USA to take youthful squad to South Africa
Reuters - Thursday 11 November 2010, 22:43
MIAMI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - United States coach Bob Bradley
will take a young and experimental team to South Africa for
next week's friendly against Bafana Bafana with six uncapped
players named in an 18-man squad.
New York Red Bulls' 18-year-old striker Juan Agudelo and
Estoril defender Gale Agbossoumonde, who will be 19 next week,
are the first two products of the U.S.'s new development
academy to come into the squad for the November 17 game.
The pair join Celtic goalkeeper Dominic Cervi, Red Bulls
defender Tim Ream, Norway-born midfielder Mikkel Diskerud and
Kansas City Wizards striker Teal Bunbury in the squad for the
first time.
"This game is a good opportunity to look at some different
players and assess their place in the pool as we continue to
build for the next cycle," said Bradley.
"With our immediate focus on the (CONCACAF) Gold Cup next
summer, this game in many ways is just as much the start of
2011 as it is the end of a great year," he added.
Five members of the U.S. World Cup squad return to South
Africa for a game which is viewed as being a part of the U.S.'s
push to host the World Cup in 2022.
The match is officially for the Nelson Mandela Challenge,
an annual one-off event which began in 1994 and has seen South
Africa face opponents like Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands and
Nigeria
Including the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which the
United States reached the final, the Americans will play their
12th game on South African soil in three years.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Dominic Cervi (Celtic), Brad Guzan
(Aston Villa)
Defenders: Gale Agbossoumonde (Estoril Praia), Nat Borchers
(Real Salt Lake), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Clarence
Goodson (Brondby), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Tim Ream (New
York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Brian Carroll
(Columbus Crew), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek), Eddie Gaven
(Columbus Crew), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers
(Columbus Crew)
Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury
(Kansas City Wizards), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)