SANDY, Utah (Thursday, September 29, 2011) – Two Real Salt Lake players – MF and captain Kyle Beckerman, along with close friend and long-time teammate GK Nick Rimando – have been named by U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann to the 22-player roster that will prepare for upcoming exhibition contests against Honduras and Ecuador.
The U.S. first hosts Honduras on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. MT and the match broadcast live on Fox Soccer and Univision. Three days later on Tuesday, October 11, the U.S. makes its first appearance at Red Bull Arena when it welcomes Ecuador to Harrison, N.J. Coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision. Fans can follow both matches live on USsoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @USsoccer.
While Beckerman’s call-up is his third in the last two months since Klinsmann assumed the coaching reins in August, Rimando is one of four players new to U.S. camp since the former German international’s arrival, joining two-time World Cup DF Oguchi Onyewu, Sporting Kansas City FW Teal Bunbury and 21-year old German-born MF Danny Williams, a player for Hoffenheim.
“It is always an honor to join U.S. camp and represent your country,” said perennial MLS Goalkeeper of the Year candidate Nick Rimando, who was selected as an alternate by Klinsmann’s predecessor, Bob Bradley, for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. “I’m excited to work with Jurgen and his staff and represent Real Salt Lake.”
Due to his red card in Wednesday’s home loss to Chicago, Beckerman will miss Real Salt Lake’s rescheduled MLS contest next Thursday, October 6 in Vancouver against the Whitecaps. RSL kicks off at newly-renovated BC Place at 7:30 p.m. MT, as Jason Kreis’ team seeks to lock down one of the automatic Western Conference postseason berths. RSL currently resides in third place in the West, 10 points behind league-leader LA – which it plays Saturday – and three points behind Seattle Sounders FC. RSL holds a five-point lead with four games to play over FC Dallas, its opponent in last year’s Western Conference Semifinals.
“As always, being called up to the U.S. National Team is a great honor; I'm very much looking forward to working with Coach Klinsmann and his staff once again,” said Real Salt Lake Captain Kyle Beckerman, a 12-year MLS veteran who incurred just his second red card in 269 career games (and his first in 121 RSL matches) in last night’s home loss to Chicago. “Unfortunately, I'll be leaving my team on a sour note after my actions in Wednesday's game. I’m very sorry to my teammates and fans across Major League Soccer for losing my composure in the game against the Fire, it was very uncharacteristic of me. While I take full responsibility for the red card, I look forward to moving on for both my club and my country.”
The start of the “Klinsmann Era” for the U.S. Men’s National Team has injected fresh life into the international career of the 29-year-old Beckerman, who earned his first call-up for the United States’ “A” squad in nearly two years last month for the Klinsmann debut against CONCACAF archrival Mexico. Beckerman’s sturdy 90-minute effort at the defensive midfield spot on Aug. 10 against El Tri drew rave reviews from many soccer pundits and Klinsmann himself, as the Crofton, Md. native’s 13th international “cap” helped the USA to a 1-1 comeback draw at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
On Sept. 6 in Belgium, Beckerman played the final 45 minutes for the U.S., stabilizing the defense and connecting on 29 of 33 passes in an eventual 0-1 loss, earning his 14th career cap with the United States, for which he has scored one goal.
Prior to the arrival of Klinsmann to the U.S. Soccer helm, Beckerman’s last senior team appearance came in February 2010, when he started and played 79 minutes in a 2-1 friendly win over El Salvador in Tampa. Other highlights from Beckerman’s previous 12 caps include a pair of appearances in the 2007 Copa America tournament in Venezuela; six appearances (five starts) during the USA’s run to the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final; and his World Cup Qualifying debut on Sept. 5, 2009, on his home turf of Rio Tinto Stadium, when he played the final 10 minutes in a 2-1 victory, also against El Salvador.
With his third selection by U.S. Soccer this year, Rimando has become U.S. Soccer’s MLS-based goalkeeper of choice following a six-year hiatus from national team duty prior to 2011. The 31-year-old’s most recent cap – his fifth for the Red, White & Blue – came back on Jan. 22, when he notched a shutout first 45 minutes in the USA’s 1-1 draw with Chile in a friendly at The Home Depot Center, which followed his stint in the USA’s annual January training camp in Southern California. Rimando, one of seven MLS players on the 23-man Gold Cup roster this Summer, has compiled a 2-0-0 record and 0.29 GAA (1 goal allowed in 315 minutes) in his five career contests with the U.S.A.’s senior side.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION- Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3):Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
MIDFIELDERS (7):Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
FORWARDS (5): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
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