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International Friendly: United States v Azerbaijan

The German named his final 23-man party for the finals in Brazil on Thursday, with three-time World Cup forward Landon Donavan controversially left out. 

Klinsmann revealed that had been a difficult decision, but ahead of Tuesday's fixture with Azerbaijan at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the head coach believes finalising the squad so early will aid his team's preparations.

"It is an exciting moment when you have narrowed it down as coaching staff and you believe that these 23 players can focus purely on Brazil," he said.

"We can go into more specific things, tactical approaches about the opponents and for the players it is important to know that you are part of it, and you can kind of relax, and that they are on the list and are going to Brazil and take it from there.

"What we are trying to do now with our 23 is to prepare in every training session and game that we have for the first game against Ghana (on June 16), because this is a huge game for us.

"That gives us a bit more quality in everything we do, and also gives the players a very clear picture of what is going on."

Vogts has now been in charge of Azerbaijan for six years, and has struggled manfully as the nation continue to battle against Europe's footballing powerhouses.

Vogts' inside knowledge of their hosts may aid Azerbaijan on Tuesday, but anything other than a United States victory would come as a huge shock as Klinsmann looks to steer his side on the path to World Cup success.