Landon Donovan headlines USA's 21-man roster for Ecuador friendly
Landon Donovan will be joined by 20 others – including NASL standout Miguel Ibarra – as the USA takes on Ecuador in a friendly in East Hartford, Connecticut on Friday in what will be Donovan's final appearance in a U.S. national team jersey.
Donovan, who set the MLS all-time assist record over the weekend to go along with his MLS all-time goals mark, will earn his 157th cap with a scheduled cameo, in which he'll aim to add to his U.S. national team records of 57 goals and 58 assists.
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In addition to calling Donovan, U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann has called on Ibarra, the first call-up from the modern NASL (U.S. Soccer's second division). World Cup goal-scorers John Brooks and Julian Green are also in the mix, in addition to Jozy Altidore and Joe Gyau, who earned his first cap in the USA's 1-0 win over Czech Republic last month.
The roster is subject to change ahead of next Tuesday's friendly against Honduras in Boca Raton, Florida. Donovan will not be part of that match, and a host of USA regulars who are in the thick of the MLS playoff races – such as Seattle Sounders star and U.S. captain Clint Dempsey, Toronto FC's Michael Bradley, New England's Jermaine Jones and Sporting Kansas City's Graham Zusi and Matt Besler – could be called in for the second match.
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Also among those who could be added are young rising U.S. prospects and past senior team call-ups Jordan Morris, Emerson Hyndman, Rubio Rubin, Cody Cropper and Will Packwood, though that would be a big travel ask of them. They will be part of a U.S. Under-23 national team trip to face Brazil's U-23s a day before the Honduras friendly.
Here are the players who will face Ecuador:
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS: John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
MIDFIELDERS: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Joe Corona (Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Julian Green (Hamburg), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Joe Gyau (Borussia Dortmund), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)
