Bradley Names U.S. Roster for England Friendly
A large contingent of European-based players have been called in to face England, led by a trio from Fulham, Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and Derby midfielder Eddie Lewis
U.S. National Team head coach Bob Bradley chose 22 players from his set 33-man pool for the upcoming three friendlies to travel to London to face England on May 28 at Wembley Stadium.
Bradley’s camp begins on Thursday, with MLS players traveling across the Pond after their weekend matches.
“We’re excited about the challenge of playing England in Wembley Stadium,” said Bradley in a statement. “We expect that this is going to be a fantastic experience. Overall, we look forward to a good week of training and continuing the process of preparing for the task of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.”
Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan is one cap away from becoming the fourth-youngest male player to reach 100 international appearances. Should he play against England, the 26-year-old will surpass his assistant coach with the Galaxy, Cobi Jones, as the youngest U.S. player to hit the century mark.
European-based players make up the bulk up of the squad, including the of three Fulham players – Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson – Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, Standard de Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu and SC Heerenveen midfielder Michael Bradley. It also serves as the international return for Glasgow Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, who played for his club on Monday for the first time in nearly six months after injuring his knee in a Champions League match against Stuttgart last November.
The U.S. is undefeated in 2008 and is currently riding a five-match unbeaten run dating back to Oct. 17, 2007. They will be tested by an English side that four players from Manchester United (Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Wayne Rooney) and five players from Chelsea (Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry). Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will also be available for Fabio Capello.
The U.S. and England last met on British soil at the original Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 7, 1994, with the home side earning a 2-0 victory. One year before, the U.S. won 2-0 in a historic victory at Foxboro Stadium. England secured a 2-1 victory in the last matchup coming on May 28, 2005, getting two goals from Kieran Richardson.
Following the England match, the U.S. will face fourth-ranked Spain on June 4 at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander and Argentina four days later in New Jersey.
U.S. Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Dominic Cervi (Out of Contract), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
FORWARDS: Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (Out of Contract), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (Out of Contract)
England Roster
GOALKEEPERS: David James (Portsmouth), Joe Hart (Manchester City), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)
DEFENDERS: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Stephen Warnock (Blackburn), David Wheater (Middlesbrough), Jonathan Woodgate (Middlesbrough)
MIDFIELDERS: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), David Bentley (Blackburn), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
FORWARD: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Dean Ashton (West Ham), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
-- Goal.com USA
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