Jermaine Jones lone newcomer on US roster for Brazil exhibition next week as 2014 prep starts

Jones the lone newcomer on US roster vs Brazil

NEW YORK — Midfielder Jermaine Jones was picked for the roster for the United States’ exhibition game against Brazil on Tuesday, the first match for both nations as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup.

Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Stuart Holden were omitted by U.S. coach Bob Bradley on Wednesday, allowing them to remain in Europe ahead of the start of their league seasons. DaMarcus Beasley and Jay DeMerit, who are searching for new clubs, and backup goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann also were dropped.

Jones was the lone newcomer.

The exhibition will be played at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The U.S. Soccer Federation still hasn’t decided whether to offer a new contract to Bradley, whose current deal expires in December.

“This game is a great opportunity to showcase many players from the World Cup team who earned the respect and appreciation of fans across the country,” Bradley said. “At the same time, our goal continues to be to compete and succeed against the best teams in the world. With an extremely talented group of players, Brazil will be another difficult test.”

Fourteen of the 18 players were on the U.S. World Cup roster. In addition to Jones, three players were picked who were cut when the Americans trimmed their 30-man preliminary roster to 23 for the tournament in June: defender Chad Marshall, and midfielders Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan, who this summer has gained a starting spot with Belgium’s Anderlecht after transferring from Chivas USA.

Jones, a 28-year-old Schalke midfielder with an American father, made three appearances for Germany’s national team and was approved by FIFA last year to switch allegiance to the United States but missed the entire season because of a shin injury.

Dempsey has a new manager at Fulham, with Mark Hughes taking over after Roy Hodgson quit to become Liverpool’s manager. Altidore is with Villarreal in Spain after spending last season on loan to Hull, and could be loaned again. Holden is fighting for a starting spot at Bolton after missing much of last spring after the Netherlands’ Nigel De Jong broke his right leg during an exhibition on March 3.

The Premier League season starts Aug. 14, while Spain opens Aug. 28.

In contrast, new Brazil coach Mano Menezes selected a revamped roster with just four of Brazil’s World Cup players for the exhibition on Tuesday. More than 55,000 tickets have been sold. Brazil’s squad includes AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato, Santos scoring sensation Neymar, Santos midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, Manchester United defender Rafael da Silva and Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva.

The U.S. team will have just one training session ahead of the match.

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro, Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Jermaine Jones (Schalke, Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium)

Forwards: Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca, Mexico)