The final U.S. men's national team matches of 2011 are fast approaching, and with a pair of European road games on the slate, there is a good bet we will see plenty of familiar faces, but hopefully at least a few new faces.
The MLS playoffs could mean that some players don't make the trip across the pond, like Landon Donovan, though U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has not stated publicly that he will leave behind players who are taking part in the MLS Cup Final.
We won't have to wait too much longer to find out which players are being called in, with U.S. Soccer set to announce the roster this afternoon.
So who do we see getting calls? For now, we will leave out players like Donovan, Kyle Beckerman and others who might be taking part in the MLS Cup Final, and will consider what the U.S. roster for the European friendlies will look like.
Here is a projected roster we could see get the call for the upcoming friendlies vs. France and Slovenia:
PROJECTED USMNT ROSTER
GK- Tim Howard, Bill Hamid
D- Steve Cherundolo, Tim Chandler, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, George John, Michael Orozco, Jonathan Spector
M- Michael Bradley, Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams, Sacha Kljestan, Brek Shea, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, DaMarcus Beasley
F- Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez
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Some thoughts:
I originally listed Robbie Findley, but that should have been Edson Buddle. My mistake on that one. A Findley call-up seems unlikely, unless Klinsmann wants to see another speed option in camp.
Herculez Gomez has played too well to ignore, and if Klinsmann passes on him again we'll be left wondering if Gomez will ever get another national team look.
Chris Rolfe is enjoying a good year in Europe and shouldn't be ruled out as a possibility.
David Yelldell isn't getting playing time in the Bundesliga, but you wonder if Klinsmann brings him in for a closer look.
Alejandro Bedoya hasn't been getting much playing time with Glasgow Rangers, in part due to some nagging injuries, but he shouldn't be ruled out as an option either.
Omar Gonzalez and George John have yet to be called in by Klinsmann, but it would be tough to see Klinsmann not calling in one of them for these games. John is available and has earned a look. So has Gonzalez, but his team could still be active in the playoffs.
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What do you think of this roster? Who is missing that you would like to see called in?
Share your thoughts below.
