Minnesotan Cody Cropper Named To USMNT

Minnesota goalkeeper Cody Cropper has represented his county at the U-23, U-20 and U-17 levels. Today U.S. Soccer named him to the USMNT senior-side for their upcoming friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Cropper will be looking for his first national team cap, backing up regulars Tim Howard (Everton) and Brad Guzan (Aston Villa).

The 20-year old Cropper grew up playing youth soccer in Minnesota. In 2010 Cropper signed a contract with English-side Ipswich Town FC, but an injury forced the keeper to rehab and he was released in 2012.

In August 2012, Cropper signed a new contract with a new club in England: Southampton FC of the Premier League. Current playing in the U-21 Premier League, Cropper is competing to back-up Southampton regular keeper Kelvin Davis. 21-year old, Argentine Paulo Gazzaniga also signed in August 2012. Cropper most recently played in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

This USMNT roster is made up of mostly European-based players as most domestic leagues around the world are set to begin.  Of the 23 players, just five are based in North America: Edgar Castillo and Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans and Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders), Michael Orozco-Fiscal (Puebla FC)

The Bosnia-Herzegovina vs USA friendly is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 in Sarajevo. It will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 1:30 PM (CT). The USMNT is currently on an 11-match winning streak, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup.