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Jurgen Klinsmann used three out a possible six changes to the United States' 23-man roster, after the 2015 Gold Cup group stage.
Houston Dynamo left-Back DaMarcus Beasley, Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz wide midfielder Joe Corona, and San Jose Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon were brought in to replace Greg Garza, Alfredo Morales and Jozy Altidore respectively. Beasley is set to come out of international retirement, after announcing in December that he no longer would play for the USMNT.
These three additions to the roster will be eligible to start playing in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Klinsmann was clearly looking to add veterans to the squad, as Beasley and Gordon are both 33.
Joe Corona, the youngest of the three, started playing with the national team in 2012 and featured in the 2013 Gold Cup. These changes seem like good moves as Garza, Morales and Altidore all were disappointing during the Gold Cup group stages.
Klinsmann suggested that Altidore's departure from the squad likely has to do with his inability to be match fit. "Jozy never really got into this tournament and never really picked up the rhythm. He's just simply not in the shape to help us" (Per USSF) Altidore clearly was not as sharp as usual and he did not play 90 minutes during any of the matches.
DaMarcus Beasley was added to the roster instead of Brek Shea. However, Beasley has played well for Houston and brings much needed speed to this team.
Klinsmann's decision to add Alan Gordon to the squad instead of Juan Agudelo is quite surprising. Gordon has only one cap for the USMNT, from 2012 , whereas Agudelo has 19 national team appearances with the most recent coming in April.
Neither player has been in great form for their respective MLS teams, but Alan Gordon has a habit of scoring important goals late in games and brings a strong and physical presence to the team.
It will be interesting to see if Beasley, Corona and Gordon actually play in the knockout rounds. Hopefully these three will be able to help the U.S. in its quest for Gold Cup glory.