The United States Men’s National Team will host South Korea in Carson, CA this Saturday, February 1, 2014 at the StubHub Center. The USMNT will play their first international friendly in their preparation for the FIFA World Cup set to begin June 12.
The match against South Korea will be of huge importance for Jurgen Klinsmann, as it will be the first opportunity for the coach to begin detecting which players are capable of earning a World Cup roster space. For Saturday’s friendly, 22 players were chosen, where only two play in European leagues, while the rest perform in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Considering this version of USMNT is made mostly of domestic league players shows that the score will not be the most important aspect of the match. Klinsmann will focus on individual performances, and also on testing different formations and tactics throughout the game. The Stars and Stripes have been concentrated in training camp for several weeks, therefore the friendly against South Korea will be a good platform to envision how much this team has gelled in that time.
USMNT Roster Against South Korea
Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson, Bill Hamid, Nick Rimando
Defenders: Michael Harrington, Michael Parkhurst, DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Besler, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez , Clarence Goodson
Midfielders: Benny Feilhaber, Luis Gil, Dax McCarty, Graham Zusi, Eric Alexander, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud
Forwards: Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Mike Magee, Chris Wondolowski
