Roster talk
Surprise Yedlin Inclusion Highlights 23-Man Roster
Jurgen Klinsmann pulled another rabbit out of his magical hat, bringing new Tottenham signing DeAndre Yedlin into the United States team that will face Chile and Panama. Who else made the cut?
UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM coach Jurgen Klinsmann today announced the final 23-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against Chile and Panama, including the surprise addition of Tottenham right back DeAndre Yedlin.
Earlier this month, Klinsmann announced a 28-man roster that included many inexperienced players who are in the pool for the upcoming U-23 Olympic qualifying team. Since then, the U.S. coach added Matt Hedges and Jozy Altidore to the squad.
Among those who did not make the cut for the upcoming games are Alex Bono, Christian Dean, Oscar Sorto, Dennis Flores, Marc Pelosi, Tesho Akindele, and Julio Morales. The final two players in that group are dual-nationals who are still not fully eligible to play for the U. S. in international competitions.
On the remaining 23-man roster, there are six players age-eligible for the U-23 team: Yedlin, Jon Kempin, Shane O’Neill, Luis Gil, Wil Trapp, and Dillon Serna.
There are also nine players on the squad who were part of the 2014 U.S. World Cup team.
The U.S. travels to Chile for a Wednesday match in Rancagua and then will host Panama Feb. 8 at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
These games will kick off a busy 2015 calendar year for the U.S., which will compete in this summer’s Gold Cup. A victory in that tournament would book a ticket to the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. Also, the U-23 national team will begin CONCACAF Olympic qualifying in the fall and that squad, which will be coached by U.S. assistant Andi Herzog, will consist of several full national team players.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION