***Upon accepting the U.S. national team coaching job in November, Bruce Arena said that, with a short time frame and tall order in turning around the World Cup qualifying effort, he would call on many of the same players involved under Jurgen Klinsmann’s direction. And while Arena has introduced some new faces — and welcomed back some who had fallen out of favor with Klinsmann — he has stayed true to his plan of selecting many players who’ve toiled in the international trenches.
So it should not have surprised anyone that, as the matches against Honduras and Panama approached and reinforcements became necessary, Arena called on Graham Zusi, Matt Besler and, on Monday night, San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski.