Drogba gets third chance to lead Ivory Coast

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, May 13, 2014

[WORLD CUP 2014] All players but for two backup goalkeepers on Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi's 28-man roster are European-based, including Didier Drogba, the 36-year-old all-time Ivory Coast leading scorer.

Drogba, like 31-year-old Yaya Toure, starred on promising Ivory Coast teams that fell short of reaching the second round in the nation’s first two World Cup appearances, in 2006 and 2010. Also included is Toure’s brother, a Kolo, a Liverpool defender.

Lamouchi included three players who must recover fully from injuries to make the final squad of 23: midfielders Souleman Bamba and Mathis Bolly, and striker Lacina Traore. A notable omission is veteran defender Emmanuel Eboue, Drogba's Galatasaray teammate.

Ivory Coast starts training camp May 24 in Dallas ahead of friendlies games against Bosnia & Herzegovina May 30 in St. Louis and El Salvador June 4 in Frisco Texas.

Ivory Coast (28)
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe San Pedro), Sayouba Mande (Stabaek/NOR), Badra Ali Sangare (ASEC Mimosas).
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Toulouse/FRA), Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes/FRA), Brice Dja Djedje (Marseille/FRA), Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse/FRA), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor/TUR), Kolo Toure (Liverpool/ENG), Souleman Bamba (Trabzonspor/TUR), Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Constant Djakpa (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Ousmane Viera (Rizespor/TUR).
Midfielders: Cheik Tiote (Newcastle/ENG), Serey Die (FC Basel/SUI), Ismael Diomande (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover/GER), Yaya Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Mathis Bolly (Fortuna Dusseldorf/GER).
Forwards: Didier Drogba (Galatasaray/TUR), Wilfried Bony (Swansea/ENG), Gervinho (Roma/ITA), Salomon Kalou (Lille/FRA), Lacina Traore (Everton/ENG), Giovanni Sio (FC Basel/SUI), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow/RUS).