Real Salt Lake: Beckerman, Findley dropped from U.S. team

CHICAGO — Defender Jimmy Conard and forward Kenny Cooper were picked for a largely unchanged U.S. roster for World Cup qualifiers at Honduras on Oct. 10 and against Costa Rica four days later at Washington, D.C.

Defenders Jay DeMerit (eye infection) and Chad Marshall (sprained left knee ligament) were dropped along with midfielder Kyle Beckerman and forward Robbie Findley (coach's decision).

Oguchi Onyewu heads the defense after making his competitive debut for AC Milan as a 60th-minute substitute in Wednesday's 1-0 European Champions League loss to Zurich. He is joined by captain Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo and Jonathan Spector.

Michael Bradley figures to be in the midfield along with Clint Dempsey. Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies and Brian Ching are among the forwards.

Seeking its sixth straight World Cup berth, the United States (5-2-1) leads CONCACAF with 16 points. Mexico (5-3) is second with 15, followed by Honduras (4-3-1) with 13 and Costa Rica (4-4) with 12.