Eschewing his usual propensity to wait until the last minute, United States head coach Jürgen Klinsmann announced his roster for the team’s next two qualifiers on Thursday. The coach usually likes to wait until after the weekend matches, but he went live on SportsCenter to make this unusually early announcement.
Landon Donovan will make his competitive return for the U.S., and John Brooks and Aron Jóhannsson could make their debuts in a meaningful match after impressing in the Aug. 14 win in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The usual suspects are here as well, with the expected goalkeeping corps and Il generale, Michael Bradley, holding down the fort.
Full U.S. roster for September World Cup qualifiers:
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/England), Tim Howard (Everton/England), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake/MLS)
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla/Mexico), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City/MLS), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/England), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana/Mexico), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC/MLS), Omar González (Los Angeles Galaxy/MLS), Michael Orozco (Puebla/Mexico)
Midfielders (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/MLS), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes/France), Michael Bradley (AS Roma/Italy), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg/Norway), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim/Germany), Jermaine Jones (Schalke/Germany), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/MLS)
Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland/England), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC/MLS), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy/MLS), Aron Jóhannsson (AZ Alkmaar/Netherlands), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC/MLS)
We’ll have roster analysis and reactions coming soon, as well as highlights of Klinsmann’s upcoming conference call with the media. In the meantime, give us your take in the comments section. What do you think of this roster?