Team USA faces Scotland in warm-up for World Cup qualifying

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team is preparing for its busiest stretch of the year, extending from the middle of May to early June and encompassing a 30-day schedule with five games during an 18-day period. The first is Saturday against Scotland at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be capped off with a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Guatemala on June 12 at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City. The Americans are big favorites vs. Scotland on WagerWeb.com.

Team USA’s game in Jacksonville will be its first in the city in more than a decade, with the last match representing one of the biggest upsets in U.S. history. On Feb. 6, 1999, the men’s national team defeated defending European Champion Germany 3-0 in front of 17,259 fans, the previous attendance record for a U.S. match in Jacksonville.

The U.S. holds an all-time 1-3-2 record against Scotland and last played the team to a 1-1 tie in Glasgow on Nov. 12, 2005. The Jacksonville game will be the first meeting on American soil between the sides since May 30, 1998, when the teams tied 0-0 in Washington, D.C.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann added 11 names to his initial list of call-ups in advance of the U.S. national team’s World Cup qualifiers next month and Landon Donovan is on it.

Other high-profile players joining Donovan in the side are Jozy Altidore, who plays for Dutch club AZ Alkmaar and Oguchi Onyewu. Houston Dynamo’s Geoff Cameron, Brondby’s Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst are the other defenders among the added 11. They are accompanied by Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi and strikers Terrence Boyd of Borussia Dortmund, Santos’ Herculez Gomez, Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes and Juan Agudelo of Chivas USA.

They’re part of a 27-man group that will train through Friday in Orlando then be trimmed to 23 before Saturday’s friendly against Scotland. Those 23 will then represent the U.S. in friendlies against Brazil and Canada and in the first two qualifying games, June 8 against Antigua and Barbuda in Tampa, Fla., and June 12 at Guatemala.

The US team has won four straight games. A record crowd is expected at Everbank Field with 32,000 tickets already sold.

US ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland).

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).

FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).

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