10613_isi_usmnt_usmntfk081313120 Fedja Krvavac/isiphotos.com
The Hexagonal

Klinsmann Names 20 for October WC Qualifiers

Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, and Tim Howard headline a United States roster that features a lot of familiar names and very little experimentation at trouble spots across the back line.
BY John Godfrey Posted
October 06, 2013
10:52 PM
JURGEN KLINSMANN HAS SAID all along that he would call in his best available players for the two largely meaningless World Cup qualifiers in October. And he was true to his word, naming 20 regulars to the squad that will face Jamaica on Friday (8 p.m. Eastern; ESPN, UniMas) in Kansas City and travel south to confront Panama four days later (8 p.m.; beIN Sport).

The United States has already qualified for the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, but Klinsmann is determined to send a message with these games. "We want to finish qualifying on a high note and prove a point in our region," he said.

This could prove a challenge, since three of the top five players in the ASN 100 will miss the matches due to injury: Michael Bradley is still recovering from the knock he took to his ankle just minutes before the September World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica; Clint Dempsey is nursing a hamstring injury; and Fabian Johnson has missed time at Hoffenheim with a bad ankle.

Beyond this talented trio, however, the team should look very familiar to U.S. national team supporters. Klinsmann favorites such as Brad Evans, Kyle Beckerman, and Eddie Johnson are all with the team, while Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore will lead the attack.

It's worth noting that Klinsmann has not taken this opportunity to introduce any new players into his squad. The United States has struggled to find any sort of depth or consistency at fullback, and yet the coach elected not to call in Eric Lichaj, DeAndre Yedlin, Chris Klute, or even Jonathan Spector. Timothy Chandler, a right back who has straightened out his game in recent weeks, was also left off the team.

Here's the official roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3):
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (6):
DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)

MIDFIELDERS (6):
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5):
Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

So...your thoughts?

Any names you're particularly happy to see? Any names that you think should have made the list? You can create your own Starting XI here, and we encourage you to share your thoughts about the roster in the Comments section below.

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