World Cup 2014 Squad Announcements
World Cup 2014 Squad Announcements
Several finalists released their squads for the World Cup finals today.
England and Japan published their final lists of 23 players.
Ecuador released a preliminary squad of 24, Uruguay 25, Ghana and Costa Rica 26, Cameroon 28, while Russia, Algeria and the USA and Costa Rica announced lists of 30 players.
Roy Hodgson's 23-man England squad for the World Cup finals released today held no great surprises, with the expected emphasis on youth comfirmed by the inclusion of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Everton's Ross Barkley, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling and Southampton's Luke Shaw.
Jack Wilshere's last-gasp return from injury at Arsenal stamped his ticket to Brazil, but doubts over Kyle Walker's recovery means he missed out. Frank Lampard and James Milner retain their places, two of six veterans of England's ill-fated 2010 World Cup campaign.
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Ben Foster, Frazer Forster
Defenders: Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones
Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Ross Barkley
Attackers: Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Ricky Lambert
Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Jurgen Klinsmann announced an initial 30-man squad for the USA.
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando
Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley, John Brooks, Matt Besler, Jeff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst, DeAndre Yedlin
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Joe Corona, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Maurice Edu, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi
Attackers: Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski
Half the squad are from Major League Soccer, four play in Germany, four in England, two in Mexico, and one in each of Austria, France, Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.
If they make the final cut, DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan will travel to their fourth World Cup finals. Nine of the 30 were picked by Bob Bradley for the 2010 competition in South Africa.
The most notable absentee is DC United striker Eddie Johnson, who has 63 caps for the US and scored four for them in qualifying. Stoke City winger Brek Shea, tipped a while ago as a future star, was also ignored, as were several other England-based players: Bolton pair Tim Ream and Stuart Holden, Nottingham Forest's Eric Lichaj and the Birmingham City pair of Jonathan Spector and Will Packwood.
The remaining teams have until the 13th of May to send their 30-man squads to FIFA, who will publish them formally on the 16th. The final deadline for the 23-man list is the second of June, with official publication on the fifth.
(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile