Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Gold Cup Roster Announced

The U.S. Men's National Team has announced their roster for their upcoming friendly with Spain and the ensuing Gold Cup. Here's what you need to know about the guys who made the team:


Goalkeepers:

Tim Howard (Everton, England) - 32 year old goalkeeper who started every game for Everton in the English Premier League this year leading them to a 7th place finish (13-10-15, 54 pts). Howard was the starting goalie for the U.S. in the 2010 World Cup and has 58 career caps.

 Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England) - Started 14 games for Wolves in the English Premier League as they narrowly escaped relegation. A few weeks shy of 39, Hahnemann has 9 caps with the National Team and was a member of the 2010 World Cup team although he did not make an appearance as Howard played every minute in goal.

Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake, MLS) - 31 year old keeper for Real Salt Lake where he's been the starter since 2007. Prior to joining Real, he'd spent time with DC United and the defunct Miami Fusion. In 7 starts with Real this year, has allowed just 2 goal. 5 career caps with the U.S. National team including one start this year.


Defenders:

Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne, France) - Bocanegra, who turns 32 on Wednesday, was once upon a time the 4th overall pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. Now over a decade later, Bocanegra is the U.S. captain and has compiled 87 caps with 12 international goals. A member of both the 2006 and 2010 World Cup teams, Bocanegra joined Saint-Etienne this past summer and helped them to an 8th place finish in France's Ligue 1 following a 17th place finish a year before.

 Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Jonathan Bornstein (Tigres, Mexico) - The former Chivas USA defender joined Tigres following the 2010 season. He has made 7 appearances for the Group 1 leaders including 4 starts. Bornstein was a member of the 2010 World Cup team making a pair of starts in South Africa. He has 37 career caps and has scored a pair of international goals.

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany) - One of the few U.S. defenders who earned high praise for their play at the 2010 World Cup, Cherundolo has 65 caps and a pair of goals for the National Team. The 32 year old outside back has played in Germany for Hannover 96 since 1999 helping them to a 4th place finish in the Bundesliga this year while starting 33 of a possible 34 games.

Clarence Goodson (Brondby, Denmark) - 29 year old defender playing out a 3 year deal for Brøndby IF in Denmark. A member of the 2010 World Cup, he has 17 caps and a pair of international goals, both of them scored against Honduras.


Eric Lichaj (Leeds, England) - 22 year old defender on loan to Leeds United from Aston Villa, Lichaj is relatively new to the National Team picture with only 3 caps to date. Lichaj started 16 games for Leeds who finished in 7th place in the English League Championship.

Oguchi Onyewu (Twente, Netherlands) - On loan currently from AC Milan with whom he signed a 3 year deal in 2009, Onyewu missed the entire 2009-2010 season due to a torn patellar tendon suffered while on National Team duty. The 29 year old Onyewu has played for the U.S. in the last two World Cups, but was limited in 2010 due to the knee injury he'd suffered previously. In his National Team career, he has amassed 59 caps and scored 6 goals. With Onyewu aboard, Twente Enschede finished in second place (21-5-8) in the Dutch Eredivisie, and won the Dutch Cup over Ajax 3-2. Onyewu has made 8 appearances for them including 7 starts.

Tim Ream (New York, MLS) - Started all 30 matches for the New York Red Bulls in his rookie season and 9 of a possible 10 this year. The 18th overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft joined the National Team picture late last year and has made a pair of starts for them in 2011 giving him 3 caps.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Jonathan Spector (West Ham United, England) - 25 year old defender who has been with West Ham since 2006, Spector played 14 premier league games for the Hammers who finished in last place (7-19-12). Spector scored one goal in the Premier League, 1 more in the FA Cup and had 2 goals in a 4-0 win that knocked Manchester United out of the Carling Cup. A member of the 2010 World Cup team although he did not see any action, Spector has 30 caps in his career.



Midfielders:

Freddy Adu (Rizespor, Turkey) - The 21 year old Adu, who signed a pro contract at age 14, now finds himself playing in Turkey's second division on loan from the Portuguese side Benfica where he has gotten regular playing time and already scored 4 goals. Adu has a pair of goals and 15 caps with the National Team scoring against Guatemala in World Cup Qualifying and then against Grenada at the 2009 Gold Cup. However, the 2-time MLS all-star was left off the 2010 World Cup roster and did not appear for the National Team last year.

Michael Bradley (Aston Villa, England) - Michael Bradley left his mark on U.S. soccer when he scored the game tying goal against Slovenia late in the match helping the Americans erase a 2-0 deficit at the 2010 World Cup. The 23 year old midfielder is under contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach, but has been loaned to Aston Villa where he appeared 3 times as a substitute and received 1 start in the FA Cup. Prior to the loan, he'd made 19 appearances this season (17 starts) and scored 3 goals for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bradley has 52 caps and 8 international goals in his National Team career.

Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England) - The 28 year old Texan led Fulham in scoring this past season notching 12 goals and tallying 3 assists in 37 appearances (35 starts). Dempsey also added a goal during the Carling Cup. In 70 career appearances with the National Team, Dempsey has tallied 19 goals. A member of the last two World Cup teams, he scored in 2006 against Ghana and in 2010 against England. In the 2009 Confederations Cup, Dempsey scored 3 times including goals against Spain and Brazil.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Landon Donovan (Los Angeles, MLS) - Currently MLS's leading scorer with 7 goals in 9 appearances, Donovan is the men's national team's all time leading scorer with 45 goals in 130 appearances. Donovan led the U.S. with 3 goals in the 2010 World Cup scoring against Slovenia, Algeria and Ghana giving him 5 World Cup goals in his career. A member of the U.S.'s past 3 World Cup teams, Donovan had 7 goals and 16 assists last season and has 110 goals and 92 assists in his MLS career.

 Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scotland) - 25 year old midfielder who has helped Rangers to 3 straight Scottish Premier League titles. Edu made 33 appearances this season and netted a pair of Premier League Goals while also tallying a score in Europa League play. Edu was a member of the 2010 World Cup team and appeared to score a game winner in the 85th minute against Slovenia, but a questionable call caused it to be overturned.
Edu has 21 caps including a pair of starts in 2011 and has scored 1 international goal.

Benny Feilhaber (New England, MLS) - 26 year old Brazilian-born midfielder who joined the New England Revolution this season after playing in Europe (Germany, England, Denmark) since 2005. Has played 5 games for the Revs so far tallying 1 assist. As a member of the National team, he's received 38 caps and scored a pair of goals including the game winner in the 2007 Gold Cup final against Mexico. A member of the 2010 World Cup team, Feilhaber appeared 3 times as a substitute.

Jermaine Jones (Blackburn, England) - 29 year old German-born midfielder on loan to Blackburn Rovers from Schalke 04. Played internationally for Germany, but switched his affiliation to the United States in 2009.  Jones had 3 caps with Germany's senior national team before opting to play for the U.S. Since joining the U.S. squad he has appeared in 4 matches, including twice this year. In the English Premier League this year, Jones started 15 games for Rovers helping them avoid relegation.

Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium) - The 5th overall pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by Chivas USA was a finalist for the 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year Award. Played with Chivas USA until 2010 when he signed a 4 year contract with Belgian First Division Champions Anderlecht where he scored 3 goals in his first year with the club. As a member of the National Team has made 26 career appearances scoring 4 goals including a hat trick against Sweden in 2009.

Robbie Rogers (Columbus, MLS) - 24 year old midfielder in his 5th season with the Columbus Crew. Has a pair of goals and an assist in 10 games this year after scoring just 1 goal a year ago. Has made 13 career appearances for the National Team and scored in the 2009 Gold Cup against Grenada. In 2008, helped lead the Crew to the MLS Cup while being named a member of the MLS Best XI.


Forwards:

Juan Agudelo (New York, MLS) - 18 year old striker who has made an immediate impact at both the club and international level. Already has a pair of goals for the national team in just 4 appearances . Scored the game winner against South Africa in his international debut and followed that up with an equalizer against Argentina in the U.S.'s 1-1 draw back in March. For the Red Bulls, he has made 4 starts while coming on as a substitute 5 times playing behind Luke Rodgers and Thierry Henry, but he's already netted a pair of goals.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor, Turkey) - 21 year old striker on loan to Bursaspor from Villareal, Altidore made his MLS debut at the age of 16. Is the youngest U.S. player to score a hat trick in an international game doing so in a World Cup Qualifyer against Trinidad and Tobago at the age of 19. Has 10 international goals in 34 career appearances, but failed to score in 4 games at the 2010 World Cup.

Chris Wondolowski (San Jose, MLS) - 28 year old striker who had his breakout season last year with the Earthquakes. After scoring only 7 goals in his first 5 seasons, Wondo tallied 18 goals last season en route to winning the Golden Boot. In 10 games in 2011, Wondo has added 5 more goals and already set a career high with 2 assists. Wondolowski made his international debut in January getting the start against Chile.

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