Zieler on US-tour 

Germany manager Joachim Löw selected his 23-man squad for the US-tour last week. Among the names was 96-keeper Ron-Robert Zieler, who has earned his place after some strong performances in the Bundesliga. The rest of the squad is made up of a combination of established, returning and new players.

Two friendlies planned

There are two matches to be played during the US-tour. First up on May 29th are Ecuador in Boca Raton. Soon after on June 2nd, Germany will face the USA in Washington. Manager Löw on his side’s games: “International matches always have a great importance. It’s something special for the players we’ve selected to be here. I’m confident that we’ll send out strong sides against Ecuador and the USA.”

Friendly matches and World Cup qualifiers

Two 96-players will be joining the Tunisia national team for two matches in June. Defenders Karim Haggui and Sofian Chahed will be in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea.

Sébastien Pocognoli will play matches with the Belgium national team; one friendly match against the USA and one World Cup qualifier against Serbia. Didier Ya Konan’s Ivory Coast will also be involved in World Cup qualifying matches against Gambia and Tanzania. Goalkeeper Samuel Radlinger will join the Austria U21 side in a four-nation tournament in Ukraine. Ali Gökdemir has been nominated for Azerbaijan’s games against Qatar and Luxembourg.

The player with the most games to play is Japan’s Hiroki Sakai. After a friendly match against Bulgaria and two 2014 World Cup qualifiers, the Japanese squad will also be taking part in the Confederations Cup at the end of June in Brazil where they will face the likes of Italy and the hosts themselves. Steven Cherundolo, who was called into the USA’s squad for their fixtures, has withdrawn because of knee problems.