U.S., Mexico set rosters for CONCACAF Cup playoff game
Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes was named to the 23-man U.S. roster for next Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup playoff against Mexico at the Rose Bowl but teammate Omar Gonzalez, a World Cup veteran, was not.
The rosters were announced minutes ago on Fox Sports.
Mexico’s team, meanwhile, will include the Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos and former national team captains Rafa Marquez and Andres Guardado. Both Marquez and Guardado are nursing injuries, making their selections something of a surprise.
The Oct. 10 showdown between Mexico and the U.S., the last two winners of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, will determine the region’s representative in the 2017 Confederations Cup, an important dress rehearsal for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The U.S. hasn’t lost to Mexico since the 2011 Gold Cup final, the last time the two teams played in the Rose Bowl.
After the Oct. 10 game, the U.S. will travel to New Jersey for a friendly with Costa Rica on Oct. 13, the final tuneup for World Cup qualifying, which begins next month against St. Vincent & the Grenadines at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Mexico will begin its qualifying campaign at home against El Salvador on Nov. 13.
Zardes has played in 15 of the U.S. national team’s 16 games this year, starting 12. Only Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley, with 15 starts, has seen more action.
Twelve of the players called up by U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann will come from Major League Soccer teams. Seven others, including goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Tim Howard, play in England.
Also named to the team were Bradley’s oft-injured Toronto teammate and forward Jozy Altidore and defender DaMarcus Beasley, who announced his retirement from the national team after last summer’s World Cup only to accept two call-ups this year.
The U.S. roster (with club team in parentheses):
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Michael Orozco (Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City), De Andre Yedlin (Sunderland)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Danny Williams (Reading), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Gyasi Zardes (Galaxy)
Mexican roster (with club team in parentheses):
Goalkeepers: Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Moises Munoz (Club America), Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey)
Defenders: Arturo Rivas (Tigres), Rafa Marquez (Hellas Verona), Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad), Jorge Torres (Tigres), Miguel Layun (Porto), Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven), Hector Herrera (Porto), Paul Aguilar (Club America)
Midfielders: Israel Jimenez (Tigres), Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal), Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven), Javier Aquino (Tigres), Jose Juan Vazquez (Leon)
Forwards: Raul Jimenez (Benfica), Giovani dos Santos (Galaxy), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Jesus Corona (Porto), Oribe Peralta (Club America), Carlos Esquivel (Toluca)
