Jurgen Klinsmann names 23-player roster for USMNT friendlies

By Kyle McCarthy
Published

United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann revealed his 23-man roster for the upcoming friendlies against Chile and Panama on Saturday.

Klinsmann culled his 29-man training camp roster by releasing six players back to their clubs: Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), Alex Bono (Toronto FC), Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps), Dennis Flores (Club Leon), Julio Morales (Tepic) and Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy).

The revamped group includes stalwarts Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones, while FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges also retains his place in the squad after replacing the injured Brad Evans.

In addition to the players already in camp, Klinsmann summoned Tottenham Hotspur defender DeAndre Yedlin to bolster his options at fullback. Yedlin will join the squad in Santiago ahead of the friendly against Chile on Wednesday (6:00p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go).

“These guys have put in a lot of work these past two weeks of training for what is essentially their preseason, and now it’s time to focus on getting a result against a difficult opponent in Chile,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “We know it’s going to be a challenging situation, but these are the types of opportunities we need to keep growing.”

Liverpool midfielder Marc Pelosi will remain in Los Angeles to train before reconvening with the squad next week ahead of the second friendly against Panama in Carson, Calif. on Feb. 8.

Full roster:

Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (Orlando City), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)​