Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called up Manuel Friedrich for the World Cup warm-up against the United States next week.
The 26-year-old defender, from Bundesliga strugglers Mainz, earns his first international call-up in the 23-man squad selected on Tuesday for the game on March 22 in Dortmund.
Klinsmannn’s position has come under scrutiny since the 4-1 defeat to Italy earlier this month and anotehr porro performance against the US will lead to calls for him to resign befoe the finals.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart).
Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Robert Huth (Chelsea), Marcell Jansen (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Hanover 96), Patrick Owomoyela (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund), Manuel Friedrich (FSV Mainz).
Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund), Michael Ballack, Sebastian Deisler, Bastian Schweinsteiger (all Bayern Munich), Tim Borowski, Torsten Frings (both Werder Bremen), Fabian Ernst (Schalke 04), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen).
Forwards: Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04), Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne).
Subscribe to World Soccer – The essential football magazine.