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United States men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has announced his final 23-man squad for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Despite testing a number of talented footballers in seven qualifiers earlier this year, the German coach opted for the tried and tested when naming his final squad for the upcoming tournament finals.
The 23-man roster contains no fewer than 17 footballers that successfully represented the country at the 2014 World Cup finals, while Chris Wondolowski and Tim Ream have been recalled.
Youngsters Bobby Wood and Jordan Morris miss out despite having impressed in the final international friendly against Germany.
Captain Clint Dempsey returns to the fold in spite of the MLS suspension and he is the only player on the roster that will make an appearance at the fourth Gold Cup finals.
“Our approach for putting together the roster for this summer’s Gold Cup, which is very, very important to us, is obviously to do everything possible to win this competition. Winning it would qualify us for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, so putting the pieces together is very crucial,” said Klinsmann.
“That’s why we came out with a roster full of quality, but also a lot of experience; players that are used to playing in the CONCACAF region and also younger players that came through the ranks over the last year that made a stamp on the senior National Team program.
“It’s an exciting roster, and obviously we have a chance to make some changes after the group stage if necessary. We put all of these things into consideration, and we believe we have a very, very strong group that can win this prestigious tournament.”
With the tournament set to be held in United States and Canada, the USMNT heads to the 2015 Gold Cup not only as reigning champions, but also as one of the main favourites for the trophy.
United States Gold Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon);
Defenders: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers);
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City);
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).
