CONCACAF announced on Wednesday the 23-man rosters for each of the 12 countries competing in the 2015 Gold Cup from July 7-26 across the U.S. and Canada. Sporting KC midfielder Graham Zusi was named to the U.S. Men’s National Team roster, while defender Marcel de Jong was named to the roster for Canada’s Men’s National Team.
Sporting Park will host the Group A finales on July 13 during an international doubleheader featuring Honduras-Haiti at 6 p.m. CT and USA-Panama at 8:30 p.m. CT. Jurgen Klinsmann's squad, ranked No. 27 in the world, returns to Sporting Park for the fourth time since the state-of-the-art stadium first hosted the U.S. MNT – and Panama -- during the 2011 Gold Cup.
A veteran of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, today’s announcement marks the first Gold Cup selection for Zusi. The three-time MLS All-Star has 28 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team with three goals and six assists since his debut in 2012. Zusi is a two-time MLS Best XI selection (2012, 2013) and he ranks in the top 10 on Sporting KC's all-time charts with 43 assists (3rd) and 23 goals (10th).
“It’s always an honor to play for the national team, especially when I have the opportunity to do it at home in front of the great fans at Sporting Park,” Zusi said. “This is an important tournament for us as we look to defend our 2013 championship and secure our spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup.”
<strong>DATE</strong> |
<strong>OPPONENT</strong> |
<strong>STADIUM</strong> |
7/7/15 |
USA vs. Honduras |
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
7/8/15 |
Canada vs. El Salvador |
StubHub Center, Carson, California |
7/10/15 |
USA vs. Haiti |
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts |
7/11/15 |
Canada vs. Jamaica |
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas |
7/13/15 |
USA vs. Panama |
Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas |
7/14/15 |
Canada vs. Costa Rica |
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
De Jong, 28, is poised to make his fourth straight appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the Canada Men's National Team after representing his country at the 2009, 2011 and 2013 editions. The Sporting KC defender, acquired in March from FC Augsburg in Germany, has 33 all-time international caps for Canada -- most recently starting in a pair of victories over Guatemala (March 27) and Puerto Rico (March 30).
“This is an exciting tournament for Canada,” de Jong said. “We have a lot of young talent in the program and we feel confident that we can compete with any team in CONCACAF. This tournament is another great opportunity for us to continue to push forward as a soccer country.”
Both players will be available for Sporting KC this weekend for the club’s home match against the Colorado Rapids. Zusi will then travel to Nashville for a brief training camp ahead of the USMNT’s July 3 friendly versus Guatemala (5:30 p.m. CT, FOX Sports 1, UniMás, Univision Deportes Network). De Jong will join the Canada MNT in California for a pre-tournament training camp ahead of their Gold Cup opener on July 8 versus El Salvador.
2015 CONCACAF GOLD CUP
GROUP A: United States, Panama, Haiti, Honduras
GROUP B: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Canada
GROUP C: Mexico, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba
The Gold Cup is the region’s marquee tournament for the top national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. This year’s edition is the premier competition for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2015 and will determine CONCACAF's representatives at the Copa America Centenario in 2016 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.
