Sporting Kansas City defender/midfielder Graham Zusi was named to the U.S. Men’s National Team on Friday in advance of two pivotal World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama.
Zusi joins the 24-player MNT roster as a replacement for Fabian Johnson, who suffered an injury Thursday while playing for his German club Borussia Monchengladbach.
Following Saturday’s match between Sporting KC and the San Jose Earthquakes at Children’s Mercy Park, Zusi will link up with the MNT in San Jose ahead of USA-Honduras next Friday, March 24. The contest at Avaya Stadium will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT on FS1, UniMas and UDN. Four days later, the U.S. will travel to take on Panama at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, live at 9 p.m. CT on beIN SPORTS, Telemundo and NBC Universo.
The United States approaches these matches with urgency, having lost to Mexico and Costa Rica last November to open the Hexagonal. Eight games remain in CONCACAF’s final qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with the top three finishers automatically advancing to Russia 2018 and the fourth-place finisher meeting an Asian country in a two-legged playoff in November.
Zusi, 30, has earned 44 caps for the U.S. since 2012, recording five goals and six assists. He most recently captained the side in a 1-0 friendly win over Jamaica last month, and also played five matches at the 2016 Copa America last summer. The Longwood, Florida native tallied two assists in four appearances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and also competed at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
An eight-year veteran of MLS, Zusi joined Sporting Kansas City in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Maryland. He has amassed 29 goals and 60 assists in 229 competitive appearances for the club, ranking second on Kansas City’s all-time assist chart. He has started the first two MLS matches of 2017 at right back, helping Sporting KC to a pair of clean sheets.
In addition to winning the 2013 MLS Cup and two U.S. Open Cups, Zusi has landed numerous individual accolades during his professional career. He notably received MLS Best XI (2012-13) and 2011 MLS Breakout Player of the Year honors and was the only player to appear in every MLS All-Star Game from 2012-2015.
U.S. MNT Roster by Position (Club)
GOALKEEPERS (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/GER), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana/MEX), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting KC)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN), Jermaine Jones (LA Galaxy), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER)
