Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi have joined the 26-player United States Men’s National Team roster ahead of two pivotal World Cup qualifiers against Mexico and Costa Rica, U.S. Soccer announced Sunday.
The United States kicks off the Hexagonal on Friday, hosting arch rivals Mexico at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT on FS1 and Univision as head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s side begins the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region.
Following Friday’s highly anticipated showdown with Mexico, the U.S. will travel south to face Costa Rica at Estadio Nacional in San Jose. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. CT on beIN SPORTS and NBC Universo.
CONCACAF’s six-team Hexagonal will unfold between November 2016 and October 2017 in a home-and-away, round-robin format. The top three finishers will advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-place team will meet an Asian side in a World Cup playoff next November.
The U.S. MNT begins its Hexagonal campaign against the two highest-ranked CONCACAF nations. No. 17 Mexico and No. 18 Costa Rica sit above No. 24 USA in FIFA’s latest world rankings.
On Friday, the USA-Mexico rivalry will return to Columbus for the fifth time since 2001. In the past four World Cup cycles, the U.S. has earned 2-0 shutout victories at MAPFRE Stadium in this fixture.
Besler, 29, has earned 37 caps for the United States, including eight appearances in 2016. He started twice at the 2016 Copa America in June, scored his first international goal in a win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 2, and recently anchored the defense in a friendly vs. New Zealand on Oct. 11.
A native of Overland Park and the first Kansan to play for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Besler has featured regularly along Klinsmann’s backline since debuting in 2013. The center back helped guide the U.S. MNT to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and started all for games at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as the Americans reached the Round of 16.
Besler enjoyed a strong finish to the 2016 MLS campaign with Sporting Kansas City, leading the side to consecutive shutouts to close out the regular season. He ranks fifth in club history with 239 appearances in all competitions, having won two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups (2012, 2015) and the 2013 MLS Cup. Individually, Besler has garnered MLS Best XI (2012-13), MLS All-Star (2011, 2013-16) and 2012 MLS Defender of the Year accolades during his eight-year professional career. He joined his hometown club in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Notre Dame.
Zusi, 30, has amassed 41 caps for the U.S. since 2012, recording five goals and six assists. The versatile midfielder played five matches at the 2016 Copa America — scoring against Costa Rica on June 7 and starting in the semifinal against Argentina — and also started in a 6-0 win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 2.
A native of Longwood, Florida, Zusi recorded two assists in four appearances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also featured at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Zusi, like Besler, joined Sporting Kansas City in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. The University of Maryland product has totaled 29 goals and 60 assists in 227 competitive appearances for the club, ranking second on the team’s all-time assist chart. He has 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. During Major League Soccer’s Opta era (2011-present), Zusi ranks second in chances created (418) and third in assists (47).
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals):
Goalkeepers (4): Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough; 11/0), Ethan Horvath (Molde; 0/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 32/0), William Yarbrough (Club Leon; 0/0)
Defenders (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 8/1), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United; 2/0), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin; 0/0), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt; 1/0), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca; 10/0), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach; 13/1), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana; 5/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United; 4/0)
Midfielders (9): Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 6/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC; 29/5), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland; 0/0), Julian Green (Bayern Munich; 0/0), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids; 14/0), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls; 17/2), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund; 3/2), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz; 1/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 14/3)
Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC; 31/16), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen; 3/1), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 3/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg; 6/2)
