SAN JOSE - Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham and forward Chris Wondolowski were among 23 players called to the U.S. Men's National Team by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann that will train in advance of the historic meeting against Cuba. The team begins gathering Sunday in Miami.
The first friendly between the nations on Cuban soil since 1947 kicks off at 1 p.m. PTon Oct. 7 at Estadio Pedro Marrero in Havana. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and UniMas.
Four days later, the U.S. will host New Zealand at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and UniMas.
"These two games are very important for us because it's the last time we can see certain players before making the decision on the 23 going in to represent us for the Mexico and Costa Rica clashes," said Klinsmann. "There's a lot at stake for the players to make their case, to show where they are right now. We have the opportunity to bring some players back that haven't been with us for a little bit, and we want to see if they can put a stamp on this camp and have a chance for being in the roster next month. The bigger picture behind this is definitely Mexico and Costa Rica, and these two games will show us a lot about individual players.
"I think the goalkeeper position is unique. Obviously we have the two experienced guys with Tim Howard and Brad Guzan. Both are in different situations right now - Tim is obviously very busy with the Colorado Rapids and Brad is not getting the opportunity to play at Middlesbrough. I think it's a perfect time to give an open window to three younger goalkeepers with William Yarbrough, Ethan Horvath and David Bingham. That's why we decided to leave the two older guys out and give these three youngsters a chance to prove their point. That kind of opportunity is very rare."
Bingham, 26, has made one prior appearance for the U.S. National Team, earning a shutout victory over Canada back in February. Among all goalkeepers in MLS history, Bingham ranks tied for fifth in goals against average (1.14) and sixth in saves percentage (72.8).
Wondolowski, 33, has made 34 appearances for the U.S. National Team, scoring 10 goals. He has tallied 120 career MLS goals, fourth most in league history, and is the only player to score 10+ MLS goals in seven consecutive seasons (2010-16).
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Ethan Horvath (Molde FK), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS (7): Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Perry Kitchen (Hearts), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV)
