Since it is smack in the middle of European club seasons and at the end of MLS' postseason, there has understandably been very little talk about the U.S. men's friendly against Russia on Wednesday morning (10 a.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com). Still, make sure you set your DVR for what sound be an interesting game against the No. 9 team in the world.
This afternoon, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann unveiled his 20-man roster that is dotted with some new names and familiar faces. This team's players currently compete in 11 different countries, led by the German Bundesliga with five guys. They began arriving in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday where they trained twice earlier today. They'll depart for Krasnador, Russia (site of the match) tomorrow. It is the final U.S. match of 2012 but they've already at least tied their best calendar year in the modern era (9-3-2 in 2008). They are 9-2-2 (.769 winning percentage) in 2012 so a win or tie would have some extra special meaning.
From ussoccer.com
“We ask for these games because they are big learning curves for us. Playing in Italy, in Mexico and in Russia – we are not the favorites there. For us, we can take a lot from the games no matter how the result ends up. But still we want to go there and beat Russia knowing that it’s one of the top teams in Europe at the moment. In World Cup qualifying they are 4-0, so that’s not going to be an easy task. We need to measure ourselves against the best teams out there and build even more confidence. We want to close the year in a very positive way and then go into a busy 2013 that includes World Cup qualifying, the Gold Cup and some exciting friendlies.”
There is not much of a rivalry between Russia and the United States since they've only faced each other four times, beginning with a 1-0 Russian win on February 13, 1993 in Orlando, Fla. The U.S. is 0-2-2 all-time against Russia so I don't want to get too ahead of ourselves but a victory would be a perfect way to close out an excellent year that saw them record their first ever win against Italy and their first ever win at Estadio Azteca in Mexico.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Roma), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Joshua Gatt (Molde), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna)
Gatt and Gyau are making their first appearances in the senior camp after playing for the U.S. Under-23 squad together. Diskerud and Agudelo reunite after they combined for a goal against South Africa in 2010. It's also nice to see Jozy back in the fold while Klinsmann tries to get Chandler CAP tied with his squad rather than Germany.
“Calling in players like Mix Diskerud, Joe Gyau and Joshua Gatt is a clear signal to this generation of players that we are watching you, follow you, and want to help you get to the next level. This is a first taste for them and what it means to be with the senior National Team. They can train alongside guys like Timmy Howard, Jermaine Jones and Carlos Bocanegra and say ‘I want to get to this level.’ It’s also really an opportunity for them to come in, get accepted right away and show what they can do. Maybe they will even get some minutes in the game against Russia. It also means for them that they go back to their clubs with bigger expectations. We will tell them that now we expect you to become starters in your club team, break through there and get even hungrier. So it’s important that we give these guys the opportunity to join us.”
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