CHICAGO — Defender Geoff Cameron, midfielder Kyle Beckerman and forward Chris Wondolowski will miss the United States' World Cup qualifiers against Mexico and Costa Rica because of injuries.
Cameron was paired with John Brooks in central defense during this year's Copa America but has missed Stoke's last two Premier League games after hyperextending a knee against Hull on Oct. 22. Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Steve Birnbaum and Michael Orozco are the candidates to replace him the starting lineup.
Beckerman and Wondolowski play for Major League Soccer teams whose seasons are over, and the nature of their injuries was not clear.
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U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann selected 26 players for a training camp ahead of Friday's game against Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, the Americans' opener in the 10-match final round of qualifying in the North and Central American and Caribbean region. Among them is 18-year-old defender Cameron-Carter Vickers, who could make his U.S. debut. He played his first game for Tottenham in the League Cup on Sept. 21.
Also on the roster are 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic and 20-year-old Sunderland midfielder Lynden Gooch, who made his national team debut in an exhibition against New Zealand last month.
Forward Aron Johannsson returns for the first time since September 2015. He injured a groin that Sept. 26 playing for Werder Bremen and did not return until Aug. 26.
The U.S. has beaten Mexico 2-0 in four consecutive home qualifiers, all in Columbus, where the Americans are 8-0-3. After playing El Tri, the U.S. is at Costa Rica on Nov. 15.
Soccer
Twenty-three players can dress for each game. The top three nations qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff against the fifth-place Asian team for another berth.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough, England), Ethan Horvath (Molde, Norway), Tim Howard (Colorado), William Yarbrough (Leon, Mexico)
Defenders: Matt Besler (Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham, England), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca, Mexico), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Michael Orozco (Tijuana, Mexico), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle, England)
Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia), Michael Bradley (Toronto), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland, England), Julian Green (Bayern Munich, Germany), Jermaine Jones (Colorado), Sacha Kljestan (New York), Christian Pulisic (Borussia, Germany), Caleb Stanko (Vaduz, Liechtenstein), Graham Zusi (Kansas City)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen, Germany), Jordan Morris (Seattle), Bobby Wood (Hamburg, Germany)