SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes stars Clarence Goodson and Chris Wondolowski were called to United States Men’s National Team duty by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Wednesday as the Americans prepare to take on Mexico in a 2014 FIFA World Cup tune-up.
The USA faces Mexico on Wednesday, April 2 at University of Phoenix Stadium (8 p.m. PT / ESPN, WatchESPN, Unimas) in their final match before convening for World Cup camp in May. San Jose’s duo will be available for the club’s match against the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 29 (7:30 p.m. PT / Comcast SportsNet California) before departing for camp the following day.
“Everyone knows the clock is ticking,” said Klinsmann. “This is a huge opportunity for our players to show where they are at and to make their case. We expect them to give a really strong performance against a Mexican team that is now basically coming back on track. They need to prove now that they badly want to go to Brazil.”
Goodson, 31, has 45 caps with the U.S. His most recent appearance came in a 2-0 win against South Korea at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. on Feb. 1, 2014. After signing with the Earthquakes in June of 2013, Goodson made nine starts for a backline that yielded just two goals during the final two months of the season. He made his 2014 debut over the weekend, playing 90 minutes at center back in San Jose’s 1-0 road loss against Sporting Kansas City.
Wondolowski, 31, has eight goals in 18 caps with the U.S. He scored both of the Americans’ goals in a 2-0 win against South Korea on Feb. 1, 2014 at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. He also scored six goals during a month-long stretch in July of 2013, five of which came during the CONCACAF Gold Cup to earn Wondolowski a share of the tournament’s Golden Boot with teammate Landon Donovan and Panama’s Gabriel Torres. He has one goal in two MLS matches so far this season, a fifth-minute strike against Real Salt Lake on March 15 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
More than 47,000 tickets have been sold for the clash of the regional rivals. Tickets are available through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Phoenix area (including Fry’s Marketplace), as well as the University of Phoenix Stadium ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT).
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC).
Midfielders (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).
Forwards (4): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).
