San Jose Earthquakes: Wondolowski and Goodson Make National Team’s 30-Man Roster
Jul 21, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; United States defenseman Clarence Goodson (21) celebrates with forward Chris Wondolowski (19) after scoring a goal in the first half against El Salvador at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team has called two members of the San Jose Earthquakes, Chris Wondolowski and Clarence Goodson, to the 30-man roster.
The group of 30 started camp yesterday in Palo Alto at Stanford where Wondolowski, Goodson, and the rest of the club will be until May 26th.
Then, on May 27th, the U.S. squad starts their Send-Off Series to the World Cup at Candlestick Park @ 7pm against Azerbaijan. They will also play two successive games on June 1st against Turkey in New Jersey and Saturday June 7th against Nigeria in Jacksonville.
After camp just 23 players will make the final roster which must be set by June 2nd, though the U.S. squad has not chosen a specific date. Don’t be surprised if Klinsmann waits until after the June 1st game to select the final squad. He’ll need all the time he can get to prepare his squad for the ‘Group of Death’ which includes Portugal, Germany, and the African side that has knocked them out of the last two World Cups, Ghana.
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann had a lot to say about Chris Wondolowski when asked about the San Jose Earthquakes striker saying, “Every time he comes to the National Team environment, he gives you everything he has. He always goes 1000 percent.”
Klinsmann added, “He is a competitor. He is determined. You give him a one percent chance and he wants to make it 100 percent at the end of the day. He will be one of those drivers going into the next couple of weeks.”
It’s no doubt the scrappy striker has made quite the impression in his last nine caps having scored nine times including a hat-trick against Belize in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. While he may not have as great a skill-set as some of the other guys like Jozy Altidore or Landon Donovan, ‘Wondo’ has a knack for getting himself in to goal-scoring position and scoring whenever given the chance. That is part of the reason he led the MLS in scoring from 2010-2012.
Goodson, the more internationally seasoned of the two, has nine goals in 46 career caps with the U.S. National Team. He has come on as a sub twice this year and performed well. He also played a pivotal role during America’s 1-0 win versus Panama to help pick up the win during the Gold Cup. The 6’4″ defender will pose a threat to some of the others on a back line which has been inconsistent over the last year.