Klinsmann chooses his 23-man USMNT roster for Copa America Centenario

United States' Jurgen Klinsmann, conducts a practice during a training session at Barry University, Tuesday, May 17, 2016 in Miami. The U.S. men's national soccer team are preparing for a exhibition match against Puerto Rico. (Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald via AP)

United States men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has selected the 23 men who will do battle with the rest of the Americas in the upcoming Copa America Centenario, announcing his final roster on Saturday.

The German picked a balanced squad for the biggest soccer tournament to be held stateside since the 1994 World Cup, blending veterans with up-and-coming players. Eight players on the roster are 30 or older – although two of those are goalkeepers – including midfield veterans Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones, who are both 34, and forwards Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski, both 33. Yet nine are 25 or younger, the most notable being 17-year-old Borrusia Dortmund phenom Christian Pulisic.

Of the 23 players on the roster, 15 also appeared at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and 18 have already played in qualifiers for the next World Cup. The squad has an average of 37 caps – five have 50 or more and five have five or fewer.

"This roster really was put together based on what we saw over the last year, and it's one that makes us the strongest team possible to compete in Copa America and to hopefully surprise a lot of people," Klinsmann said in a statement. "We feel that these 23 going into the very special Copa America, they really deserved to be there. Obviously when you get down and you decide on the final 23-man roster, there are very close, tight decisions to make. The moment when you decide, it's about definitely who you feel the strongest about."

The fairly large number of young and more inexperienced players, however, suggests that Klinsmann also attempted to find middle ground between immediate results and preparation for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

His decision-making process was complicated by yet another hamstring injury to striker Jozy Altidore – whose 2014 World Cup and 2011 and 2015 Gold Cups were cut short by the same injury. That meant Klinsmann had to find a new target striker, or at least someone who could elongate the field, from a band of alternatives that didn't lack for speed but was short on brawn.

That likely made him decide to call in Wondolowski, a seasoned MLS goal poacher for the San Jose Earthquakes. But his inclusion came at the expense of the scintillating Jordan Morris, a 21-year-old speedster whose ascent from Stanford's college side to the senior national team ranks was meteoric.

"There are always some 50-50 moments," Klinsmann told FOX Sports 1. "It came a little bit down to Wondo or Jordan. We decided in this moment now to go with Wondo. He's in top form, scoring a lot of goals with the Earthquakes."

The only other surprise was the inclusion of midfielder Perry Kitchen, whose good performances in Scotland since his move to Hearts won him a job as an understudy among the defensive midfielders.

Klinsmann also announced that he would not be alternating Tim Howard with Brad Guzan in goal any longer. Neither man had a particularly convincing season with their English clubs. Howard lost his starting job with Everton, inducing his move back to MLS this summer with the Colorado Rapids. And Guzan reclaimed his position with Aston Villa but couldn't save his side from relegation.

"We will go with Brad Guzan as our No. 1 in Copa America," Klinsmann told FOX. "It's important that both goalkeepers know what is the ranking now, today."

The U.S. will play three tune-up friendlies before beginning the tournament. On Sunday, it faces Puerto Rico for the first time ever, in Bayamon – albeit with a partial squad and some place-holder players. On Wednesday, the Americans face Ecuador with a full squad in Frisco, Texas. And next Saturday, Klinsmann's men complete their preparations against Bolivia in Kansas City.

Then the Yanks kick off their group stage against Colombia in Santa Clara, Calif. on June 3, followed by Costa Rica in Chicago on June 7 and Paraguay in Philadelphia on June 11. Should the U.S. be one of the two teams to reach the quarterfinals from their stacked Group A, it will cross over with group B – either in Seattle on June 16 or in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 17 – depending on placement.

Below is the full 23-man USMNT roster.

 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Ethan Horvath (Molde IK)

 

DEFENDERS (8): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)

 

MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).

 

FORWARDS (4): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).