UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM coach Jurgen Klinsmann today unveiled his roster for two daunting June friendlies—a Friday (2:30pm ET; ESPN, UniMas, UDN) match against sixth-ranked Netherlands and then a showdown with top-ranked Germany ( 2:45pm; Fox Sports 1, UniMas, UDN) five days later.

Jozy Altidore is injured and will miss the contest, as will midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. Clint Dempsey is in fine health but was left off the roster because his wife is about to give birth to their fourth child. World Cup starters Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and Graham Zusi were not named to the 22-man squad.

“Our time since the World Cup has been a transition period which now winds down before the Gold Cup,” Klinsmann said. “Playing against top teams like Germany and the Netherlands provides valuable experience, especially for the younger players here. More and more they must understand we come to meet these opponents eye to eye. Obviously it’s a bit tricky when we are without some of our core players, but that creates a huge opportunity for the guys here to benchmark themselves against some of the best players in the world. ”

Klinsmann acknowledged that his young defensive corps will face a stiff challenge.

"We want to see a couple of guys get thrown in the freezing cold water and see how they can swim and where they stand right now in the ranking of the men’s national team. That’s why I want to see Ventura Alvarado or John Brooks play in games like this."

Here's the roster:

GOALKEEPERS

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)

DEFENDERS

Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)

MIDFIELDERS

Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading)

FORWARDS

Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

It's worth noting that Jermaine Jones is listed as a midfielder even though Klinsmann named a roster that could use some help in central defense. The German addressed this issue on the U.S. Soccer Federation's PR/marketing site:

"Another big fixture for us is Jermaine Jones," Klinsmann said. "He’s going to be back in midfield because of the fact that we have so many high-quality center backs. With the discovery of Ventura Alvarado who won the CONCACAF Champions League with Club America, we think we have a very strong and stable backline and we don’t need Jermaine in the center back role.

"We also talked with his club coach and we are both on the same page there. He will be back in his No. 6 or No. 8 role, wherever he fits best."

Given those comments Klinsmann appears to be sending a strong message to Besler, Gonzalez, and Cameron, all of whom now appear to be on the outside looking in. It should be interesting to see how this unfolds.

It's curious to see 1860 Munich striker Bobby Wood on yet another U.S. national team roster. The 22-year-old Hawaii native has struggled in the 2.Bundesliga and during his six appearances with the national team. Chris Wondolowski, Will Bruin, Jordan Morris, and Charlie Davies were all passed over in favor of Wood.

Other notables not invited to participate include Tim Ream, Lee Nguyen, Greg Garza, Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, and Bill Hamid.

What do you think of this roster? Who would you like to see on the team? How will the Yanks do against the Netherlands and Germany? Share your take below.