CARSON, Calif. (Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015) – LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes has been named to the USMNT’s 23-man roster by U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann for CONCACAF Cup 2015 between the United States and Mexico. The playoff match is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, and will be aired live on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Univision and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) at 6:30 p.m. PT.
The CONCACAF Cup, pitting 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup champion United States against 2015 Gold Cup champion Mexico, will determine the Confederation’s representative in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, to be played in Russia.
Zardes will be available for selection when the Galaxy face Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field this Sunday, Oct. 4 (6:30 p.m. PT, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Deportes).
After earning his first-ever call up to the USMNT this January, Zardes, 24, has become a mainstay in the US lineup, making 13 starts in 15 appearances while tallying two goals and four assists. If Zardes plays in the remaining USMNT matches this year, he will tie Claudio Reyna in 1994 for most appearances by a player in their first year with the national team. This season in MLS play, the LA Galaxy Homegrown Player has made 26 appearances for a Galaxy squad that has notched 52 goals, scoring six times and adding four assists during regular season play.
“This roster is obviously full of experience,” said Klinsmann. “This is about having a group of players who understand exactly now what this is all about. This is about momentum. This is about high energy. This is about representing my country. This is about belief and a high-level of aggressiveness in a one-off game to beat Mexico and to get to the Confederations Cup. It’s a unique opportunity, and you have to embrace it and give everything you have.”
The USMNT has dominated at home, amassing a 10-2-4 record on U.S. soil against El Tricolor since 2000. Additionally, the United States is unbeaten in the last four years with a 3-0-3 record, including the team’s first victory against Mexico on Mexican soil.
The teams most recently met in April in San Antonio, where the U.S. won 2-0, a score line that has highlighted nine MNT victories against Mexico since 2000. USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will look to extend his lifetime unbeaten streak as a player and coach against Mexico to 11 games (5-0-5 all-time).
In 2013, CONCACAF announced the split of the region's berth to the FIFA Confederations Cup between two editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, assuring that both editions of the Gold Cup in each four-year cycle have the same importance from a competitive perspective. By winning the recent 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico qualified for the CONCACAF Cup presented by Scotiabank, against the 2013 Gold Cup champion, the United States.
Zardes will compete against LA Galaxy teammate Giovani dos Santos, who was named to Mexico’s 23-man roster, at CONCACAF Cup 2015.
U.S. Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (9): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Danny Williams (Reading), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland), Graham Zusi (Sporting KC)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)