USA Coach Bruce Arena has named a 20-man squad to face Poland in an international friendly World Cup warm-up on March 1. The match will be played at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

This is the first real opportunity for Arena to test out his European based players prior to the World Cup Finals, and Arena will use it to test out the team that he will be using at the Finals in June.

“With only one international fixture date prior to the World Cup, this is an important opportunity for our players based in Europe to demonstrate their form and fitness,” said Arena. “The match is extremely valuable as we continue to evaluate players with an eye towards finalizing our 23-man roster for Germany.”

The squad list boasts a wealth of experience, led by Fulham FC striker Brian McBride. With 90 caps to his credit, the USA’s second all-time leading scorer with 29 goals is just five short of the national team record.

The USA’s veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plays for Germany’s Borussia Mönchengladbach has also been called on. Keller has a spectacular record for his national team, with an amazing 44 clean-sheets in his 89 career matches.

PSV Eindhoven midfielder DaMarcus Beasley has had a great year for both club and country in 2005, with four goals and four assists for the national team and also becoming the first American ever to play in the semi-finals of the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

Reading FC’s Bobby Convey has also been called-up, having had an excellent season so far for the ‘Royals’, who are currently runaway leaders of the English Championship.

The U.S. defence looks to have a largely European flavour as well, with 2002 World Cup veterans Gregg Berhalter and Steve Cherundolo, who both play their team football in Germany being called upon, along with Fulham FC’s Carlos Bocanegra, and Oguchi Onyewu from Belgian side Standard de Liege.

Two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Landon Donovan heads the domestic-based contingent along with Taylor Twellman, who has been on top-form lately, having scored four goals and with two assists in his last two matches for the U.S. and recording the USA’s ninth-ever hat trick in the 5-0 victory over a depleted Norway.

Kansas City Wizards striker Josh Wolff is the only player in the squad to start all four of the USA’s friendly matches in 2006, while team-mate Kerry Zavagnin has appeared in every match as either a starter or a reserve.

After drawing with 0-0 Canada on January 22 in San Diego, the U.S. has produced three straight comprehensive wins against Norway, fellow CONCACAF neighbours Guatemala, and fellow World Cup qualifiers Japan, including two clean-sheets.

Poland and the United States have had a total 14 matches against each other, only having met once before on neutral soil, a 3-1 victory for Poland in the teams’ final Group D match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Daejeon, Korea Republic.

The USA have drawn into Group E for the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana.

The U.S. plays their opening match against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen before meeting Italy and then finishing off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The U.S. has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg as their base of operations throughout the tournament.

USA squad to face Poland (team to be chosen from):

Goalkeepers – Tim Howard (Manchester United), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Defenders – Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Jonathan Spector (Charlton Athletic)

Midfielders – DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)

Strikers – Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Brian McBride (Fulham FC), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)

United States coach Bruce Arena has been able to call upon his contingent of European-based players for the friendly international against Poland in Germany on March 1.

"With only one international fixture date prior to the World Cup this is an important opportunity for our players based in Europe to demonstrate their form and fitness," Arena said on Wednesday.

"The match is extremely valuable as we continue to evaluate players with an eye towards finalising our 23-man roster for Germany."

Eleven of the 20-man squad play in Europe although captain Claudio Reyna of Manchester City is missing after having ankle surgery in January.

The Americans have already beaten Guatemala, Norway and Japan and this year and also drew with Canada.

The Poland match in Kaiserslautern is one of three the U.S. will play before Arena is expected to announce his World Cup squad at the end of April. The Americans face Germany on March 22 in Dortmund and Jamaica in Cary, North Carolina on April 11.

In May, the U.S. will play three friendlies before departing for Germany on June 1. The squad will be based in Hamburg and open their World Cup campaign on June 12 against the Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen. The USA have been drawn in Group G against Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana.