Injuries and illness have left United States national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann with a patchwork roster heading into two important World Cup qualifiers in the next nine days.  It was clear there would be some added intrigue Monday when Klinsmann pushed back the release almost three hours as he dealt with some unexpected injury concerns. It turns out the team is significantly shorthanded.  The U.S. team has been hit with a rash of injuries as eight players are unavailable for the matches. Edgar Castillo (facial fractures), Timmy Chandler (hamstring), Steve Cherundolo (knee), Tim Howard (back), Fabian Johnson (hip), Jonathan Spector (ankle), Jose Torres (hamstring) and Danny Williams (illness).  “We know we have a big task ahead of us, and we are confident our group will get the job done,” said Klinsmann. “Obviously there are many players out with injuries, and that means the next person in line has a chance to step up.”  The losses on defense (Castillo, Chandler, Cherundolo, Johnson and Spector) will hurt the most. Klinsmann is already set to go with his second-choice goalkeeper, Brad Guzan while Howard is out with a back injury. But not even those absences were enough to merit a callup for the former captain Carlos Bocanegra, who was left off the roster despite having earned 110 caps for the team.  (In defense of Klinsmann’s decision, Bocanegra will be 34 in May, and hasn’t played in more than a month for his club team, Racing Santander of Spain’s second division. But it’s still the end of an era; by leaving him off now if he’s healthy, Klinsmann has sent a clear signal that Bocanegra’s international career is probably over.)  Klinsmann does have a strong strike force — Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez and Eddie Johnson are all in good form, and Clint Dempsey returned to the field for Tottenham over the weekend after missing several games with a calf injury. And the midfield tandem of Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones is intact, supplemented by some old names (Kyle Beckerman and Maurice Edu) and some intriguing ones who have been away for a while (DaMarcus Beasley, Brek Shea, Sacha Kljestan).  The defense was, and remains, the concern. The six true defenders called in have 12 caps combined. But three — Justin Morrow, Matt Besler and Tony Beltran — have none, and a fourth (Omar Gonzalez)- has only one, a disappointing effort against Honduras last month.  The next two qualifiers — against Costa Rica on Friday in Commerce City, Colo., and against Mexico next Tuesday in Mexico City — could be critical to the Americans’ hopes of reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, especially after they lost their first qualifier in Honduras in February. The United States was fortunate, however, in that the other two games that day ended in ties, so while they are on the bottom of the six-team Concacaf hexagonal, it’s only by a point.  A win on Friday — or, improbably, Tuesday at the Azteca — would certainly brighten the team’s mood and its chances. But it just got a lot harder.  Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) Defenders (6): Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes) Midfielders (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)  Corner kick: Klinsmann will hold a conference call with reporters later this afternoon to discuss the selections. For now, you get the first word.
United States Coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced his roster for the Americans&#8217; next two World Cup qualifiers, against Costa Rica and Mexico.