The United States men’s national soccer team roster for next month’s 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup will look a lot like the American team at last year’s FIFA World Cup.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann selected 17 of the 23 players he took to Brazil last year, adding goalkeeper William Yarbrough, defenders Ventura Alvarado, Brad Evans and Tim Ream, and midfielders Alfredo Morales and Gyasi Zardes.
The Americans won the 2013 Gold Cup and with a repeat title this year would earn a berth at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. If another nation wins the Gold Cup, it would meet the U.S. in a playoff for the Confederations Cup berth.
Klinsmann cut 12 players from the preliminary roster announced June 10: goalkeeper Bill Hamid; defenders DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, Greg Garza, Michael Orozco and Brek Shea; midfielders Joe Corona, Perry Kitchen and Lee Nguyen, and forwards Juan Agudelo, Alan Gordon and Jordan Morris.
Each advancing team can change up to six players for the knockout rounds, but the replacements have to come from the original 35-man roster.
After the exhibition against Guatemala on July 3 in Nashville, Tenn., the Americans open their title defense in the 12-nation tournament against Honduras four days later in Frisco, Texas. They play Haiti on July 10 in Foxboro, Mass., and finish the first round three days later against Panama at Kansas City, KS.
The U.S. is seeking to reach its sixth consecutive Gold Cup final, which will be July 26 at Philadelphia.
U.S. GOLD CUP ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Nick Rimando (Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Leon, Mexico)
Defenders: Ventura Alvarado (America, Mexico), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Brad Evans (Seattle), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Tim Ream (Bolton, England)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes, France), Michael Bradley (Toronto), Brad Davis (Houston), Mix Diskerud (New York City), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt, Germany), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham, England), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles), Graham Zusi (Kansas City)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Clint Dempsey (Seattle), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose).
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TopDrawerSoccer
