Three Uncapped Players Plucked For U.S. Roster

U.S. MNT coach Bob Bradley has announced his roster for the upcoming exhibition games against Ecuador and Guatemala. It consists of 13 foreign-based players and 11 MLS-based players, and should give Bradley his first good look at some of the "premier" American talent from overseas.

Eleven of the players named are World Cup veterans, including goalkeeper Kasey Keller and forward Landon Donovan. Three have never donned a U.S. jersey: defenders Frank Simek and Jay DeMerit, and midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Here's a little more about them:

Jay DeMerit is a 27-year-old defender for Watford, currently the bottom team in the EPL table, and 11 points from safety. He played for the Chicago Fire Reserves, but wasn't offered a contract by any MLS team and headed to Europe, working his way through the ranks. Now he will put on a U.S. jersey for the first time. Great story.




Frank Simek is a 22-year-old defender who currently plays for English club Sheffield Wednesday of the English League Championship. He was signed by Arsenal to a developmental contract and at one point assumed the captaincy of the reserve side, but had difficulty breaking into the first team. He is now a regular at right back for Sheffield Wednesday.




Benny Feilhaber, also 22, plays for Hamburger SV in the German Bundesliga. He played his way onto the U-20 MNT in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, where his performances caught the attention of several European scouts. He signed with Hamburg in July of 2005.


The U.S. MNT will take on Ecuador on March 25th (12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2) and Guatemala on March 28th (9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2). After these games, the only other tune-up scheduled before the summer is an exhibition vs. China on June 2nd in San Jose.