Both sides have a sizable amount of talent to show off in the all-important World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
On Monday, Jurgen Klinsmann named his 24-man squad for their World Cup qualifying match against Honduras and the two Sounders were among those selected. Brad Evans and Eddie Johnson were two of seven MLS players who will travel to San Pedro Sula for Wednesday’s match. With Mario Martinez already named to the Honduras roster, that makes three Sounders who could potentially see time and four more from MLS, making 11 total.
For the US, it is a mixed group of World Cup qualifying veterans and players who are looking for their first cap on that stage.
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has 22 appearances in World Cup qualifying matches with nine shutouts, leading a goalkeeping core that also features Aston Villa’s Brad Friedel and the Chicago Fire’s Sean Johnson.
On defense, where Evans is listed on the US roster, Carlos Bocanegra of Racing Santander is the most veteran castmate with 31 World Cup qualifying matches. Stoke City’s Geoff Cameron (five WCQ caps), Fabian Johnson of Hoffenheim and Augsburg’s Michael Parkhurst (three each) are the only other defenders with experience in World Cup qualifiers while Evans, Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) and Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy) are all looking to make their World Cup qualifying debut.
In the midfield, Roma’s Michael Bradley leads the charge with 19 World Cup qualifying caps, joined by Anderlecht’s Sacha Kljestan (12 caps), Bursaspor’s Maurice Edu (nine caps), Jose Torres of Tigres (nine caps), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04, five caps), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim, four caps) and Graham Zusi of Sporting KC (three caps). Of the midfielders, only the Houston Dynamo’s Brad Davis has yet to make an appearance in a World Cup qualifier.
Finally at forward, Klinsmann selected four players who each have MLS, USMNT and European experience. Johnson is the joint-leading scorer with Tottenham Hotspur forward Clint Dempsey at ten goals, though Johnson has done it in just 11 qualifying matches while Dempsey has played in 26. Jozy Altidore of AZ Alkmaar has six goals in 17 qualifying matches while Santos Laguna’s Herculez Gomez, a former USL Sounder, has two goals in six appearances.
For Honduras, in addition to Martinez, who has been a regular with the full national team since joining the Sounders midway through last season, there is plenty of MLS intrigue on the roster. It’s a team that also features San Jose Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez, Houston Dynamo midfielder Oscar Garcia and New England Revolution forward Jerry Bengtson.
The match kicks off at 1 pm Pacific and will be televised live on beIN SPORT.
