CHICAGO — Seattle Sounders Clint Dempsey and Brad Evans were among the veteran players left off coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s training camp roster ahead of exhibition games against Iceland and Canada.
Eleven players on the youth-filled roster announced Wednesday are eligible to play for the American under-23 team, which faces Colombia in a two-leg playoff in March for a berth in this year’s Olympics. The U.S. Soccer Federation said several veterans are on “standby.”
Captain Michael Bradley heads the list of veterans, including Jozy Altidore, Jermaine Jones and Matt Besler, who will attend training camp on Monday in Carson, California.
Ten players on the roster have never appeared for the national team: defenders Kellyn Acosta, Eric Miller, Tim Parker, Marc Pelosi and Matt Polster; midfielders Fatai Alashe and Tony Tchani; and forwards Ethan Finlay, Jerome Kiesewetter and Khiry Shelton.
Tchani, who was born in Cameroon, was called up by that country ahead of World Cup qualifiers in November but withdrew because of an injury sustained in an MLS playoff game.
Stuttgart’s Kiesewetter is the only player on the roster not based in the U.S.
“We give the opportunity to the next wave of players to come in and make an impression and see if they are ready to step it up into international level,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “It will be more an identification camp. It will be more a developmental camp.”
The U.S. plays Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5, both in Carson, California.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Bill Hamid (D.C.), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
Defenders: Kellyn Acosta (Dallas), Matt Besler (Kansas City), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Eric Miller (Montreal), Tim Parker (Vancouver), Marc Pelosi (San Jose), Matt Polster (Chicago)
Midfielders: Fatai Alashe (San Jose), Michael Bradley (Toronto), Mix Diskerud (New York City), Jermaine Jones (no club), Darlington Nagbe (Portland), Lee Nguyen (New England), Tony Tchani (Columbus), Wil Trapp (Columbus)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Ethan Finlay (Columbus), Jerome Kiesewetter (Stuttgart, Germany), Jordan Morris (no club), Khiry Shelton (New York City), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles)
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