WFC Roster Changes For Real Madrid Bring In Youth, Drop Players Linked Out Of Madrid

Real Madrid "re"-announced their World Football Challenge roster today, and it has some noticeable changes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil, the headliners of the Madrid side, are all still set to play in Real's USA tour. Alongside them remain other notable players such as Karim Benzema, Sami Khedira, Nuri Sahin, Marcelo, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeola. This list of players makeup the majority of Madrid's 2010-2011 starting 11 and 7 game day substitutes.

Fabio Coentrao, who was not part of the original roster, is an interesting addition for Madrid.

The Portuguese international is one of the world's best left backs and recently made a $42.8 million move from Benfica to Madrid. He will most likely compete with Real's current starting left back, Marcelo, for a spot in the team's starting 11.

While the starting line up for July 23, when Real comes to the Linc to play the Philadelphia Union, looks like it will be full of Madrid's wealth of talent, the depth on the 23-man roster was weakened by the new exclusions.

Gone are Fernando Gago, Pedro Leon, Lassana Diarra, Sergio Canales, Hamit Altintop, Jose Callejon, Royston Drenthe, Ezequiel Garay and David Mateos.

Gago, who is linked out of Madrid, and Canales will not join Real on the trip due to international duty for Argentina and Spain respectively. Diarra reportedly has Tottenham Hotspurs, Inter and Jueventus after him, Altintop is set for back surgery, Drenthe is linked to a move to Portugal, Garay's agent says that the Spainard is set to beat Drenthe to Benfica and Mateos was loaned to La Liga side Zaragoza yesterday.