Christian Pulisic features as a player to watch on the final US Copa America roster, released Saturday by Jurgen Klinsmann.
Neil W. Blackmon
Jurgen Klinsmann named his final 23 man roster for next month’s Copa America Centenario. Klinsmann has had very little to no hands-on time with his 40 man grouping in the past three weeks, leaving many to speculate on the method he and his staff would employ to make final choices. Like the preliminary roster, there are a few spots where fans will quibble with the manager’s choices, but the team selected in the end is a relatively predictable group with few head-scratchers.
The most surprising decision? The omission of Seattle Sounders rookie Jordan Morris. The Stanford product has had some bright moments for the US National Team under Jurgen Klinsmann, and his ability to run off the back shoulder with blistering pace would have provided the US with a more pure #9 than they’ve had since at least the 2013 Gold Cup. Morris has an excellent first touch, particularly retrieving balls from the air, and he makes highly intelligent runs for a young player. This would have been a tremendous tournament to showcase his not insubstantial talents against high-level competition. It appears that will have to wait until Russia.
The argument immediately circulating the Twittersphere is that Klinsmann chose San Jose Earthquakes veteran Chris Wondolowski over the Seattle youngster. This seems half-right, in the sense that roster spots are finite and maybe these two were the last two picked at a certain position. But it is only half-right, as they aren’t at all like for like players.
That’s not fair to Wondo or Jordan.. Shouldn’t be one or the other. Two completely different players.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) May 21, 2016
Further, it is important to note that Wondolowski is in tremendous form for San Jose, and he’s a poacher who can find a goal in the scrum. Klinsmann may be looking at this group and thinking that’s what the tournament will require. Or perhaps he’s just not sure what to do after yet another injury to Jozy Altidore has forced the US to deal with either no or a limited version of their seasoned goal-scoring international forward for a third consecutive summer tournament.
Klinsmann didn’t reject all youth, however, as 17 year old Borussia Dortmund starlet Christian Pulisic made the roster. Pulisic, who was on the bench Saturday for Dortmund’s German Cup final against Bayern Munich, received his first senior team cap earlier this year.
The US will play three warm-up matches for the Copa America Centenario tournament, beginning tomorrow at Puerto Rico (1PM, Fox Sports 1). Following the inaugural meeting between the United States and Puerto Rico, the Yanks will take on Ecuador on May 25 at Toyota Stadium (7 PM, ESPN 2) and conclude warm-up matches with a tilt against Bolivia in Kansas City (7 PM, FS 1). The US begin group stage action in the Copa America against Colombia on June 3rd (9PM, FS1).
The final US roster, by position, is below. A lengthier analysis is forthcoming.
U.S. Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), 12-Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), 22-Ethan Horvath (Molde IK)
DEFENDERS (8): 5-Matt Besler (Sporting KC), 3-Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), 6-John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), 20-Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), 21-Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), 23-Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), 14-Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), 2-DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS/FORWARDS (12): 15-Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), 11-Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), 4-Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), 8-Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), 13-Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), 16-Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), 10-Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), 17-Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), 18-Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), 7-Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV), 20-Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), 19-Graham Zusi (Sporting KC)