Thoughts on the January Camp Roster: Another Klinsmann Deviation From the Bradley Era

Jurgen Klinsmann announced a 20-man roster for January's USMNT camp and friendlies against Venezuela and at Panama.  Here is the list:


GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
 
DEFENDERS (7): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), George John (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA) 

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) 

FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)


The roster marks another deviation from the Bob Bradley regime, with Klinsmann opting for a smaller group after Bradley had brought in groups of 24, 30, 24, and 26 in the past four years respectively.

Opting for quality over quantity (in terms of observation opportunities next month), Klinsmann brings in a group that will placate most.  Omar Gonzalez finally gets his shot to impress the national team staff, though it must be said that transfer rumors swirling around him could very well mean that this opportunity goes unused if he does in fact switch sides this winter.  Geoff Cameron, meanwhile, also gets brought in for a look; after a strong 2011 season, he's a player that could provide the type of possession-oriented center back that Klinsmann has been seeking.

It's also good to see Klinsmann reward good form by calling in Michael Parkhurst, who has been a mainstay in an FC Nordsjaelland defense that is statistically the most dominant in Denmark.  George John and AJ DeLaGarza will also get their chance to wow after strong MLS seasons with their respective clubs.  All told, there will be several quality center back prospects in this camp that could very well parlay this opportunity into a more regular role (whether on-field or as depth) with the senior side.

In the midfield, there aren't many surprises, as Shea, Beckerman, and Larentowicz get called back after having already earned several caps in the Klinsmann era.  The Ricardo Clark selection is the one real surprise on this roster, as players based outside of Scandinavia and MLS rarely get released for these non-FIFA match days.  But his presence is just indicative of the struggles he has had since Eintracht Frankfurt was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, as he's been on the outside looking in for months.  Oddly enough, he managed to impress in the Bundesliga, but has fallen by the wayside since the drop and looks in dire need of a new club situation.

In that regard, this call-in could very well indicate that a move for Ricardo Clark (back to MLS) is in fact on the way.  A move to somewhere outside MLS or Scandinavia would make less sense, as Rico's camp presence would keep him away from his new club mid-season.  Then again, perhaps there is no move in the works (I'd be surprised if this were the case, though), and Klinsmann simply wants to get Rico some minutes knowing that there's really nothing for him to lose by leaving his club for a couple of weeks.

It's good to see Sporting KC's Graham Zusi get called into camp after a strong 2011 campaign.  He'll be joined by teammate and MLS Rookie of the Year CJ Sapong, who opened some eyes with his power and ability this year.  With the striker depth chart still far from settled, Sapong- along with Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo, and Chris Wondolowski- will have a legitimate chance to work their way into the full team with a strong camp.

There aren't many snubs, and those that are absent probably can be explained away at least in part.  Tim Ream is getting married in January, which is why he's not included (insert snarky remark about his 2011 form here).  Meanwhile, Mix Diskerud and Josh Gatt got no love in Norway, but I wonder if there might be possible transfers in the works.  I think at least one of them would have been a valuable edition to this group, particularly with the lack of outside mids, but alas their left on the outside.  As always, I wonder what Klinsmann's level of communication with that duo is like, particularly Diskerud as the ever-present possibility of a Norwegian defection looms in the background.  But given his presence at the U-23 Olympic camp, I think those fears are diminished (which, by the way, could also help explain his absence from this camp, with Klinsmann preferring not to overwork Diskerud in the offseason).

[EDIT: Caleb Porter has said he wants to do another 10-day U-23 camp in January, another possible explanation for the absence of Mix, Gatt, and other youngsters you might be wondering about. Thanks to the guys at Soccer Over There for the reminder.]

At the end of the day, there is little to complain about with the roster.  It's actually the first Klinsmann roster that hasn't been met with great consternation and/or displeasure.

The two friendlies and camp will give Klinsmann and his staff a good opportunity to log some serious observations.  It will be interesting to see who impresses, and if they are able to work their way into the February national team camp and the World Cup qualifying picture.

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On a side note, it's been a rough December for yours truly, with tons of obligations away from USSD keeping me occupied, but I appreciate all of your continued support and engagement.  Enjoy the holiday season.