US forward Landon Donovan has returned to the World Cup qualifying campaign after being named in a 23-man squad for September’s qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico.
The US’ all-time top scorer missed the matches against those opponents in March while he took an extended break from the game and was left out of later squads by Jurgen Klinsmann.
Donovan, who this week signed a new contract with Los Angeles Galaxy, was recalled for last month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup and was the tournament’s joint top scorer with five goals as the US won the title.
STARTING PLACE
He is by no means guaranteed a place in the starting lineup, however, given the established strike pairing of Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey and the inclusion of AZ striker Aron Johannsson, who recently switched allegiance to the US after representing Iceland at under-21 level.
Klinsmann has also used German-born wing-back Fabian Johnson on the left flank in recent games while Graham Zusi has been a solid presence on the right side of midfield.
The US play Costa Rica in San Jose on Sept. 6 and take on old rivals Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, four days later.
The US head the six-team qualifying group with 13 points from six games ahead of Costa Rica on 11 and Mexico with eight.
TOP THREE
The top three countries qualify for next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil with the fourth-placed team going into a two-leg playoff against Oceania winners New Zealand.
The US have never won a qualifier in Costa Rica, but Klinsmann believes his squad can end that barren run.
“It’s about going in there with confidence and winning, getting the three points. We have built that confidence over the last two years. We have built a roster now that is a lot deeper than it was before,” he told ESPN’s Sports Center.
“Just getting the results over the last two years, winning in Italy, beating Germany here... gives them now the confidence to say, ‘Why not Costa Rica?’ There is always a first time. We hope it’s going to be the first time ever that we beat them on their soil in a World Cup qualifying game. There will be a lot of tension down there, but I think we’re ready for it,” he said.
One complicating factor for Klinsmann is that eight of his squad are one yellow card from suspension and if any of them are cautioned in Costa Rica they would miss the Mexico game.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
RSS