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SANDY — The 2014 Major League Soccer season ended for Real Salt Lake on Sunday night in Los Angeles, but two of the club's players received some good news Monday morning.
RSL captain Kyle Beckerman and starting goalkeeper Nick Rimando have been called up to U.S. men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann's 25-player training camp for a pair of international friendlies against Colombia and Ireland in the British Isles, U.S. Soccer announced Monday.
The U.S. internationals will face FIFA No. 3-ranked Colombia at Fulham FC's Craven Cottage in London on Nov. 14, then will jet to Dublin for a Nov. 18 bout with the Republic of Ireland to close out the 2014 calendar year.
Rimando, the 35-year-old goalkeeper from Montclair, California, who traveled with the national team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as the No. 3 shot stopper in camp, has played in 16 international contests with 14 shutouts. He's established himself as a reliable No. 3 goalkeeper, owning MLS's all-time shutout record while he currently competes with Aston Villa starter Brad Guzan for the top spot in goal while U.S. standout Tim Howard takes a break from international duty. Rimando's 0.67 goals-against average in 2013 was the best mark by a U.S. keeper since Guzan posted the same mark in 2008.
The 32-year-old Beckerman has 40 caps with the senior national team, including three games played during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He's become a staple of Klinsmann's U.S. team as a defensive midfielder, and the native of Crofton, Maryland, has made the most of a standout MLS career to fall into good graces with the U.S. coach.
More than 18,000 tickets have already been sold for the USA's match with Colombia in London. Fulham F.C. owns several connections to the United States, including current U.S. forward Clint Dempsey, who currently owns the Cottagers' club record for goals by an American player with 37, breaking the record that once belong to U.S. legend and Fulham fan favorite Brian McBride.
Other U.S. internationals to have suited up for Fulham include goalkeepers Marcus Hahnemann and Casey Keller, and midfielder/forward Eddie Johnson, among others.
“With Craven Cottage you have one of the most historic stadiums in England and it’s going to be a blast for us,” Klinsmann told USSoccer.com. “For me, reconnecting with the people at Tottenham and to see some old teammates is going to be really nice, but we are there in order to get a good game done, and having Colombia agree to that game is huge for us.”
Also included on the roster are Guzan and MLS-based goalkeepers Bill Hamid (D.C. United) and Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), as well as second-division North American Soccer League standout Miguel Ibarra of Minnesota United FC and Stanford University forward Jordan Morris.
"We want to finish 2014 on a high note and continue to try to meet the top teams eye to eye," Klinsmann said in a release. "In these last two games we want our veterans to really become mentors both on and off the field, and we want to see our youngsters take advantage of the opportunity to make their case and grow from the experience. These performances will set the tone for 2015."
Below is the complete roster for the pair of friendlies, courtesy of U.S. Soccer:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), 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)
