Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman and forward Robbie Findley were named to the 24-man U.S. national team roster in advance of their game Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. El Salvador at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
While for Beckerman it was a no-brainer, it had to be a pleasant surprise to Findley. Considering the breadth of the roster (seen below) it has to be an honor for both players to be included with likes of Tim Howard (currently with Everton FC), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux) and, of course, Landon Donovan.
Beckerman played with about one-eighth of the current roster in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where the U.S. were runners-up to Mexico. Findley last played with the U.S. team in 2007 during a friendly match against Switzerland.
It will be the first time that either Beckerman or Findley have received a callup for a World Cup qualifying match, and it marks unprecedented territory for both.
Beckerman had a tremendous run in the Gold Cup, and that probably led to his callup, but one can’t forget the leadership role he plays at Real Salt Lake, which also led to him being named a Major League Soccer All-Star, that game also at Rio Tinto.
The surprise selection, however, has to be Findley, who wasn’t named to the Gold Cup squad, nor was he named an MLS All-Star. But Findley has done a masterful job scoring goals this season, netting 10 which ranks second in MLS.
Although RSL has struggled of late putting the ball in the net, Findley shows flashes of brilliance, usually at Rio Tinto, where he just scored a brace last night, again at Rio Tinto against Bradley’s old side Chivas USA in a 4-0 win.
Both Beckerman and Findley begin training with the rest of the national team Sunday in the Park City altitude during a week-long camp leading up to the match against El Salvador.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 12/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 22/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 3/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 2/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 17/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake: 0/0), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 11/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 6/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 18/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 2/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 1/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 9/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 3/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 31/11), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake: 0/0)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals
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