SANDY, Utah (Friday, November 6, 2015) – Real Salt Lake Captain Kyle Beckerman is among three Real Salt Lake players that was called in to national team duty for FIFA World Cup qualifying matches next week. Beckerman will join the U.S. National Team for matches at home against St. Vincent & The Grenadines and on the road against Trinidad & Tobago. Meanwhile, DF Elias Vasquez will join Guatemala and DF Demar Phillips was called in to Jamaica.
The U.S. will host St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Nov. 13 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis (4:30 p.m. MT, ESPN2, Unimas and Univision Deportes) and will meet Trinidad & Tobago on Nov. 17 in Port of Spain (TBD, beIN Sports and NBC Universo). Guatemala hosts Trinidad & Tobago on Nov. 13 and goes on the road against St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Nov. 17, while Jamaica plays at home against Panama on Nov. 13 and on the road against Haiti on Nov. 17.
Beckerman has appeared in nine matches with the U.S. this year, giving him 51 career caps. He is coming off of another consistent season with RSL in which he started 24 matches even while missing time for international duty. The U.S. has qualified for the last seven consecutive FIFA World Cups, but is 9-6-3 this year and has lost three straight matches, all on home soil.
“We’re all excited about starting World Cup qualifying toward Russia 2018. Every time you say the words ‘World Cup’ it means so much to everyone involved that it gets you pumped up and energetic,” said U.S. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “The players realize it’s going to be a long marathon toward Russia 2018, but we have to start it on the right foot. With St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, they’re two nations that are not taken lightly. They are good teams. T&T proved it in the previous Gold Cup. With St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we have a team that is an unknown, but we watch their previous games and make ourselves familiar with their players. At the end of the day you still don’t really know what to expect, so it’s going to be very interesting.”
Vasquez, 23, has 36 career caps with Guatemala and appeared in 15 matches during his first MLS season. Guatemala is 2-7-5 this year, including a 2-1-1 record in World Cup qualifying matches and is vying for its first ever World Cup appearance.
Phillips, 32, has 62 caps for Jamaica and made 13 appearances for RSL this year, his first season in MLS. Jamaica is 7-6-1 this year and finished runner-up in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing 3-1 to Mexico in the final. Jamaica qualified for the World Cup once before in 1998.
Real Salt Lake GK Nick Rimando was withheld from this round of matches after undergoing meniscus surgery this week.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (8): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham FC), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Club Leon), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy), Jordan Morris (Stanford), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
