By Jack Bell, New York Times
Twenty-three American players began assembling in Glasgow on Monday after being selected by the United States national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, for the last two friendly international matches before the draw for the 2014 World Cup draw.
Clint Dempsey on the U.S. roster for the last two friendly international matches before the draw for the 2014 World Cup draw.
The United States will face Scotland on Friday at Hampden Park in Glasgow (3 p.m. Eastern, ESPN2 and UniMas) and on Nov. 19 will play Austria for the first time since 1998, at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna (2:45 p.m. Eastern, NBCSN and UniMas). The World Cup draw is Dec. 6 in Salvador, Brazil.
While Klinsmann had hinted that he might pick players still involved in the M.L.S. playoffs (which are on hiatus until Nov. 23 during the international break), he only selected seven players from the domestic league, all of whose teams did not quality for the postseason (Chris Wondolowski, Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid) or whose teams have been eliminated (Brad Evans, Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and Omar Gonzalez).
“We are excited about the group we have coming in and the big opportunity to finish the year on a high note,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “We want to use these games to prove a point and see that our players are continuing to improve as we build toward the World Cup. The results in M.L.S. wound up fitting in with our roster plans, so we didn’t need to call in any guys who are still in the playoffs. There are some injuries issues that now give other players the chance to step up.”
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