Quiet International Date for Sporting KC

It looks like it is going to be a quiet week for Sporting KC players who represent their national team.

USA

Today the US roster came out for their friendly against Russia on Wednesday in the last international date of the year.  Jurgen Klinsmann's roster does not include any Sporting KC players.  Klinsmann has gone with quite a few young players on the roster along with some mainstays.  There's no room on the roster this time around for Graham Zusi though as the likes of Mix Diskerud, Josh Gatt, and Joe Gyau getting looks by Klinsmann.  I wouldn't take the lack of call up as anything of major importance for Zusi, Klinsmann knows what he can do and come February when the Hex kicks off I expect that Zusi will be on that roster.

The other Sporting player that many people thought would get a look in this camp is defender Matt Besler.  With some of the USA's problems at center back in the last set of qualifying, people thought that Besler, a candidate for defender of the year, would be a perfect candidate for this game after KC's early playoff exit.  Instead, Klinsmann has gone with the same group of center backs that he used for the last qualifying cycle.  The center back position for the friendly against Russia will feature two of four of Carlos Bocanegra, Geoff Cameron, Clarence Goodson, and Maurice Edu.  Two of those guys (Cameron and Edu) are not playing center back for their clubs (Cameron right back, Edu bench warmer), while Bocanegra is currently in the second division, and Goodson's club looks set to be relegated to the second division.  I understand that Besler, like Zusi, has had a long club season and the game is on the other side of the world, but the US really needs to start looking for new blood at center back.

As a whole there were only 3 MLS players called in for the friendly, two goalkeepers, Sean Johnson and Nick Rimando, and Juan Agudelo at forward.  A fourth player, Herculez Gomez plays in Mexico, the rest of the roster is from Europe, a much shorter trip, probably the main reason for the lack of Besler, Zusi, and other MLS players.

Honduras

Honduras is set to play Peru in an international friendly on Wednesday down at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.  Honduras will be doing so without Roger Espinoza, who has been left off the roster for the game.  Like Zusi and Besler, Espinoza has just come off a long season, arguably longer with his trip to London for the Olympic games.  Espinoza, probably more than anyone on KC's roster has earned this break and not getting a call up.

Haiti

Starting on Wednesday, Haiti will continue their campaign to qualify for the 2012 Caribbean Championships in Antigua and Barbuda.  Haiti is grouped with hosts Grenada, Guyana, and French Guiana in a 4 team tournament that starts Wednesday and concludes Sunday.  Haiti will play Guyana on Wednesday, French Guiana on Friday, and Grenada on Sunday.  The top two teams will qualify for the tournament in Antigua.  The top 4 teams there will qualify for the 2013 Gold Cup in the United States.

I've been unable to find an official roster for the team for this round of the tournament, but I'd expect Peterson Joseph to be playing a role for Haiti when they take the field.  He started all 3 of Haiti's games in the last group stage back in September, so expecting the same shouldn't be surprising.

EDIT: The team has officially announced that Joseph will be representing Haiti.