United States men's national soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann today announced a 26-man roster for the two May friendlies and the three World Cup qualifiers that follow in June. Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, and Jozy Altidore all made the squad, but Landon Donovan did not.

Others who failed to make the preliminary list include Carlos Bocanegra, Kyle Beckerman, and Steve Cherundolo.

“We are very excited about the group we have put together,” said Klinsmann. “The players understand more how we’re working, what we’re looking for, the way we want to play and the way we want to challenge big nations eye-to-eye. As we go into this stretch of two friendly games against Belgium and Germany and three big World Cup Qualifiers, we want to see more consistent performances. There is a huge opportunity to pick up a lot of points and put ourselves in a good position to qualify for Brazil.”

The size of the roster is larger than usual, but there are good reasons for that. With five games scheduled in the space of three weeks, Klinsmann must account for injuries and health-related issues. Also, with eight players currently on yellow cards, there is a strong chance that he will need to bolster his team with alternates during this batch of World Cup qualifiers. And with six goalkeepers in the squad, it's plain to see how Klinsmann will reduce the numbers.

Here is the roster, broken down by position.

GOALKEEPERS (6): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

We will have lots of analysis and interactivity surrounding this roster in the coming hours and days, but for now we turn the spotlight on you. You've seen the squad. What do you think? Any surprises that delight you? Any omissions that make you want to slam your head against the upright? And what about the whole Donovan issue? Tell us below.

And be sure to create your Starting XI for all five matches. It's easy, it's fun, and it could pay off. There is still time to enter our contest to win a free week in Rio during the 2014 World Cup.