MNT Set for Colombia Test at Craven Cottage Friday

U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Colombia
International Friendly
Craven Cottage; London, England
2:45 p.m. ET; ESPN & UniMas

U.S. MNT PREPARES FOR FINAL TWO MATCHES OF 2014: The U.S. Men’s National Team caps off its 2014 campaign with two matches over a five-day stretch, beginning with No. 3 FIFA-ranked Colombia on Friday, Nov. 14, in London. Kickoff at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham, is set for 2:45 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN and UniMas. A total of 23,500 tickets have been sold, matching the attendance record for an international match at Craven Cottage. Approximately 1,000 tickets remain and will be sold only at the Craven Cottage ticket office between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time.

The USA then wraps up the year with a Nov. 18 game against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The game kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and Univision. Fans can also follow both matches live on Twitter @ussoccer and @ussoccer_esp.

U.S. Men’s National Team By Position – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Hamburg), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Jordan Morris (Stanford), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

2014 U.S. MNT SCHEDULE:

** 2014 FIFA World Cup

ON USSOCCER.COM:
Features and Q&As:

• Q&A: Klinsmann Set for No. 3-Ranked Colombia
• Q&A: Colombian Ties for U.S. Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya
• Photo Gallery: U.S. MNT Trains in London – Nov. 10, 2014
• Good Memories Await Klinsmann, USA in London
• Klinsmann Stresses Mentorship Role, Veteran Leadership
• FulhAmerica Homecoming

News Releases

• Klinsmann Names 25-Player Roster for Final Matches of 2014
• U.S. MNT to Face Fellow World Cup Finalist Colombia on Nov. 14 in London
• U.S. MNT to Close Out 2014 Campaign on Nov. 18 Against Ireland in Dublin

FulhAmerica Homecoming: The U.S. Men’s National Team could certainly call Fulham’s Craven Cottage its home away from home. Plenty of current and former players have represented the Cottagers during the modern era, starting with goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann in 1999. Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller, Eddie Lewis, Eddie Johnson and most recently Emerson Hyndman have represented Fulham over the years. “The fans there were incredibly supportive of us, and we have so many great memories there,” Bocanegra said. “Craven Cottage has one of the most intimate atmospheres I’ve ever played in. Sitting in the Cottage is like having a rooftop seat at Wrigley Field – it’s an experience every fan should have in their lifetime.”

Against FIFA’s Top 10: The USA will face a FIFA top-10 team for the 60th time and a top-5 team for the 36th occasion when it goes up against No. 3 Colombia on Friday. The USA is 16-34-9 against top-10 teams and 9-23-3 against top-5, since FIFA rankings began in August of 1993. The U.S. most recently faced No. 2 Germany in the group finale of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, playing the eventual tournament winner to a 1-0 loss. Four days earlier, the USA played No. 4 Portugal to a 2-2 draw. Friday’s game marks the first time the USA will face a Colombia side ranked in the top 10. The last time the USA defeated a top-10 team was on June 2, 2013, when Clint Dempsey scored twice and Jozy Altidore contributed the opening tally during a 4-3 victory against No. 2 Germany in its Centennial Celebration match at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

• U.S. MNT History Against Top 10 FIFA-Ranked Teams 

USA VS. COLOMBIA:

• The United States is 3-9-4 all-time against Colombia in a series that began on Feb. 5, 1962, with host Colombia earning a 2-0 victory in Bogota.
• The two teams did not meet again until Oct. 11, 1984, when the USA earned a 1-0 victory in Los Angeles. Ade Coker had the game’s lone goal in the 83rd minute.
• After that match, Colombia had the better part of the series with a 5-0-1 record spanning 1988-93.
• Then on June 22, 1994, the U.S. MNT defeated Colombia 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Colombia’s Andres Escobar let in an own goal in the 35th minute and USA forward Earnie Stewart scored what proved to be the winner in the 52nd minute. It marked the USA’s first victory in a World Cup match since its historic 1-0 upset win against England on June 29, 1950.
• The USA’s other win against Colombia was on March 9, 2005, a resounding 3-0 victory that included first-half goals by Pat Noonan and Chad Marshall and a second-half tally from Clint Mathis. Jon Busch made two saves for the clean sheet, and the defense held Colombia in check despite a Taylor Twellman red card in the 76th minute.
• The U.S. and Colombia last met on Oct. 12, 2010, playing to a scoreless draw at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Brad Guzan earned the shutout for the U.S. with two saves. Eric Lichaj and Brek Shea made their MNT debuts in that match.

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• DaMarcus Beasley leads the USA roster with 120-career appearances. Jozy Altidore is second with 74 caps.
• Colombian-American midfielder Alejandro Bedoya has played in 10 of 13 matches for the MNT in 2014 and could potentially tie a career-best in a single year (12). Both his father and grandfather played professionally in Colombia.
• Jermaine Jones, who scored a mesmerizing goal against Portugal in the World Cup in June, is again listed as a defender after having made a debut appearance at center back for the MNT in the 1-1 draw against Honduras on Oct. 14.
• Ingolstadt midfielder Alfredo Morales has helped his side to the top of the 2. Bundesliga table, appearing in all 13 matches and scoring the opening goal of the campaign. Born in Germany to Peruvian parents, Morales has been deployed as a holding midfielder and also in defense by his club.
• Greg Garza earned his first start against Ecuador in his second of three consecutive appearances for the MNT, having made his debut in the 1-0 win against the Czech Republic. The Club Tijuana left back has now competed for the United States at every age level, beginning with the U.S. Under-14 Boys’ National Team.
• Mix Diskerud has reached double-digit starts for the National Team. After scoring his fourth-career goal against Ecuador, the U.S. team holds a remarkable 17-1-5 record when Diskerud steps on the field.
• A total of eight players join from MLS squads: Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Matt Besler, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, Jones, Lee Nguyen, Rimando, Chris Wondolowski and DeAndre Yedlin. New England Revolution teammates Jones and Nguyen advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 2007, and Yedlin’s Seattle Sounders FC advanced to the Western Conference Championship against the LA Galaxy.
• Nguyen can earn his first cap for the U.S. MNT since 2007, when he made three international appearances. After entering as a substitute for Beasley in the 80th minute of the 4-1 win against China PR on June 2 in San Jose, he played two matches at Copa America in Venezuela. Nguyen (pronounced WIN) has 18 goals and five assists this MLS season, making him a contender for the 2014 MLS MVP honor.
• Yedlin signed a contract to join north-London club Tottenham Hotspur, and could join the club as early as January.
• Wondolowski spent a week training at Fulham prior to this U.S. MNT camp.
• Sean Johnson earned both the MVP award and the Defender of the Year award for the Chicago Fire this season. He is coming off a training spell at Hull City.
• Hamid backstopped D.C. United to a historic turnaround as the club was the first in the Eastern Conference to clinch an MLS playoff berth this season. A year ago, United finished the campaign with the worst record in MLS.
• Minnesota United FC forward Miguel Ibarra and Stanford University striker Jordan Morris both return to the fold after debut appearances on an MNT roster this year. Ibarra became the first player from the modern NASL to be called into the National Team. The 24-year-old NASL Player of the Month for September got his first cap when entered as a 90th-minute sub in the 1-1 draw against Honduras. On Thursday, Ibarra was named to the NASL’s 2014 Best XI.
• Morris, who scored the game-winner for the U.S. U-23 MNT against the Bahamas in August, was named the 2012-13 Development Academy Player of the Year for the U-18 age group while playing for the Seattle Sounders FC Academy. He is the first active college player to be included on a roster under Jurgen Klinsmann.
• Rubio Rubin also returns to the fold. He signed with Utrecht in July. The U.S. U-17 Residency alum was voted the 2012 U.S. Soccer Youth Male Athlete of the Year. 

IN THE RECORD BOOKS:

• With his goal against Honduras on Oct. 14, Jozy Altidore tied Joe-Max Moore for fifth on the U.S. MNT’s all-time goal scoring list with his 24th tally. Altidore’s 24 goals have come in 74 matches and Moore scored 24 goals in 100 games from 1992-2002.
• World Cup goalkeeper Nick Rimando ranks sixth on the all-time wins list with 10. He has never lost a game for the National Team (10-0-1).
• World Cup goalkeeper Brad Guzan has earned nine shutouts in 27 games. That ranks sixth on the USA’s all-time list, one behind fifth-place Arnie Mausser (10 shutouts from 1975-1983).
• Goalkeeper Bill Hamid holds the distinction of being one of eight goalkeepers to post a shutout in his first appearance with the National Team. Hamid is the most recent goalkeeper to accomplish this feat during a 1-0 victory against Venezuela on Jan. 21, 2012.
• Chris Wondolowski is tied for 21st on the all-time list with nine goals in 24 games, sharing that place with Dominic Kinnear, Jovan Kirovski, Alexi Lalas, Peter Millar, Willy Roy and Josh Wolff. Wondolowski is one goal behind 20th-place Eddie Lewis (10 goals from 1996-2008).
• USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (33-13-11) ranks third on the all-time wins list. Ahead of Klinsmann is Bruce Arena (71) and 2014 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Bob Bradley (43).

USA IN LONDON:

• The USA has played three previous games in London and is in search of its first victory and first goal there when it faces Colombia on Friday. The U.S. has been outscored 13-0.
• In the first round of the 1948 Olympics, the U.S. MNT lost 9-0 to Italy on Aug. 2 at Griffith Park.
• On Sept. 7, 1994, the USA fell 2-0 to England at Wembley Stadium.
• Most recently, the U.S. lost 2-0 to England on May 28, 2008, in front of 71,222 spectators at Wembley Stadium. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan entered to open the second half, splitting time in goal with Tim Howard. Professional Referee Organization GM Peter Walton was a fourth official for that match.

BY THE NUMBERS:
3                Colombia’s current FIFA ranking
6                Goals by Colombia’s James Rodriguez this summer's World Cup Golden Boot winner
11              Games unbeaten during Nick Rimando’s MNT tenure (10-0-1)
23              USA’s current FIFA ranking
24              Career goals by Jozy Altidore, tied for fifth with Joe-Max Moore on the USA’s all-time list
33              Victories under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann

JURGEN KLINSMANN FACT FILE: Jurgen Klinsmann became the 35th coach in the history of the U.S. Men’s National Team on July 29, 2011. Here is a look at the program’s achievements since that time:

• Overall, Klinsmann has a 33-13-11 record. He is third on the U.S. MNT’s all-time coaching wins list. The top five include Bruce Arena (71), Bob Bradley (43), Klinsmann (33), Bora Milutinovic (30) and Steve Sampson (26).
• He won a record-setting 13 straight games at home from June 2, 2013, to Feb. 1, 2014, and has guided the team to an unbeaten record of 16-0-1 in its past 17 matches on home soil.
• He led the MNT to a 12-game winning streak in 2013, the longest in program history.
• The U.S. finished 2013 with a 16-4-3 record. The 16 victories and .761 winning percentage are all-time U.S. MNT records for a calendar year.
• The U.S. finished the final round of 2013 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying atop the Hexagonal with a 7-1-2 overall record, including an unblemished 5-0-0 home record that was achieved by pitching clean sheets in all five matches.
• The team won six straight games en route to capturing the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, during which the squad scored a tournament record 20 goals.
• Committed to challenging the group against the best, under Klinsmann, the United States has a 2-2-2 record against teams ranked in the top 10 in the world. With Klinsmann at the helm, the U.S. has also collected four historic victories:
  • Beating four-time World Cup champion Italy for the first time ever
  • Earning the first win against Mexico on Mexican soil
  • Defeating Jamaica on the road for the first time in World Cup Qualifying
  • Topping second-ranked Germany in U.S. Soccer’s Centennial Celebration Match
• Klinsmann’s U.S. coaching debut was a 1-1 draw against Mexico on Aug. 10, 2011, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. During Klinsmann’s abbreviated 2011 tenure, the USA’s two victories included a 1-0 win against Honduras (Oct. 8) and a 3-2 victory against Slovenia (Nov. 15).
• Klinsmann was named the Germany National Team manager in 2004 and guided Germany to a 20-6-8 record and a third-place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He earned Coach of the Year honors in Germany, and two years later, he took over the head coaching position at Germany’s most high-profile club Bayern Munich.
• As a player, Klinsmann played 17 club seasons from 1981 to 1998 with the following teams: Stuttgarter Kickers (1981-84), VfB Stuttgart (1984-89), Internazionale (1989-92), Monaco (1992-94), Tottenham Hotspur (1994-95, 97-98), Bayern Munich (1995-97) and Sampdoria (1997-98). During that time, he scored 226 goals in 506 appearances. He was named German Player of the Year in 1988 and 1994 and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1995.
• Klinsmann earned 108 caps with the German National Team, scoring 47 goals. He participated in three World Cups (1990, 1994 and 1998) and won the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
• Klinsmann was born on July 30, 1964, in Goppingen, Germany.