The USMNT won their first match in nearly four months. It was a much needed 2-0 win over Panama at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann went away from the 3-5-2 formation they used the week prior against Chile and the 4-4-2 formation seemed to fit the team much better.
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We are a just about six weeks until the USMNT play their next match. They will be playing Denmark on March 25th in Denmark. Since this match lands during FIFA international date, you can assume the squad Klinsmann calls in will be primarily European based.
With that being said, the question remains if some MLS based players will be called in for this match? USMNT captain Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley will be three or four weeks into their MLS seasons with their respective domestic clubs. One also must remember that the 2015 Gold Cup will be going on during the Summer, and Klinsmann will more than likely want to see his star MLS based players be available. Do the MLS clubs let these players go play for the U.S. or do they tell Klinsmann no?
I had to do a little research on my end to find out if MLS clubs are required to release their players for these international fixtures. Now according to Stars and Stripes, European based players did not have to be released by their respective domestic clubs because the January camp did not fall on the FIFA international date or calendar. I never truly found a site that states they have to let them go play for their national team. Most USMNT players never refuse the call-up, so I’m going to assume that they will be available and allowed to leave.
MLS Multiplex
I am fairly certain that some MLS players will be called for the March friendly. As much as I hate to see players missing from their respective club teams during the season, I also understand that these players look forward to playing for their country. I am looking forward to Gyasi Zardes and Michael Ibarra playing for the senior team once again. No offense to Panama, but I would like to see how they would do against a a strong European team and the first chance for that will be in March against Denmark.
The USMNT’s next five matches leading up to the Gold Cup will not be easy by any means. After their March 25th match against Denmark, they play Switzerland six days later. Just two weeks later they will take on Mexico in San Antonio on April 15th. They will then finish their 2015 friendlies prior to the Gold Cup against two very tough teams to face on the road, Netherlands and Germany.
With all that being said, I will be curious to see what players Klinsmann calls in next month. We know there will be European players, but the real question is how many will be from MLS? I’m betting that there will be no less than five players from MLS clubs–Dempsey, Bradley, Altidore, Zardes and Mix Diskerud.
How do you feel the roster will look in March? What MLS players will be called up?
Next: Klinsmann Stirring the Pot
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