Kaká out for Brazil as 47 MLS players could feature in Copa America Centenario
By Edgar Acero
Nine of the 16 teams participating in the international competition feature MLS players in their preliminary rosters. Kaká snubbed by Brazil.
Copa America Centenario, which will celebrate the competition’s 100th-year anniversary from Jun. 3 to Jun. 26, will be played in the United States this summer and Major League Soccer will be represented in a big way. As the participating national teams submit their preliminary 40-player rosters, the names have emerged for a total of 47 MLS players who could make the final rosters of their respective national teams.
It used to be 48, but Orlando City star Kaká was excluded from Brazil’s 23-man list. Head coach Dunga opted for a handful of young players, though none of them are named Neymar.
With Kaká’s absence, the biggest international representative from MLS could feature for Mexico as Giovani dos Santos is expected to make long-awaited return to El Tri. The Galaxy star has gone on a tear with three goals in his last two games.
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Meanwhile, as expected, the United States will have most of the MLS representation as 19 players where named by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in the preliminary 40-man roster. While it’s obvious that many of them won’t make the team, it’s safe to assume that veteran stars like Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Kyle Beckerman will make the final 23-man list. Also, young up-and-comers like Gyasi Zardes and Darlington Nagbe have good chances, while it will be interesting to see if there are spots available for young prospect Jordan Morris and veteran striker Chris Wondolowski.
Jamaica’s preliminary roster includes 12 players, while Costa Rica has six, including World Cup veteran Christian Bolaños and D.C. United forward Álvaro Saborío. Panamá has four players vying for a spot and Haiti has three. Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay have a player each.
The preliminary rosters will need to be trimmed down to 23 by May 20. Here is the full list of MLS players who could make their respective final squads:
UNITED STATES (19)
Kellyn Acosta – FC Dallas
Jozy Altidore – Toronto FC
Matt Besler – Sporting Kansas City
Kyle Beckerman – Real Salt Lake
David Bingham – San Jose Earthquakes
Steve Birnbaum – D.C United
Michael Bradley – Toronto FC
Clint Dempsey – Seattle Sounders
Mix Diskerud – New York City FC
Brad Evans – Seattle Sounders
Ethan Finlay – Columbus Crew SC
Jermaine Jones – Colorado Rapids
Jordan Morris – Seattle Sounders
Darlington Nagbe – Portland Timbers
Lee Nguyen – New England Revolution
Nick Rimando – Real Salt Lake
Chris Wondolowski – San Jose Earthquakes
Gyasi Zardes – LA Galaxy
Graham Zusi – Sporting Kansas City
JAMAICA (11)
Giles Barnes – Houston Dynamo
Andre Blake – Philadelphia Union
Simon Dawkins – San Jose Earthquakes
Oniel Fisher – Seattle Sounders
Omar Holness – Real Salt Lake
Kemar Lawrence – New York Red Bulls
Darren Mattocks – Portland Timbers
Demar Phillips – Real Salt Lake
Alvas Powell – Portland Timbers
Jermaine Taylor – Portland Timbers
Je-Vaughn Watson – New England Revolution
COSTA RICA (6)
Christian Bolaños – Vancouver Whitecaps
Waylon Francis – Columbus Crew SC
Ronald Matarrita – New York City FC
Alvaro Saborío – D.C. United
Johan Venegas – Montreal Impact
Kendall Waston – Vancouver Whitecaps
PANAMA (4)
Anibal Godoy – San Jose Earthquakes
Blas Pérez – Vancouver Whitecaps
Alberto Quintero– San Jose Earthquakes
Román Torres – Seattle Sounders
HAITI (3)
Soni Mustivar – Sporting Kansas City
Zachary Herivaux – New England Revolution
Derrick Etienne – New York Red Bulls
COLOMBIA (1)
Cristian Higuita – Orlando City
ECUADOR (1)
Carlos Gruezo – FC Dallas
MEXICO (1)
Giovani dos Santos – LA Galaxy
PARAGUAY (1)
Nelson Valdez – Seattle Sounders