U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named a squad of 24 players to prepare for the upcoming friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium. The U.S. first hosts Costa Rica on Sept. 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision. Four days later, coverage from King Baudouin Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN and ESPN3.com. Fans can follow both matches live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.
Tickets for USA-Costa Rica starting at $20 are on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Los Angeles area (including Walmart and La Curacao stores), and at The Home Depot Center ticket office (open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.
As part of the week of activity in Carson, the U.S. Men’s National Team will hold a public training session Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 5-6 p.m. at The Home Depot Center. Admission and parking are free and open to the public. Fans who plan on attending are requested to register by emailing rsvp@ussoccer.org. All training times and locations are subject to change.
“We are excited to get the group back together and to see some fresh new faces,” said Klinsmann. “We will continue to get to know the players and gather some valuable information during our 10 days together. Hopefully we can continue where we left off from the game against Mexico.”
Many of the players from the 1-1 draw against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia return for their second camp under Klinsmann. In goal, Tim Howard enters with 66 caps to his credit and is joined again by 20-year-old Bill Hamid, a U.S. Soccer Development Academy product who was the first D.C. United Academy player to sign with the first team. Two-time World Cup veteran Carlos Bocanegra is now just six games shy of reaching 100 caps, and comes from Glasgow following his move last week to Rangers. He will patrol the center of the backline along with 2010 FIFA World Cup teammate Clarence Goodson, the captain of Brondby in Denmark, who missed that last match through injury. A pair of right backs from the Bundesliga in Germany are part of the group, Hannover captain Steve Cherundolo having started against Mexico while Timmy Chandler is making his second appearance in a national team camp after debuting against Argentina in March. Edgar Castillo, who started against Mexico, and Chivas USA defender Heath Pearce make up the options for the left side of the backline.
Clint Dempsey will make his first appearance with Klinsmann at the helm, the Fulham-based midfielder currently No. 5 on the USA’s all-time list for both goals (22) and points (53). Maurice Edu comes from three-time defending Scottish Premier League champion Rangers, and is joined in the center of the park by a pair of MLS midfielders in Kyle Beckerman and Jeff Larentowicz. Jose Torres is back after his start against Mexico, while Sacha Kljestan – who plays for Anderlecht in Belgium – gets his first look with the new head coach. FC Dallas sends Brek Shea, who is currently in third place in scoring in MLS this season behind Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry as the 21-year-old has netted 10 goals in 25 games. Robbie Rogers returns after scoring the game-tying goal against Mexico, with Shea providing the assist.
The USA’s all-time leading scorer, Donovan leads the attacking corps with 46 goals in 137 international appearances. Jozy Altidore joins after settling in at new club AZ Alkmaar in Holland where he already has three goals to his credit. Juan Agudelo, the first Development Academy alumnus to play for the full national team, appeared in five of six matches in the 2011 Gold Cup. Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury has two caps to his credit and scored his first international goal at The Home Depot Center, his penalty tying the game in the eventual 1-1 draw on Jan. 22 against Chile.
Making his first appearance in a U.S. camp is 23-year-old Fabian Johnson. The former Germany U-21 international midfielder holds dual citizenship and currently plays for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga after beginning his career at 1860 Munich and playing two seasons with Wolfsburg.
Klinsmann has once again selected Martin Vasquez, Thomas Dooley and Tab Ramos to be part of the coaching staff for the upcoming matches. Making guest appearances as goalkeeper coaches will be Ian Feuer from Los Angeles Galaxy for the match against Costa Rica, and Chris Woods – Tim Howard’s goalkeeper coach at Everton – in Belgium.
At the stadium, U.S. Soccer will continue to implement the Respect Campaign, which was launched in 2011 and includes a number of initiatives to enhance the game experience, particularly in the areas of customer service and fan-friendly behavior. U.S. Soccer is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for fans to enjoy the special atmosphere at these matches.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club America), Timmy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Jose Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
