Soccer-Klinsmann sticks with 26-man squad for World Cup 'dry run'

Jan 12 (Reuters) - United States coach Juergen Klinsmann has decided not to trim his squad from 26 to 23 players for a training camp in Brazil later this month after players excelled in early preparations for the World Cup. Klinsmann had initially planned to take a reduced squad from their preliminary six-day training camp in Carson, California to Sao Paulo for what U.S. Soccer is calling a "dry run" for the June 12-July 13 World Cup. "We have been extremely pleased with the performance of the group in the first week," Klinsmann, a former international player and national coach in his native Germany, said in a statement on Sunday. "The players came in very fit and have done really well in training. Therefore, we believe they have all earned a chance to go to Brazil for these next 12 days. "We are excited about getting down to Sao Paulo and continuing the work. This is a huge opportunity to get to know our environment for the World Cup." The squad will be based at the training site of Sao Paulo FC, the host of the U.S. base camp this summer. The training camp roster includes 10 players who helped the U.S. advance to the World Cup for the seventh consecutive time, along with nine uncapped players. The camp, which takes place in both California and Brazil, runs through Feb. 1, closing with a friendly against South Korea in Carson, California. The squad: Goalkeepers: Tally Hall, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, Nick Rimando Defenders: Matt Besler, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, Michael Harrington, Chris Klute, Chance Myers, Shane O'Neill, Seth Sinovic, DeAndre Yedlin Midfielders: Eric Alexander, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Benny Feilhaber, Luis Gil, Dax McCarty, Graham Zusi Forwards: Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Mike Magee, Chris Wondolowski (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)