United States national team coach Bob Bradley has named a 20-man roster ahead of Wednesday's opening final round FIFA World Cup qualifier against rival Mexico at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Among those selected are 18 players who participated in the first two rounds of CONCACAF qualifying last year and eight Major League Soccer-based players. The defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew have two players on the roster -- veteran fullback Frankie Hejduk, who is in his fourth qualifying cycle and has eight career caps against Mexico, and midfielder Robbie Rogers, one of six 2008 Olympians on the roster.
The Houston Dynamo also have a pair of players on Bradley's 20-man roster. Joining holding midfielder Ricardo Clark is striker Brian Ching, who scored four goals through the first two rounds of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who became only the second player in U.S. history to score his first three goals in the same game when the U.S. collected a 3-2 win against Sweden on Jan. 24 at The Home Depot Center, joins teammate Jonathan Bornstein, who is in search of his 15th cap.
Toronto FC speedster Marvell Wynne is the third MLS-based defender on the roster. Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, currently on loan with Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga, is the leading capwinner on the roster with 105 international appearances. He has scored four goals against Mexico, including the second goal in a 2-0 win that sent the U.S. into the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The remaining 12 players are European-based, many with close ties to Major League Soccer. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) and Tim Howard (Everton FC) from the English Premiership are the goalkeepers of choice for Bradley. U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France) joins Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland, Norway), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany) and Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege, Belgium) join Hejduk, Bocanegra and Wynne in the back.
DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mцnchengladbach) and Jose Francisco Torres of Pachuca are the other midfielders and joining Ching and Donovan up front are Jozy Altidore, who is on loan from Villarreal to Xerex CD in Spain, Charlie Davies of Hammarby IF (Sweden) and Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC).
The U.S. has a 3-0-2 record in qualifying and an unbeaten 4-0-3 all-time record at Crew Stadium, including a 2-0 win against El Tri that officially booked their place for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
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