This week in US Soccer: USMNT roster for upcoming World Cup qualifiers

The USMNT roster for June World Cup qualifiers is set, Baby Yanks continue to roll and John Brooks is expensive.

Arena calls in roster ahead of giant World Cup qualifiers

The gigantic June World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago (home, June 8) and Mexico (away, June 11) are nearly upon us. USMNT manager Bruce Arena called in 27 players on Sunday. One, Timmy Chandler, has already gone home due to an injury. The Yanks will play a tune-up friendly against Venezuela on June 3. Here’s the roster, via the official U.S. Soccer website:

GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (11): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg)

First things first: sweet Mary and Joseph, that’s a lot of goalkeepers. Tim Howard is still the No. 1, and Guzan is presumably still his back up. It appears Arena has selected Horvath as his keeper of the future and wants him to get as much time around the veterans as possible. Not a horrible idea.

Also, it’s super fantastic to have a healthy DeAndre Yedlin available.

So, the surprise inclusions. Matt Hedges is certainly one, getting the call over his FC Dallas teammate and recent USMNT call-up Walker Zimmerman. Then there’s DaMarcus Beasley and Graham Zusi. Look, I’m all for veterans leadership, but there comes a point where you have to put the old guys on an iceberg and watch them float away. If those two see any time in the qualifiers then something has gone terribly wrong; or terribly right, I suppose.

I can’t really fault Arena for any of the midfielders or forwards he chose. It’s nice to see Fabian Johnson and Bobby Wood deemed fit for the roster after their recent injuries.

Regrading surprise omissions, the most glaring to me are Eric Lichaj, who was voted Nottingham Forest’s player of the year, and Reading’s Danny Williams, both out of the English Championship. Like I said, Beasley and Zusi are known and dwindling commodities. I’m not really sure what more Lichaj can do — short of staring for a Premier League team — to get the attention of the U.S. manager.

Finally, there are the omissions I am extremely happy about: Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones and Chris Wondolowski. This is not a comment on their careers. It’s just a fact that they were continually called into the national team at least a year past their usefulness.

Out of the three, it’s JJ who I will miss the most (and he will probably be back). He was a walking red card, sure, but you knew he would always work his ass off and was willing to get stuck in. Also, I will never forget his goal in the 2014 World Cup against Portugal.

There isn’t much I feel the need to say about Beckerman besides thanks for your service, I guess?

And then there’s Wondo. My dude was unstoppable against CONCACAF minnows, but was never really a threat to do anything against decent competition. I will never forgive him for “The Miss” against Colombia.

I still cannot bear to watch it. It’s like every horror movie rolled into one. It’s like watching puppies die. It’s like thinking you found the person of your dreams but then they murder you.

Let’s move on to my predicted starting XI v Trinidad & Tobago, shall we?

I am very big on Kellyn Acosta, and we may see him or Dax McCarty against Mexico at the Azteca, but Darlington Nagbe feels like the pick Arena will go with. And I think he is right. Nagbe can jump start the offense from midfield and is one of the Yanks’ best possessors of the ball.

Jorge Villafana has proved himself mostly capable at left-back. The Brooks-Cameron partnership is the best the USA has to offer at center-back even though Cameron played a lot in central midfield for Stoke this season. Did I mention how amazing it is to have Yedlin starting at right-back? It’s really amazing, guys.

There is no reason that Christian Pulisic, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore shouldn’t decimate the Trinidad back four. The U.S. need a dominating win heading into the showdown with Mexico. This lineup is the best way to accomplish that.

Next: Champions League final preview: Juventus vs. Real Madrid

Extras

The U.S. U-20s are through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after crushing New Zealand 6-0 Thursday morning. Josh Sargent opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and Brooks Lennon was also on the scoresheet. But this goal from Jeremy Ebobisse was the cream of the crop.

The Baby Yanks will take on Venezuela on Sunday.

As expected, USMNT defender John Brooks is on the move from Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg. Also, as expected, the transfer fee was the largest ever paid for a U.S. international: $22.4 million. That’s a lot of scratch. Congrats to Brooks. Now he needs to put in work for the Yanks this summer.