USMNT set to face Peru on Friday in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Peru
International Friendly
RFK Stadium; Washington D.C.
September 4, 2015

(Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Men’s National Team is back in Washington D.C. for the first time since 2013 for an international friendly at RFK Stadium against Peru on Sept. 4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1, UniMás and Univision Deportes Network.

The friendly will serve as one of two MNT tune-ups for the CONCACAF Cup, the playoff game against Mexico which will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Oct. 10. The winner of that game will qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, a dress rehearsal of confederation champions in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After its match with Peru, the MNT will head north to Massachusetts where it will take on five-time World Cup champion Brazil at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough as the final prelude to the playoff.

U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has labeled these two friendlies an opportunity for players to “prove a point that you want to be at the Rose Bowl.” [Klinsmann Q&A] A total of 15 players from the group were a part of the team that represented the United States this summer at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and 12 join from the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. The roster is loaded with experience, boasting an average of nearly 27 caps. Three players have 50 or more appearances, while only five have 10 caps or less.

The MNT is coming off of a fourth place finish in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and will look to return to the form it had earlier in 2015 when it went on a six-game winning streak and was unbeaten in a stretch of nine matches from the end of March to July. Four of those games were against opponents ranked in the top 20 in the world in which the U.S. posted a 3-0-1 record and included wins against World Cup champion Germany in Cologne, sixth-ranked Netherlands in Amsterdam and rival Mexico in San Antonio.

The match will be the first between the pair since the U.S. collected a 1-0 win the group stage of the 2000 Gold Cup. The USA is 2-2-1 all-time against Los Incas.

The MNT has a long history at RFK Stadium and has competed in its confines more times than in any other stadium in the world, going 14-3-5 in 22 games since 1977. In its most recent match in the nation’s capital, the team celebrated the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Soccer Federation with a 4-3 win against Germany, which at the time was ranked second in the world.

U.S. Roster by Position: Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS (9) : Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Greg Garza (Atlas), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
MIDFIELDERS (7) : Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Joe Corona (Veracruz), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (FC Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
FORWARDS (5) : Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Andrew Wooten (SV Sandhausen), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Six different players from this roster have scored for the USA in 2015: Jozy Altidore, John Brooks, Mix Diskerud, Aron Johannsson, Danny Williams and Gyasi Zardes.
• Brad Guzan earned Golden Glove honors as the top goalkeeper at this summer’s Gold Cup.  He has posted a 7-2-3 record since September of last year.
• DaMarcus Beasley aggravated a right calf injury on Aug. 29 in a 2-0 win for Houston Dynamo and is not available for selection.
• Jonathan Spector became the 24th player on the roster when he was added Tuesday.
• Gyasi Zardes was called in for his first MNT camp in January and has appeared in 13 games in 2015, starting in 10. The LA Galaxy forward has scored twice and assisted on three goals for the United States.
• Bobby Wood was given the summer off to settle in with his new German club, Union Berlin. Wood has started all three of the team’s 2 Bundesliga games and scored his first goal on Aug. 16. The Hawaii-native scored late game-winners in back-to-back appearances in June, burying a goal in the 90th minute against Netherlands and following up with  another against Germanyfive days later.
• The last time Tim Howard was on the field for the USA, he made  15 saves in the MNT’s Round of 16 matchup with Belgium in the 2014 World Cup.
• Matt Besler is back in the mix for the first time since the  Feb. 8 win against Panama. Besler is the captain of MLS club Sporting KC and is one of three MNT players on this roster – along with Tim Howard and Jermaine Jones – to have appeared in all four matches in the 2014 World Cup.
• John Brooks has a pair of clutch international goals to his name. He headed in the game-winner against Ghana in the USA’s 2014 World Cup opener and scored the first of the MNT’s three second-half goals in the 4-3, comeback win against  sixth-ranked Netherlands in June.
• Ventura Alvarado has appeared in seven of the last eight MNT matches since making his debut in a U.S. uniform on March 25 against Denmark. He became cap-tied to the U.S. after starting in the first match of the Gold Cup against Honduras onJuly 7. Alvarado is a regular starter for the Club America team that captured the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League title and earned a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup.
• Geoff Cameron has started and played 90 minutes in all of Stoke City’s 2015 Premier League matches. He last appeared for the MNT on Nov. 18, 2014, against Ireland. The game against Brazil will be a homecoming of sorts for the center back, who was born and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
• Michael Orozco returns to the MNT for the first time since June. Orozco – who moved to Club Tijuana this summer – came on in the second half of the game against Netherlands, where he played a part in the MNT’s comeback win.
• Tim Ream, who recently completed a transfer to Fulham, earned honors as the Player of the Year for his former club Bolton in each of the last two seasons.
• Jermaine Jones has recovered from the injury that kept him out of this summer’s Gold Cup and is back with the MNT for the first time since February.
• Alfredo Morales played a key role in FC Ingolstadt securing first place in the second division in Germany last year and its subsequent promotion to the Bundesliga. Morales, who holds Peruvian citizenship through his father, has started in each of the team’s first three matches.
• Yedlin has appeared in 13 of the 14 MNT matches in 2015 and has tallied three assists, which ties for second on the team with Gyasi Zardes, behind Michael Bradley’s five.
• Jozy Altidore has two goals and an assist this year with the MNT. The Toronto FC forward was with the U.S. for the group stage of the Gold Cup. In six appearances with Toronto since the summer tournament he has scored three goals.
• Aron Johannsson recently completed a transfer from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar to Bundesliga team Werder Bremen. In his final season with AZ, he recorded four goals in the team’s last three matches to help the team snatch the third spot in the Dutch Eredivisie and a place in the 2016 UEFA Europa League. Johansson made his Bundesliga debut in the opening game of the season against Schalke and followed up with his first start a week later in Werder’s match against Hertha BSC. On Sunday, the 24-year-old netted his first Bundesliga goal in Werder’s win against Borussia Monchengladbach.
• This is the first camp with the senior MNT for Andrew Wooten. The German-American is off to a hot start in 2 Bundesliga at SV Sandhausen, having scored five goals in five games.

HOME SWEET HOME:

• The MNT is unbeaten in its last eight games in the nation’s capital (7-0-1).
• In July, the MNT set attendance records in four games:
  o   #USAvGUA in Tennessee was the most-attended soccer match in the state’s history.
  o   #USAvHON was the most-attended international match at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
  o   #USAvHAI was the most-attended U.S. MNT Gold Cup match at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,      Mass.
  o   #USAvJAM at the Georgia Dome was the most-attended MNT match in the Peach State.
  o   Since 1990, the MNT has averaged 33,876 in attendance at RFK Stadium, drawing 47,359 in the      most recent visit against Germany.

USA vs. PERU:

• The U.S. holds a 2-2-1 record all-time against Peru, with the two sides first meeting in 1989 in New Jersey that resulted in a 3-0 shutout win for the United States.
• This matchup is the first between the teams in more than 15 years. Most recently, the U.S. defeated Peru 1-0 in Miami in the group stage of the 2000 Gold Cup, with Cobi Jones scoring the game-winner.
• No player from the current U.S. side has ever faced Peru, nor have any Peru players matched up against the USA.
• This will be the MNT’s second match against a South American nation in 2015, with the other being the USA’s 2-3 loss to Chile in January.

Jurgen Klinsmann Fact File:

Jurgen Klinsmann became the 35th head coach in the history of the U.S. Men’s National Team on July 29, 2011. Here is a look at the program’s achievements since that time:

• Overall, Klinsmann has a 41-18-14 record, third on the U.S. MNT’s all-time coaching wins list. The top five include: Bruce Arena (71), Bob Bradley (43), Klinsmann (41), Bora Milutinovic (30) and Steve Sampson (26).
• He won a record-setting 13 straight games at home from June 2, 2013 to Feb. 1, 2014, and has guided the team to an unbeaten record of 17-0-3 in its past 20 matches on home soil.
• He led the MNT to a 12-game winning streak in 2013, the longest in program history.
• The U.S. finished 2013 with a 16-4-3 record. The 16 victories and .761 winning percentage are all-time U.S. MNT records for a calendar year.
• The U.S. finished the final round of 2013 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying atop the Hexagonal with a 7-1-2 overall record, including an unblemished 5-0-0 home record that was achieved by pitching clean sheets in all five matches.
• The team won six straight games en route to capturing the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, during which the squad scored a tournament-record 20 goals.
• Committed to challenging the group against the best, under Klinsmann, the United States has a 4-3-2 record against teams ranked in the top 10 in the world. With Klinsmann at the helm, the U.S. has also collected six historic victories:
  o Beating four-time World Cup champion Italy for the first time
  o Earning the first win against Mexico on Mexican soil
  o Defeating Jamaica on the road for the first time in World Cup Qualifying
  o Topping second-ranked Germany in U.S. Soccer’s Centennial Celebration Match
  o Beating Netherlands and Germany on the road this June
• Klinsmann’s U.S. coaching debut was a 1-1 draw against Mexico on Aug. 10, 2011, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. During Klinsmann’s abbreviated 2011 tenure, the USA’s two victories included a 1-0 win against Honduras (Oct. 8) and a 3-2 victory against Slovenia (Nov. 15).
• Klinsmann was named Germany’s National Team manager in 2004 and guided Germany to a 20-6-8 record and a third-place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He earned Coach of the Year honors in Germany, and two years later, he took over the head coaching position at Germany’s most high-profile club, Bayern Munich.
• As a player, Klinsmann played 17 club seasons from 1981-98 with the following teams: Stuttgarter Kickers (1981-84), VfB Stuttgart (1984-89), Internazionale (1989-92), Monaco (1992-94), Tottenham Hotspur (1994-95, 97-98), Bayern Munich (1995-97) and Sampdoria (1997-98). During that time, he scored 226 goals in 506 appearances. He was named German Player of the Year in 1988 and 1994 and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1995.
• Klinsmann earned 108 caps with the German National Team, scoring 47 goals. He participated in three World Cups (1990, 1994 and 1998) and won the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
• Klinsmann was born on July 30, 1964, in Goppingen, Germany.

IN FOCUS:  Peru
Federación Peruana de Futbol
Founded:  1922
FIFA Affiliation:  1924
Head Coach:  Ricardo Gareca
FIFA World Ranking:  46
Best World Cup Finish: Quarterfinals: 1970, 1978
Leading Cap-Winner:  Roberto Palacios (128)
Leading Goalscorer:  Teofil Cubillas (26)

Peru Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Pedro Gallese (Juan Aurich), Diego Penny (Sporting Cristal)
DEFENDERS (7) : Luis Advincula (Bursaspor), Jair Cespedes (Juan Aurich), Christian Ramos (Juan Aurich), Pedro Requena (Cesar Vallejo), Hansell Riojas (Cesar Vallejo), Yoshimar Yotun (Malmo), Carlos Zambrano (Eintracht Frankfurt)
MIDFIELDERS (8) : Carlos Ascues (Wolfsburg), Josepmir Ballon (Sporting Cristal), Christian Cueva (Toluca), Paolo Hurtado (Reading), Carlos Lobaton (Sporting Cristal), Joel Sanchez (San Martin), Renato Tapia (FC Twente), Juan Manuel Vargas (Real Betis)
FORWARDS (6) : Andre Carrillo (Sporting CP), Daniel Chavez (Cesar Vallejo), Jefferson Farfan (Al-Jazira), Edison Flores (Universitario), Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo), Yordy Reyna (RB Salzburg)

PERU NOTES:

• Peru advanced to the semifinals of South America’s confederation championship this summer, finishing second in its group behind Brazil and ahead of Colombia and Venezuela. Los Incas defeated Bolivia 3-1 in the quarterfinal round before falling in the semifinals 2-1 to eventual tournament champion Chile. Peru defeated Paraguay 2-0 to take third place.
• Nineteen players from Peru’s Copa America roster are traveling to the United States.
• Paolo Guerrero has scored four goals for Peru in 2015, including his hat trick in the team’s win against Bolivia in the Copa America quarterfinals.
• Peru head coach Ricardo Gareca is in his first year with Los Incas.
• Four players from the roster have scored goals in 2015: Cueva, Carrilo, Guerrero and Farfan

LAST TIME OUT:
At RFK Stadium:

June 2, 2013 -RFK Stadium -Washington, D.C.  – Centennial Celebration Match

USA        4          Altidore 13′; own goal (ter Stegen); Dempsey 60′, 65′
GER        3          Westermann 51′; Kruse 78′; Draxler 81′

USA:  1-Tim Howard; 6-Brad Evans, 3-Omar Gonzalez, 5-Matt Besler, 7-DaMarcus Beasley (2-Edgar Castillo, 56); 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones, 19-Graham Zusi (18-Eddie Johnson, 56), 23-Fabian Johnson (24-Brad Davis, 46); 8-Clint Dempsey, 17-Jozy Altidore (25-Terrence Boyd, 81)
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Brad Guzan, 11-Stuart Holden, 15-Michael Parkhurst, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 20-Geoff Cameron, 21-Clarence Goodson
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

GER:  22-Marc-Andre ter Stegen; 4-Benedikt Howedes, 7-Marcell Jansen (6-Dennis Aogo, 46), 17-Per Mertesacker (23-Phillip Wollsched, 46); 3-Stefan Reinartz, 8-Julian Draxler, 9-Andre Schurrle (18-Sydney Sam, 65), 10-Lukas Podolski, 15-Lars Bender (5-Heiko Westermann, 46), 16-Sven Bender (20-Max Kruse, 46); 11-Miroslav Klose (13-Nicolai Muller, 79)
Substitutions Not Used: 1-Rene Adler, 12-Ron-Rober Zieler, 14-Aaron Hunt, 21-Roman Neustadter
Head coach: Joachim Low

vs. Peru

Feb. 16, 2000 – The Orange Bowl – Miami, Fla. – Gold Cup, Group Stage

USA    1          Jones 59′
PER    0

USA:  1-Brad Friedel, 3-Greg Vanney, 7-Eddie Lewis, 9-Jovan Kirovski; 10-Claudio Reyna (capt.), 11-Eric Wynalda, 13-Cobi Jones, 14-Chris Armas, 16-Carlos Llamosa, 20-Brian McBride, 23-Eddie Pope
Reserves: 4-Robin Fraser, 5-C.J. Brown, 12-Jeff Agoos, 18-Tony Meola, 19-Ben Olsen, 21-Richie Williams, 22-Ante Razov
Head coach: Bruce Arena

PER:  1-Oscar Ibanez, 3-Juan Reynoso, 4-Marcial Zalazar Orbe, 6-Cesar Miguel Rebosio, 8-Juan Jayo, 10-Roberto Palacios, 11-Roberto Holsen, 14-Jorge Soto, 19-Abel Lobaton, 20-Jose Del Solar, 23-Henry Quinteros Sanchez
Reserves: 2-Jorge Huaman, 5-Jose Soto, 12-Marco Flores, 15-Ysrael Zuniga, 16-Freddy Suarez, 17-German Pinillos Rioja, 18-Waldir Saenz