Kaká out for Brazil as 47 MLS players could feature in Copa America Centenario

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 100^th-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.

More from Playing for 90

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