nations tied on points and jockeying for the top two spots, no team will be able to secure a place in the Final Round until the last group matches are played on Oct. 16.
As part of the continuing effort to connect with the fans, the U.S. Men’s National Team will host a public training session on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 10:30 a.m. CT at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Admission and parking for the event are free.
Fans who pre-register on ussoccer.com will be entered to have a chance to meet U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann at the stadium prior to the training session.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)
