Almost immediately after US Soccer released Jurgen Klinsmann’s 22-man roster for the Yanks’ upcoming friendly against Mexico, fans from around the country began to weigh in on the new coach’s choices.
Some were fascinated by the one-time World Cup-winning player’s heavy selection of players from the Mexican and German leagues, while others were surprised by the exclusion of USMNT staples Clint Dempsey, Jozy Alitdore and Oguchi Onyewu.
One thing that excited most fans was Klinsmann’s inclusion of a spate of young players who’ve seen little-to-no time with the national team, but have the potential to wear the US colors for years to come.
“I was a little worried that Klinsmann would go with the tried-and-true,” said Johnathan Sykes of Atlanta, “but Jurgen has a good mix of new players, old reliables, and some real surprises in DaMarcus Beasley and Ricardo Clark.
“Minus a few absences that I would have liked to see like Joe Corona and Herculez Gomez, I'm pretty satisfied with the roster," Sykes added. "I'm glad that Jurgen's allowing the young bloods to get some time against a really good Mexico team that seems to be firing on all cylinders right now.”
Out west, Sayra Moran of Seattle thinks that Klinsmann’s fresh outlook is exactly what the doctor ordered.
“With the roster that he's released, Klinsmann inspires a lot of confidence with what he expresses about the potential of the US men's national team,” Moran said. “He's a competitive man and is paying attention to detail. I'm excited to see how the team and how the younger players develop up until Brazil 2014. A new perspective was just what this team needed.”
But Klinsmann’s not feeding the inexperienced players to the wolves and has created a roster with plenty of veteran talent to surround the national team newcomers, something New Jersey fan Gary Hampson can appreciate.
“I like the fact that guys like [Tim] Ream, [Brek] Shea, [Timothy] Chandler, [Bill] Hamid, [Edgar] Castillo and [Juan] Agudelo are all getting a look,” said Hampson. “These young players getting playing time alongside guys like [Carlos] Bocanegra and [Landon] Donovan can only be a good thing.”
