San Jose Earthquakes captain Chris Wondolowski has been named to the United States National Team’s preliminary forty-man roster for this summer’s Gold Cup. The forward has scored eleven goals in thirty-five national team caps and earned his most recent call-up during the national team’s World Cup Qualifiers in San Jose and Panama in March.
Wondolowski was a part of the national team’s 2013 and 2015 Gold Cup squads and also played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Copa Centenario. Despite falling out of favor in the latter stages of Jürgen Klinsmann’s reign, new head coach Bruce Arena has brought the thirty-four-year-old back into the national team fold, although Wondo will have to survive a seventeen-man cut to make the final Gold Cup roster.
Wondo is the only Quakes player on the preliminary roster given the surprising omission of goalkeeper David Bingham. The twenty-seven-year-old broke onto the national team scene a year ago and has been a frequent member of national team squads as recently as last March, but fell off the radar after a rough start to the 2017 season.
Having made numerous errors earlier in the year, Bingham has apparently fallen to at least seventh in the US goalkeeper rankings, behind Joe Bendik (Orlando City SC), Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas), Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Sean Johnson (New York City FC).
Sixteen Major League Soccer clubs are represented in the squad, with FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, NYCFC, and the Philadelphia Union leading the pack with three call-ups apiece.
Here is Arena’s 40-man squad in full:
GOALKEEPERS (6): Joe Bendik (Orlando City SC), Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas), Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Sean Johnson (New York City FC)
DEFENDERS (12): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Greg Garza (Atlanta United FC), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG), Justin Morrow (Toronto FC/CAN), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire), Jonathan Spector (Orlando City SC), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (15): Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana/MEX), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana/MEX), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Tommy McNamara (New York City FC), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (Philadelphia Union), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC), Kelyn Rowe (New England Revolution), Kenny Saief (Gent/BEL), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
FORWARDS (7): Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Dom Dwyer (Sporting Kansas City), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), C.J. Sapong (Philadelphia Union), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
