Training Camp Opens as U.S. Men Prepare for Rose Bowl Showdown with Iran
CLAREMONT, Calif. (Thursday, January 6, 2000) - Thirty-one players took part in the first training camp of 2000 for the U.S. Men's National Team in Claremont, California, today as Bruce Arena's squad prepares for its first match of the year, January 16 against Iran at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Califor
Jan. 6, 2000
From the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains at Pomona-Pitzer College, the squad underwent the first of nine consecutive days of training before relocating to Pasadena on Friday, January 14 for final preparations for the match.
A mix of veterans and youth make up the squad, with established stars such as Tony Meola (90 caps), John Harkes (89), Marcelo Balboa (127), and Eric Wynalda (102), training alongside 12 players with five or fewer caps to their credit.
The training camp roster features seven European-based players, including midfielder Claudio Reyna (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), goalkeeper Brad Friedel (Liverpool, England), John O'Brien (Ajax, Holland) and four players who play professionally in Germany: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Frankie Hejduk (Bayer Leverkusen), Jovan Kirovski (Borussia Dortmund), and Tony Sanneh (Hertha Berlin).
The remainder of the roster consists entirely of players from Major League Soccer, where 11 of the 12 teams are represented. Three-time MLS champion D.C. United contributes six players to the squad (Jeff Agoos, Richie Williams, Carlos Llamosa, Ben Olsen, Carey Talley and Tom Presthus), while the hometown Los Angeles Galaxy put four on the roster (Cobi Jones, Clint Mathis, Kevin Hartman, and Greg Vanney).
Two defenders originally scheduled to participate in the training camp will not travel to California. David Regis (FC Metz, France) will remain with his club team, and Gregg Berhalter (Cambuur, Holland) was sidelined by a broken bone in his foot.
Highlighting the training camp will be a closed scrimmage against the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team, who are currently training at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Following the match versus Iran, which will be seen live on ESPN at 2:00 p.m. (PT), the U.S. Men will travel to Chile for the first time on January 25 for a match on January 29 in Coquimbo. The team's January schedule is being used as preparation for the 2000 Gold Cup, being staged in Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles from February 12-27.
| U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM Training Camp Roster * January 5-16 * Claremont, Calif. | |||||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Caps/G | Hometown | Club |
| Agoos, Jeff | D | 5'10" | 175 | 5/2/68 | 96/3 | Dallas, Texas | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Armas, Chris | M | 5'7" | 150 | 8/27/72 | 8/0 | Brentwod, N.Y. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Balboa, Marcelo | D | 6'1" | 175 | 8/8/67 | 127/13 | Cerritos, Calif. | Colorado Rapids (MLS) |
| Brown, C.J. | D | 6'0" | 185 | 6/15/75 | 9/0 | Hayward, Calif. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Cherundolo, Steve | D | 5'6" | 145 | 2/19/79 | 1/0 | San Diego, Calif. | Hannover 96 (Germany) |
| Deering, Chad | D/M | 6'1" | 165 | 9/2/70 | 13/1 | Plano, Texas | Dallas Burn (MLS) |
| Friedel, Brad | GK | 6'4" | 202 | 5/18/71 | 60/0 | Bay Village, Oh. | Liverpool (England) |
| Gutierrez, Henry | M | 5'7" | 150 | 8/28/68 | 1/0 | Miami, Fla. | Miami Fusion (MLS) |
| Harkes, John | M | 5'11" | 165 | 3/8/67 | 89/6 | Kearny, N.J. | New England Revolution (MLS) |
| Hartman, Kevin | GK | 6'1" | 174 | 5/24/74 | 1/0 | Palos Verdes, Calif. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| Hejduk, Frankie | M | 5'8" | 155 | 8/5/74 | 23/4 | Cardiff, Calif. | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Jones, Cobi | M | 5'7" | 145 | 6/16/70 | 119/8 | Westlake Village, Calif. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| Kirovski, Jovan | F | 6'1" | 175 | 3/18/76 | 36/6 | Escondido, Calif. | Borussia Dortmund (Germany) |
| Kreis, Jason | F | 5'10" | 155 | 12/29/72 | 9/1 | Omaha, Neb. | Dallas Burn (MLS) |
| Lassiter, Roy | F | 5'10" | 160 | 3/9/69 | 29/4 | Raleigh, N.C. | Miami Fusion (MLS) |
| Lewis, Eddie | M | 5'10" | 155 | 5/17/74 | 14/1 | Cerritos, Calif. | San Jose Clash (MLS) |
| Llamosa, Carlos | D | 5'11" | 166 | 6/30/69 | 5/0 | Maspeth, N.Y. | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Mathis, Clint | M | 5'10" | 170 | 11/25/76 | 3/0 | Conyers, Ga. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| McBride, Brian | F | 6'1" | 170 | 6/19/72 | 35/9 | Arlington Heights, Ill. | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| Meola, Tony | GK | 6'1" | 205 | 2/21/69 | 90/0 | Kearny, N.J. | Kansas City Wizards (MLS) |
| O'Brien, John | M | 5'9" | 150 | 8/29/77 | 1/0 | Playa del Rey, Calif. | Ajax (Holland) |
| Olsen, Ben | M/F | 5'8" | 140 | 5/3/77 | 8/2 | Middletown, Penn. | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Presthus, Tom | GK | 6'4" | 205 | 4/5/75 | 1/0 | Dallas, Texas | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Ralston, Steve | M | 5'9" | 150 | 6/14/74 | 5/0 | St. Louis, Mo. | Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) |
| Razov, Ante | F | 6'1" | 175 | 3/2/74 | 4/0 | Whittier, Calif. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Reyna, Claudio | M | 5'9" | 160 | 7/20/73 | 66/7 | Springfield, N.J. | Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) |
| Sanneh, Tony | M | 6'2" | 190 | 6/1/71 | 5/1 | St. Paul, Minn. | Hertha Berlin (Germany) |
| Talley, Carey | D | 6'2" | 180 | 8/8/76 | 0/0 | Cordova, Tenn. | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Thornton, Zach | GK | 6'3" | 210 | 10/10/73 | 6/0 | Edgewood, Md. | Chicago Fire (MLS) |
| Vanney, Greg | D | 5'11" | 169 | 6/11/74 | 4/0 | Tempe, Ariz. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| Williams, Richie | M | 5'5" | 145 | 6/3/70 | 8/0 | Middletown, N.J. | D.C. United (MLS) |
| Wynalda, Eric | F | 6'1" | 172 | 6/9/69 | 102/33 | Westlake Village, Calif. | Miami Fusion (MLS) |
| TEAM STAFF | ||
| General Manager | Pam Perkins | Evanston, Ill. |
| Head Coach | Bruce Arena | Fairfax, Va. |
| Team Administrator | Maria Hernandez | Chicago |
| Equipment Manager | Charles Raycroft | |
| Press Officer | Rich Schneider | Chicago |
