By Benson Petit-Clair
With the FIFA World Cup looming, US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann unveiled on Thursday a list of mostly European-based players for the friendly against Ukraine on March 5 in Larnaca, Cyprus.
The match was originally scheduled to take place in Kharkiv, Ukraine, but recent political unrest in the country triggered the organizers to change the location.
“In conjunction with the Football Federation of Ukraine, we have moved the match on March 5 to Larnaca, Cyprus,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts of Ukraine and the Cyprus Football Association as we worked through this situation.
In total, 21 of the 24 players selected for the match are European-based players and they will be joined by a trio of MLS stars, namely, Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley, Seattle striker Clint Dempsey and Club Tijuana defender Edgar Castillo.
“This game is a huge opportunity, mainly for our European-based players, for those guys to prove to us that they are eager and hungry to jump on the train to the FIFA World Cup,” said Klinsmann.
USA has been matched with Germany, Ghana and Portugal in group G for the upcoming World Cup.
All the 24 players on the list are expected to report in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday, March 2, for two days of training before travelling to Cyprus.
U.S. FULL ROSTER :
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Southampton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Oguchi Onyewu (Sheffield Wednesday), Will Packwood (Birmingham City), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Barnsley), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS (6): Juan Agudelo (Utrecht), Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar)
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