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Cory Gibbs speaks with reporters after training.
© U.S. Soccer / U.S. Soccer
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U.S. Men's National Team
Training Camp Update
Cary, N.C.
May 17, 2006
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PRACTICE: On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Men’s National Team conducted their sixth practice at SAS Soccer Park since arriving in Cary, N.C., last week. After a quick warm-up, they played a game of possession and a full-field 11v10 match before finishing up once again with some fitness work with Strength and Conditioning Coach Pierre Barrieu. Check out the action in ussoccer.com’s photo galleries.
BATTERY CHECK-UP: The U.S. players will get a chance to see where they are after their first week of World Cup preparations and, more importantly, play against someone other than each other when they take on the Charleston Battery this Thursday in a closed scrimmage. ussoccer.com will provide highlights on the match on Thursday.
(MASS) MEDIA CONTINUES: The media pack arrived on Monday, with around 40 media outlets converging on the small town of Cary. While the regular U.S. media outlets from all over the country are in attendance, so are a few new faces from the international ranks. On Monday, three Italian reporters took in practice and talked to Manager Bruce Arena and players during the media availability at the hotel, while Tuesday saw a couple of Czech Republic reporters did the same.
MEDIA ROOM EAVESDROP: With the throngs of media members talking to the U.S. Men, we thought we’d let you eavesdrop on the players’ responses to the barrage of questions thrown at them. In this edition, hear what reporters are asking Arena (listen), goalkeeper Tim Howard (listen) and forward Brian McBride (listen).
SHORT ANSWERS: No truth to the rumor, but it almost seemed as though the U.S. players who talked with the media on Tuesday afternoon started to reply to questions with shorter and shorter answers as 2:30 p.m. ET began to creep up. The players were definitely interested in the Champions League final between Barcelona and Arsenal. Even if it were true, we’re guessing media members didn’t mind as they were also looking forward to catching the match and took over the hotel bar. The majority must have been Barcelona fans, as when Eto’o scored the equalizer, hotel guests were greeted to a loud cheer.
ESPN/ABC ANNOUNCE FIFA WORLD CUP BROADCAST TEAMS: ESPN/ABC Sports have announced their broadcasters for the network’s 64-game coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup beginning June 9 in Germany. Below is a list of broadcast pairings and their broadcast locations during the World Cup:
BROADCAST TEAMS
Play-by-play, Analyst - Location
Dave O’Brien, Marcelo Balboa - Germany
JP Dellacamera, John Harkes - Germany
Rob Stone, Robin Fraser - Germany
Glenn Davis, Shep Messing - ESPN HQ
Adrian Healey, Tommy Smyth - ESPN HQ
In addition to the five teams above, Eric Wynalda, Alexi Lalas and Julie Foudy will serve as studio analysts from the United States.
TAKE A BUS RIDE: When you attend a Men’s National Team game, we’re guessing you drive your car, or maybe you take public transportation. Bor-ing! One soccer family came up with a better way to get to MNT games across the country – the “World Cup Express.” The converted school bus was the brainchild of brothers Joe and Bill Gannon. They spent six months gutting the beast, painting it red, white and blue and creating a comfortable ride that piles in fans for a road trip anywhere in the United States. Check out the latest all_access video as we take you on a tour of the “WCX.”
HITTING THE LINKS: After going through a taxing workout in the morning, the U.S. players have been taking is slow during most of the afternoons, but a handful have taking in a couple rounds of golf. With the combination of the beautiful weather this week and the fantastic courses here in Cary, it would be almost criminal not to take a few swings on the course.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THREE-GAME SEND-OFF SERIES: Tickets are available for all three matches of the Send-Off Series, the final international matches for the U.S. Men before departing for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany on June 1. The series opens vs. Morocco on May 23 at The Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn., at 6 p.m. CT in a match presented by Budweiser (tickets). On Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. ET, Sierra Mist presents U.S. vs. Venezuela at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio (tickets). The final send-off match will be presented by Hyundai on May 28 at 7 p.m. ET at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., vs. Latvia (tickets). All three matches will be televised live on ESPN2, and taped delay on Telemundo.
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