Although he seemingly just took over the post, new U.S. Men’s National team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is already putting his stamp on job. After an up-and-down performance against Mexico in his coaching debut a few weeks ago, Klinsmann will be looking to get a better feel for the team during the upcoming exhibition games against Costa Rica and Belgium. Team fixtures such as Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore join the team after missing the 1-1 draw with El Tri, giving the U.S. attack a more familiar look.

Both Altidore and Dempsey have started the new season well with their respective teams,AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)and Fulham (England). Jozy has tallied three goals in his first three games this season in the Eredivisie while Dempsey has scored twice to start the season, snagging a brace in Fulham’s 3-0 Europa League first-leg qualifier victory over Dnipro.

Getting time with expected squad members will be good for Klinsmann, but the future seems to be where the new boss is looking to. With a disturbing historic trend of talented multi-national American players choosing to play for other countries (Giuseppe Rossi and Neven Subotic always come to mind), Klinsmann has named a couple exciting young players who have that choice to this squad, possibly signaling his intention to buck the trend. Midfielder Fabian Johnson, a former Germany U-21 starting midfielder, is the most surprising addition to a squad which includes such multi-national players such as Edgar Castillo, Jose Torres and fellow German Timmy Chandler.   

Johnson, a European U-21 Champion in 2009 while playing for Germany alongside the likes of Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, has made a surprise switch to the U.S. His inclusion is a shot in the arm of a U.S. roster that, apart from the likes of Donovan and Dempsey, has lacked an offensive attack with some flair. He currently plays in the Bundesliga for Hoffenheim and has set up three goals in three games so far this season. 

Chandler will also likely make his first appearance under Klinsmann, after he was pulled from the team to face Mexico on August 10^th in order to settle in with his club team Nuremburg. He joins other young, relatively fresh faces to the national team squad such as Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal and Tim Ream. These defenders are likely the first glimpse into the next generation of U.S. defenders as the regulars, such as Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra, are on the wrong side of 30 while left-back and a consistent partner for Bocanegra in the middle have been trouble spots of late.

Some familiar faces will also be missing from the squad. Midfield trio Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Ricardo Clark were all left off the team sheet for the friendlies.

“All three of these players are trying to sort out their club situations, and the deadline for transfers is a week away. They have also not been playing matches, so for these reasons we decided to select different players for this roster,” Klinsmann said in a post on the U.S. team’s website.

Clark and Bradley each played in the last World Cup for the U.S. and Jones, since switching allegiance from Germany to the U.S., has become an expected player on the team sheet. The exclusion of the trio will give guys like Kyle Beckerman, Sacha Kljestan, Jeff Larentowicz and Jose Torres their chance to shine in the center of midfield alongside the welcomed sight of U.S. team regular Maurice Edu.

Up front Altidore will be joined by three MLS strikers - Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo and the unforgettable Landon Donovan. Altidore and Donovan, both members of the 2010 World Cup campaign, will play alongside two relative newcomers to the national side. Agudelo appeared in five of the six matches at the Gold Cup this summer and will be looking to continue to impress under new boss Klinsmann while Sporting Kansas City striker Bunbury will look to add to his two cap total.

The new look midfield as well as the younger faces on the defensive end will give Klinsmann plenty of new options when he sets the lineups for the upcoming games and should give fans a good idea of what he’s looking for, something that was more difficult to ascertain in his previous match.

Team in Full:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club America), Timmy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael
Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Jose Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)