The USMNT will play its last two friendly games before the real fun begins. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has two big tests before the World Cup Qualifiers continue in November. The first one is against Cuba in Havana this Friday (4 pm ET, ESPN2, UniMás) and the second one on October 11 vs New Zealand (8 pm ET, UniMás).
The first one will be a historic match as the USMNT will play in Cuba for the first time. The second will be against an opponent that will determine how competitive the team can be. Both games are important, so Klinsmann elected a pretty strong squad. Here’s the official 23-man squad, a roster that only features eight MLS players:
Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Ethan Horvath (Molde FK), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
Defenders: Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Perry Kitchen (Hearts), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Danny Williams (Reading)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV), Julian Green (Bayern Munich)
There are several noticeable things starting with the goalkeeper position. The absences of Tim Howard and Brad Guzan mean that we will probably see the third GK in Russia 2018 in action. Horvath has a good chance to impress, but Yarbrough and Bingham are likely to see minutes as well.
The defensive line remains the same from recent call-ups. The game against Cuba could be the chance to see Chandler and Birnbaum get a spot start. Meanwhile Omar Gonzalez wants to show he’s still fit enough to battle for a starting spot with Cameron. Because let’s face, no one is taking John Brooks out of the squad anytime soon.
The midfield zone could see plenty of changes. Kyle Beckerman, Darlington Nagbe and Graham Zusi aren’t on the squad so we could see an experiment here or there. Alejandro Bedoya has also been ruled out due to injury. So this will be perfect scenario for Lynden Gooch, Perry Kitchen and Danny Williams to impress the coaching staff. And we can assure you Christian Pulisic will see extended minutes.
There are only five attackers on the squad so there’s enough playing time for all of them. Jozy Altidore is a lock considering his current form. Jordan Morris has been playing really well for Seattle too, and Julian Green could see time as upfront or on the wing.
No one what Klinsmann will do, but he has a deep roster at his disposal. And we are sure he will try to make as many experiments as he can. After all, the World Cup Qualifers are just around the corner. And he won’t be able to improvise against the likes of Mexico and Costa Rica.