U.S. Men's Roster Set For Costa Rica & Mexico, With A Couple Big Names Left Off

The U.S. men's next World Cup qualifiers are Friday against Costa Rica in Colorado and next Tuesday in Mexico City against Mexico. Today, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named his 23-man roster which is notable since Tim Howard (back), Steve Cherundolo (knee) and Timmy Chandler (hamstring) are among the eight regulars who were left off due to various injuries and illness.

Friday's match is at sold-out Dick's Sporting Good Park, it is the second game of the Hexagonal will be broadcast live on ESPN (10 p.m. EST). Tuesday (10:30 p.m. EST, ESPN) is at Estadio Azteca, a place where the U.S. has never won a World Cup qualifier although they finally grabbed a win there last summer.

“We know we have a big task ahead of us, and we are confident our group will get the job done,” said Klinsmann in a press release. “Obviously there are many players out with injuries, and that means the next person in line has a chance to step up. Getting points at home in World Cup qualifying is huge, and we are looking forward to having an awesome crowd supporting us in Denver on Friday night.”

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa - 5/3 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake – 0/0)
DEFENDERS (6): Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake – 0/0), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 6/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 1/0), Clarence Goodson (Brondby – 5/0), Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes – 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla – 26/6), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake – 2/0), Michael Bradley (Roma – 20/5), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana – 1/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 10/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 6/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 13/0), Brek Shea (Stoke City – 2/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 4/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 18/6), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna – 2/0), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 27/11), Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC – 12/10)

The five other Americans that won't be there are Edgar Castillo (facial fractures), Fabian Johnson (hip), Jonathan Spector (ankle), Jose Torres (hamstring) and Danny Williams (illness). Klinsmann and his team won't make excuses, they have more than enough talent remaining to still get some positive results. Friday's game, since it is at home plus they are coming off the 2-1 loss to Honduras means that they need a win pretty badly. I don't expect them to win in Mexico, especially without Howard so it might be the first time in my life that I root for a draw. That would be a solid result for the U.S. First things first, they need to beat Costa Rica and get some confidence back after their awful showing in Honduras (February 6).

UPDATE 3/19: Midfielder Brad Davis was added to the roster.

UPDATE 3/20: With Carlos Bocanegra not on the roster, Klinsmann had to pick a new captain for these two qualifiers. His choice of Dempsey is fine by me, why not go with the best player who must have the respect of his teammates?

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Oh Crap, Looks Like Tim Howard Will Miss Some World Cup Qualifiers

Facing two vital World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica (March 22 in Colorado) and Mexico (March 26 in Mexico City) in two weeks, the U.S. men's soccer team received some very bad news. Goalkeeper Tim Howard picked up two broken bones in his back playing for Everton so he's expected to be out for the rest of March.

That means that backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan would start in his first World Cup qualifiers in four years for the Americans. The good news is that Guzan has been the starter lately for Aston Villa so he should be ready.

Howard was hurt Feb. 26 in an FA Cup win over Oldham and missed last weekend's Premier League game against Reading. That ended his streak of consecutive league matches at 210, two shy of the Everton record set by goalkeeper Neville Southall from 1987-93.

Everton manager David Moyes said Howard will miss Saturday's FA Cup quarterfinal against Wigan and the March 16 match league match versus Manchester City, but could return March 30 against Stoke.

"We are not sure how long Tim will be out for because, obviously with a goalkeeper, he has to dive around and hit the ground," Moyes said Friday, according to the team's website. "If everything goes well, he misses next week's game, as well, and then because of the international break he might be close after the rest because that would be four weeks."

Howard is getting up there in age (34) although goalkeepers can play at a much higher level in later years than most field players. He is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world; he started all their games at the 2010 World Cup and the previous seven World Cup qualifiers for Brazil 2014.

"He has two fractures, but they are not bones that are supporting anything," Moyes said. "It is off the spine. They are not weight-bearing. It just needs a bit of healing time. It is not like a pure fracture where you need to wait to look at it. It is a question of whether he can cope with the pain. The bones will heal themselves, but it's not good."

Midfielder Landon Donovan won't start training with the LA Galaxy until later this month so he won't be ready for these upcoming matches. Midfielder Clint Dempsey has been out since February 21 at Tottenham dealing with a calf injury and fullback Steve Cherundolo could miss a month at Hannover (Germany) with a shoulder injury.

None of this makes me feel better, I was already expecting the U.S. to not win at Mexico. They really need a win vs. Costa Rica to get some confidence back after the 2-1 loss at Honduras in February to open this last round of qualifying (the Hexagonal).

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After A Fantastic 1st Half & Blah 2nd Half, U.S. Men Do Enough To Earn A 1-0 Win Vs. Jamaica

For the first 45 minutes tonight at Columbus Crew Stadium, the U.S. men's national team played some of its most dominant soccer that I've ever seen from them. They had a 79%-21% possession advantage over Jamaica but it was scoreless since they hit the post/crossbar three different times.

The second half was completely forgettable except for Herculez Gomez's goal in the 55th minute off a free kick. That turned out to be the game-winner as the U.S. held on for a 1-0 win in a 2014 World Cup qualifier that truthfully shouldn't have been that close. The three points are all that matters though since Jamaica beat them 2-1 on Friday in Kingston.

The U.S. improved to 7-2-2 this year and is now 11-1-8 all-time against Jamaica. The U.S. maintained its unbeaten record at Columbus Crew Stadium, moving to 6-0-3 all-time at the USA’s first soccer specific venue and they are 9-0-3 in home matches against Jamaica.

Now, the U.S. vaulted from third-place in Group A to a first-place tie with Guatemala (who beat Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 tonight as well). They each have seven points (2-1-1), along with Jamaica, but the U.S. and Guatemala have a better goal-differential at +2. There are two more matches in this round: U.S. at Antigua and Barbuda on October 12 and U.S. hosts Guatemala on October 16 in Kansas City. It looks like the latter match could have huge implications since the top two make it to the next round which means either the U.S., Guatemala or Jamaica will be eliminated.

Jurgen Klinsmann made five changes to his starting lineup and they paid immediate dividends. Graham Zusi, making his first appearance in a World Cup qualifier, was one of the U.S.' better players. In the 6th minute, his shot out of nowhere nearly went in but it hit the crossbar-something which became all too familiar.

Gomez also had a fine match, he almost was sent in on a breakaway when he chested down a long pass from Steve Cherundolo but he was knocked off the ball. Later, his free kick into the box was right where you want it but Jermaine Jones completely whiffed on a header that wasn't that difficult.

After Jones drew a yellow card on Lovel Palmer in the 17th minute for a wild tackle, Gomez's free kick was punched out by Dwayne Miller. By that point, the U.S. was buzzing as Cherundolo's rare shot was deflected off the post. Then Carlos Bocanegra headed a corner back to Zusi but his volley was high. For the third time in the opening 30 minutes, the U.S. hit the woodwork as Danny Williams' long-range shot beat Miller to the side but rattled off the post.

Gomez and the U.S. were rewarded for their stellar start in the 54th minute when he scored his fifth career international goal, second in World Cup qualifying. He hit the curling shot well but in reality, Miller made much better saves in the first half and I'm sure he'd like to have that one back since his hands were in position while he dove to the side. Regardless, the U.S. deserved that strike which isn't something I would often exclaim.

It would have been great to see the U.S. pop an insurance goal and put this out of reach but that's generally not how they operate. Klinsmann rolled the dice by taking out Zusi, Jose Torres and Gomez for Maurice Edu, Brek Shea and Jozy Altidore respectively. Not exactly your dream trio in terms of salting away a win. Oh well, it worked this time.

There were a couple nervy moments for Tim Howard as Jamaica finally looked to go forward in the second half but they either couldn't connect on crosses or shots went over the goal. This was an ugly win but on the road to a World Cup, you're bound to have matches like tonight when you have to slog through unforeseen circumstances (hitting the post three times). Credit to the U.S. for staying composed and knowing that their time would come. Let's hope Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan are healthy in October because they could sure use their talents in the midfield and attacking third.

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Gold Cup: U.S. vs. Guadeloupe 1st half live blog

Never in a million years did I think I'd be watching let alone live blogging a sporting event involving Guadeloupe yet here I am. The U.S. men's national team suffered one of its worst losses ever on Saturday (losing 2-1 to Panama) and now they face a must-win to get out of the group stage of the Gold Cup. That's probably the most depressing sentence I've ever written.

Anyway, Canada just drew 1-1 with Panama. So a U.S. tie or win puts them through to the quarterfinals to face Jamaica (3-0) on Sunday in Washington, DC.

U.S. starting 11:
Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj; Dempsey, Jones, Bradley, Donovan; Wondolowski, Altidore.

Guadeloupe starting 11:
Grandel; Ictoi, Viator, Tacalfred, Zubar; Racon, Gamiette, Auvray, Loval; Socrier, Nabab

Lichaj is making his Gold Cup debut, this is only his fourth match with the team.

I wish I could give you more insight on the Panama loss but I missed it live and once I read the recap I couldn't bare to watch it. Yeah, I'm a baby.

At least the U.S. has a good crowd, soldout Livestrong Arena in Kansas City (the new MLS only stadium).

And we're underway, Altidore wins a free kick outside of the Guadeloupe box.

JP Dellacamara and Kyle Martinho are the announcers on Fox Soccer Channel.

Guadeloupe wins a free kick outside the U.S. box. Howard comes out to get the deflected shot but he goes out for a Guadeloupe corner kick. Sweet Jesus, Howard bungles the corner which leads to a shot off the crossbar and over. Yikes.

No worries, Bob Bradley is shown on the sidelines in his usual dead to the world state.

Ugh, Jozy had a nice to work a 1-2 into space but he gives it right to a defender.

Dempsey wins a free kick outside the Guadeloupe box. Dempsey fires it on goal and Grandel tips it over the crossbar for a corner kick. Nice shot, good save.

Ok, Jozy scores one of his best goals that I've ever seen. A rocket from 25 yards out, Grandel barely moves (9th minute, 12th international goal, 2nd of the Gold Cup). 1-0 U.S., what a strike!

Donovan takes an elbow in the face but no foul call. Hope he's alright.

Wow, they showed a replay from the Guadeloupe goal and that shot took a crazy curve at the end leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

Nabab breaks free for a partial breakaway but he shoots it out on the other sideline. Not sure which U.S. defender was beaten there but it wasn't pretty, he just ran by him pretty easily.

Jones tries to find Altidore with a through ball but he was offside, nice idea.

Brian Dunseth is the sideline reporter, haha what a selection of washed up mediocre American players.

Yikes, Goodson just got tangled up with a Guadeloupe player in the box but there was no call. There definitely could have been, U.S. dodged a bullet there.

Guadeloupe is offside but not before the player shoots it off the crossbar.

And I just found out on Twitter that Guadeloupe isn't even a member of FIFA. Uh shouldn't the U.S. be wiping the floor with these scrubs?

Lichaj makes a nice run into the box, drops it for Donovan but his shot is blocked. Wondolowski skies one from just inside the area (why is he on the team?).

Semifinal loss to Mexico (2007) and Quarterfinal loss to Costa Rica (2009) are the highlights of Guadeloupe's Gold Cup history.

And the announcers make me puke as they note Guadeloupe is a "good team." Yeah ok guys. Haha, their coach is wearing jeans (no joke).

Dempsey with a great chance that he usually buries. Cherundolo puts a cross right on his head but Dempsey puts it wide. Should be 2-0, no excuse.

Cherundolo with another great ball, this time to Wondolowski but it's just out of his reach.

Dempsey with a shot from distance that was ticketed for the back of the net. Good save by Grandel, U.S. corner. Bradley tries a backheel but it's cleared off the line.

If you're wondering Guadeloupe has 400,000 fake people, it's the size of Vermont.

Bradley almost found Dempsey with a sweet chip but Grandel came off his line to clear it out of danger. Good idea.

Cherundolo is flying around, almost had another sweet cross. It was knocked out for a throw in. He's one of the few U.S. players that is doing anything consistently.

Bradley finds Dempsey with a cross that Dempsey puts wide. Didn't matter since he was called offside.

There we go, Wondolowski earns a foul with a nice turn on a Guadeloupe defender on the edge of Guadeloupe's box.

Donovan's free kick is not the best (as usual) but Altidore earns the corner with a nifty move.

Wondolowski gets stuffed twice by Grandel on very good chances. Is Charlie Davies ready to return to the team? Bob Bradley still hasn't found one suitable replacement, anyone that can play with Altidore.

2 minutes of added time and I'm already tired of this game. The U.S. is going to win but they should beat this team by a minimum of five goals on a normal day but right now, they can't get out of their own way.

Halftime: U.S. 1, Guadeloupe 0

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No Cherundolo vs. Colombia

We're a little backlogged here at Red, White and Blue Army. I know that the U.S. tied Poland 2-2 on Saturday in a friendly but I haven't watched it yet. Fear not, it's on my DVR!

I'm planning on viewing it tonight when I get home and then I can post some real thoughts. There's some urgency to that since the U.S. is playing Colombia tomorrow night.

Steve Cherundolo won't be in the lineup as he's already been excused to go back to Germany to play for his club team Hannover (he's the captain).

Cherundolo, who played all 90 minutes in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Poland in Chicago, was allowed Monday to go back to Hannover, which is currently third in the Bundesliga and travels to Bayern Munich this weekend. U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra had previously been released to return to Saint-Etienne in France.

Major League Soccer players Brek Shea and Heath Pearce joined the U.S. team after the Poland game, giving coach Bob Bradley 18 players for the exhibition.

Cherundolo named captain of Hannover

It didn't get any publicity since the rest of the defense was awful for most of the tournament but can you name an American (other than Landon Donovan) who had a better 2010 World Cup than Steve Cherundolo? Tim Howard is the next closest but I'd say he's at best a push.

By design, the position of fullback is probably soccer's least glamorous but in my mind, Cherundolo was solid in all four games. He was strong defensively and he was also fearless in terms of making runs forward and serving crosses into the box.

A 31-year-old San Diego native, Cherundolo has played in the Bundesliga with Hannover since 1999 and he was appointed team captain this week as they train for their upcoming season (kicks off August 21). He's the team's longest tenured player.

The club says on its website that coach Mirko Slomka gave Cherundolo the captain's armband during the Bundesliga team's training camp this week in Bad Radkersburg. Former captain Hanno Ballitsch left the team for Bayer Leverkusen in the offseason.

He recently signed a three-year contract extension and previously served as a deputy captain.

The team barely avoided relegation from the Bundesliga last season after bringing in Slomka as coach in January.

Cherundolo at U.S. training camp

He won't be playing for the U.S. on Wednesday against the Netherlands but defender Steve Cherundolo is a welcome sight back at practice with the national team.

He broke a bone in his shoulder on January 31 during training so the timetable of missing one month of action seems to have been right on the mark.

A steady and reliable player, who started all three games for the Americans at the 2006 World Cup, Cherundolo hopes to get back on the field with his German club Hanover this weekend at Freiburg.

I'm not a betting man, that's more Shimer's department, but I would assume the 31-year-old San Diego native will see some major minutes from Bob Bradley this summer in South Africa.