So, the roster for the January Camp officially hit, here it is:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
DEFENDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (Unattached), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew SC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew SC), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart), Jordan Morris (Unattached), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
Note: Originally the roster also included Jesse Gonalez of FC Dallas, but after receiving an offer from Mexico he decided to go with them (Boo!).
There's a few interesting selections in there:
Khiry Shelton: The young striker for NYCFC spent much of last season injured and was also mostly used as a sub when he was healthy, so it's a little surprising to see him get a shot. Then again, Shelton showed a lot of promise before his injury, if that skill translates to the national level he could be a great asset. So far, Shelton's skills failed to get him any goals for the U-23 or U-20 teams, so I'm not sure if it will.
Lots of Columbus Players: Ethan Finlay, Wil Trapp, and Tony Tchani are all getting a full look from Klinsmann. In a major way this makes sense, as the dynamic attack of Columbus is exactly the sort of thing Klinsmann ultimately wants to do. I'll be curious to see how much playing time they get and if they can translate what they've learned under Greg Berhalter into international goals.
Luis Robles: The New York Red Bulls long time keeper had an excellent season in New York and was named keeper of the year by MLS (somewhat controversially). There's little doubt that he's a solid keeper and can probably translate that into being a decent shot-stopper for the USMNT, but he's 31 and he's unlikely to unseat Howard or Guzan in the starting spot, so why bring him in? The only thing I can think of is that Klinsmann is looking for a new Nick Rimando (who significantly regressed this year), a solid veteran keeper that can be the third string when better keepers are sidelined.
New Defenders Everywhere: If you don't pay much attention to MLS, virtually every name in defense on this roster is going to be new to you. Virtually every name on this list is under 23, promising defenders from MLS, in fact only one player, Matt Besler, could be considered "veteran". I suspect Klinsmann is trying to give these young kids a taste of international play, expect to see a lot of defensive subs.
Overall, I like a lot of the players involved in this camp from the perspective of getting people experience and training, my lone complaint is Jermain Jones presence. I know he's there to pass on his experience and because he currently has no club to train with, but age is not being kind to the central midfielder and I don't think he'll make it to the next World Cup.
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
DEFENDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (Unattached), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew SC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew SC), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart), Jordan Morris (Unattached), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
Note: Originally the roster also included Jesse Gonalez of FC Dallas, but after receiving an offer from Mexico he decided to go with them (Boo!).
There's a few interesting selections in there:
Khiry Shelton: The young striker for NYCFC spent much of last season injured and was also mostly used as a sub when he was healthy, so it's a little surprising to see him get a shot. Then again, Shelton showed a lot of promise before his injury, if that skill translates to the national level he could be a great asset. So far, Shelton's skills failed to get him any goals for the U-23 or U-20 teams, so I'm not sure if it will.
Lots of Columbus Players: Ethan Finlay, Wil Trapp, and Tony Tchani are all getting a full look from Klinsmann. In a major way this makes sense, as the dynamic attack of Columbus is exactly the sort of thing Klinsmann ultimately wants to do. I'll be curious to see how much playing time they get and if they can translate what they've learned under Greg Berhalter into international goals.
Luis Robles: The New York Red Bulls long time keeper had an excellent season in New York and was named keeper of the year by MLS (somewhat controversially). There's little doubt that he's a solid keeper and can probably translate that into being a decent shot-stopper for the USMNT, but he's 31 and he's unlikely to unseat Howard or Guzan in the starting spot, so why bring him in? The only thing I can think of is that Klinsmann is looking for a new Nick Rimando (who significantly regressed this year), a solid veteran keeper that can be the third string when better keepers are sidelined.
New Defenders Everywhere: If you don't pay much attention to MLS, virtually every name in defense on this roster is going to be new to you. Virtually every name on this list is under 23, promising defenders from MLS, in fact only one player, Matt Besler, could be considered "veteran". I suspect Klinsmann is trying to give these young kids a taste of international play, expect to see a lot of defensive subs.
Overall, I like a lot of the players involved in this camp from the perspective of getting people experience and training, my lone complaint is Jermain Jones presence. I know he's there to pass on his experience and because he currently has no club to train with, but age is not being kind to the central midfielder and I don't think he'll make it to the next World Cup.