Chris Wondolowski named to USMNT 23-man roster for friendlies against Chile and Panama

Chris Wondolowski, the prolific San Jose Earthquakes goalscorer was named to the U.S. men's national team 23-man roster for friendlies against Chile and Panama, it was announced by U.S. Soccer on Saturday.

Wondolowski, who is one of five forwards on the roster, made the cut from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's January training camp roster and will now travel with the team to South America for the first friendly against Chile. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28, and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and UniMas.

Wondolowski is one of nine players on the roster that represented the U.S. at the World Cup last summer. 21 of the 23 players ply their trade for Major League Soccer, with the only exceptions being Deandre Yedlin of EPL side Tottenham Hotspur and Miguel Ibarra of NASL club Minnesota United FC.

Klinsmann named a roster that has a decidedly two-part complexion. Wondolowski, one of many veteran players, is joined with a slew of youngsters trying to make their mark with the national team. This mixture of experience is something the Klinsmann felt was important leading into a new World Cup qualifying campaign and the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.

"This was a really important experience for these U-23 players," Klinsmann said in a statement by U.S. Soccer. "They got a great introduction into the senior National Team program, and had the opportunity to work with Andi Herzog and our staff as we build toward Olympic qualifying in the fall. They put in a tremendous amount of work and we learned a lot about them. We appreciate the effort and will continue to monitor them in their club situations."

Following the match in Santiago, Chile, the team will return to the United States to take on Panama on Sunday, February 8, at the StubHub Center in Carson. Tickets for that friendly are still available through U.S. Soccer. Upon completion of the second USMNT match, Wondolowski is expected to return to San Jose and join his Earthquakes teammates in preseason training.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Shane O'Neill (Colorado Rapids), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (Orlando City), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)