US coach Jurgen Klinsmann, seeking his first away victory since taking charge, announced his squad on Thursday for friendlies against Euro 2012 qualifiers France on November 11 and Slovenia four days later.
Klinsmann, the former German superstar who was named US coach on July 29, has one win and a draw in five matches in the job, his lone triumph a 1-0 US victory over Honduras in Miami.
But Klinsmann has stressed competition for positions and learning his system to prepare his team for next year's start of qualifying for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
"These games are valuable opportunities for us as we continue to explore and evaluate everyone," Klinsmann said. "We've started to build a foundation on our playing style. Every time we are together the team gets a more precise picture of how I want to see things done on the field.
"We want to continue to progress so we are able to challenge teams like France, who have earned their place as one of the top 15 teams in the world."
The Americans assemble Monday in Paris for a training camp. Nine players on the roster played in a 2-2 draw with Slovenia at last year's World Cup, including US scorers Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan.
Donovan might not play, however, since his Los Angeles Galaxy remain in the Major League Soccer playoffs and any players whose team qualifies for the November 20 final at Los Angeles will not stay after the France match.
"It's going to be busy. The fight will continue for starting spots," said Klinsmann. "It's important to see how the players perform in every training session. We'll train the same way we will play in games, with high intensity and awareness."
Goalkeepers: Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton/ENG)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers/SCO), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg/GER), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96/GER), Clarence Goodson (Brondby/DEN), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin/GER), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon/POR)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo/ITA), Clint Dempsey (Fulham/ENG), Maurice Edu (Rangers/SCO), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim/GER), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04/GER), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim/GER)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar/NED), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Edson Buddle (Ingolstadt/GER), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Source: AFP
