Defender DeAndre Yedlin was added to the list of Sounders coveted by the U.S. Men’s National Team. He joins previously selected midfielders Clint Dempsey and Brad Evans in being asked to train, then play in the USA-Mexico match April 2 in Phoenix. They depart following Saturday’s match against the Columbus Crew at CenturyLink Field, and return for the April 5 Cascadia Cup match against the Portland Timbers.
The 8 p.m. match, the USA’s final before the start of the World Cup in Brazil, will be broadcast on ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas and ESPN Deportes Radio Network.
The appearance in the Mexico game is no guarantee of a spot on the final 23-player roster that will be chosen in a couple of weeks. Among the 22 callups by coach Jurgen Klinsmann are 19 MLS players, a high number because the game doesn’t fall within a calendar window for international callups, and European teams don’t have to release their U.S. players.
The captain of the national team, Dempsey has 102 caps and ranks second all-time with 36 goals. He played 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss at Ukraine March 5, and scored a career-high six goals with two assists in 10 appearances in 2013. Dempsey must sit out the Columbus match Saturday as part of a two-game suspension.
Evans has 17 caps and one goal for the national team. He participated the team’s January camp and played 73 minutes in a 2-0 win against Korea Feb. 1. Evans has started at right back in eight of the last nine games for which he was available, including five World Cup qualifiers.
Yedlin, 20, participated in the team’s January camp and earned his first cap in the friendly against Korea, playing the final 17 minutes as a second-half substitute. Yedlin also participated in the 2013 U.S. U-20 World Cup and started all three matches of the tournament.
2 Comments
When i purchase a ticket to the game, especially a season ticket, I expect to be able to see Dempsey Evans and Yedlin perform. Those individuals are the reason why i go to the games. And then, when they are done practicing and playing with the national team, i expect to see them at 100% for the game I am at. Not injured, not 75% healthy, and not be taken out in the 20th minute because of fatigue. This national team business is so disruptive.
Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast with soccer: The better players you have, the more likely they are to be called up to their national team. When you buy a ticket to watch the Sounders (or anyone else in MLS, for that matter), you’re paying to see their best available players. In the grand scheme of things, the USMNT is more important than individual MLS teams. It may be a harsh reality, but it IS reality.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up in Phoenix because anytime the USA plays Mexico in a border state, it’s like playing on the road.