USMNT Roster For Denmark and Switzerland Announced
By Sean Maslin
On Sunday, US Soccer announced the 23-man U.S. Men’s National Team roster that will head to Europe this week to take on Denmark and Switzerland.
The match against Denmark will take place Aarhus on Wednesday (3pm EST, ESPN2). The Switzerland match will be in Zurich on Tuesday, March the 31st (noon, EST, Fox Sports 1, UNiMas).
Both of the USMNT’s opponents are currently engaged in heated battles to qualify for the 2016 European Championships. Denmark (2-1-1, 7 points) currently lead Group I ahead of Portugal (2-0-1, 6 points,) Albania (1-1-1, 4 points,) Serbia (1-1-1, 4 points,) and Armenia (0-1-2, 1 point) having played one more game than the rest of their group.
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Switzerland, meanwhile, are in third place (2-0-2, 6 points) in Group E trailing Slovenia (2-0-2, 6 points) thanks to a 1-0 loss back in October. They are also only narrowly ahead of Lithuania (2-0-2, 6 points,) Estonia (1-1-2, 4 points,) and San Marino (0-1-3, 1 point). England leads the group comfortably with an undefeated record (4-0-0, 12 points).
The top two teams in each group qualify for the 2016 European Championship while the third place teams will qualify for the two-legged knockout playoff.
While the roster features plenty of regulars (Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore) there are also plenty of newcomers. Perhaps the name that sticks out the most is William Yarbrough. Yarbrough is the starting goalkeeper for Leon in Liga MX and is a U.S. Citizen through his parents who were missionaries in Mexico. Yarbrough has never featured for the USMNT at any level but has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in Liga MX over the past two years.
The other player from Liga MX that will raise some eyebrows is defender Ventura Alvarado. Alvarado currently plays for Club America, which is one of the top clubs in Liga MX. He gained prominence after having an earned a starting spot with America last year as the club was on its way towards winning the 2014 Apertura. Center-back is a position that USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann is currently tinkering with so the timing might be perfect for Alvarado to earn a spot.
Although there aren’t any other players making their USMNT debut there are certainly players on this roster looking to making an impression. Players like defender Tim Ream (Bolton,) and midfielders Julian Green (Hamburg,) Alfredo Morales (Inglostadt,) and Gyassi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy) are all looking to become regulars with the USMNT. With the 2015 Gold Cup, 2016 Copa America, and 2018 World Cup Qualification are all coming up in the next year and there are finite opportunities to prove one’s value.
Here is the full roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Southampton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Leon)
DEFENDERS (8): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Anthony Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timny Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Julian Green (Hamburg), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Aron Johannson (AZ Alkmaar), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht)