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Howard and Cameron back in U.S. squad

(Reuters) - English Premier League veterans Tim Howard and Geoff Cameron were named on Sunday as part of a 23-man U.S. squad for upcoming friendlies against Peru and Brazil. Everton goalkeeper Howard and Stoke City defender Cameron have not played for their national team this year. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s team will face Peru in Washington on Friday and Brazil in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sept. 8. The matches will be an important preparation for the Oct. 10 playoff against Mexico in Pasadena, California for a spot in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. Howard, 36, has not appeared for the U.S. since the 2014 World Cup, where he made 18 saves in a round of 16 game that the Americans lost to Belgium. Cameron, 30, has played every minute of Stoke's first four games of the Premier League season. He last played for the U.S. in November. "These games are not about developing things for the future," Klinsmann told the U.S. Soccer website after announcing a squad loaded with veterans. "This is about proving a point towards the Mexico game. "Bringing back Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones and Geoff Cameron kind of signals the fight and the competition now happening between the older established ones and the new wave of players," A newcomer to the U.S. team will be 25-year-old Andrew Wooten. The German-American has scored five times in five games for SV Sandhausen in the Bundesliga second-tier this season. U.S. roster: Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), William Yarbrough (Club Leon). Defenders (8): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Greg Garza (Atlas), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham). Midfielders (7): Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Joe Corona (Veracruz), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (FC Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur). Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Andrew Wooten (SV Sandhausen), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy). (Reporting by Tim Wharnsby in Toronto. Editing by Andrew Both)