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USMNT Daily Update: Who should Klinsmann call into the January camp?

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By IVES GALARCEP

We are now just a month away from the first U.S. Men’s National Team training camp, meaning Jurgen Klinsmann has to start thinking about the players he plans on calling in to the camp leading into the crucial Feb. 6 Hex opener against Honduras.

Klinsmann pointed out that there should be a strong contingent of young players called into the camp, though he will also plan on bringing in players who are expected to play key roles in the Honduras qualifier. The squad will be MLS heavy, with a sprinkling of Scandinavian-based players.

So which players will get the call? Here is a projection of the 23 players we could see being called in for the January USMNT camp:

PROJECTED USMNT CAMP ROSTER

GOALKEEPER– Nick Rimando, Sean Johnson, Bill Hamid

DEFENDERS– Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Austin Berry, Amobi Okugo, Steve Beitashour, Kofi Sarkodie, Justin Morrow, Seth Sinovic

MIDFIELDERS– Graham Zusi, Mix Diskerud, Josh Gatt, Chris Pontius, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Kyle Beckerman, Ricardo Clark

FORWARDS– Terrence Boyd, Eddie Johnson,  Juan Agudelo, Chris Wondolowski

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Some thoughts:

There is no guarantee Jermaine Jones is part of the camp. He is suspended for Schalke’s matches in January, but with the club having fired manager Huub Stevens, and with Jones having recently welcomed the birth of a daughter, he might not wind up making the trip. It is a safe bet Klinsmann will want him in camp though, not only to serve as a leader of the group, but to prepare him for the Honduras qualifier.

Michael Parkhurst is on the verge of a transfer move so he isn’t likely to be available, but if things were to drag on in terms of his move, he could wind up being a part of this camp.

The same can be said for Bedoya, but we will project him anyway. Bedoya told SBI’s Franco Panizo that he has been contacted by Jurgen Klinsmann so a call-up is a strong possibility.

Klinsmann told media a few weeks ago that he was interested in calling in Boyd for the camp, and he is available so it’s a safe bet he makes the trip. If he doesn’t, we could see Will Bruin getting a call.

There are plenty of fullback options for Klinsmann to choose from. Sporting KC’s Chance Myers is another player we could see getting the nod, though Kofi Sarkodie’s strong finish to the MLS season just might have been enough to catch Klinsmann’s eye.

Of this group, Jones, Zusi and Johnson are the ones most likely to play key roles in the Honduras qualifier, Gonzalez and Besler could be auditioning for consideration in the centerback race.

Please keep in mind that this roster is just a suggestion of the group Klinsmann could call in. Some of the selections might seem like wild cards, but Klinsmann is known for throwing in a few surprises each camp so we shall do the same.

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What do you think of this roster? What players would you like to see called in? Who made our projection that you are happy to see included?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. hope we see Benny, and that JK reaches out to him, tells him what the USMNT needs from him, and gives him the support that he’s given other fringe guys, and that Benny gets the opportunity to prove he still belongs. He didn’t get dropped because of his performances for the Nats, he just got dropped

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  2. Wondering when S Holden will get his next look. He is just now playing with Bolton again after being out for so long. He will need to stick with Bolton for the start of the year, but I am hoping he might be able to get back into the mix at least for some Gold Cup matches if not Hex later in the year.

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