Arena Names 21-Man Roster for Final 2002 Qualifier Against Trinidad and Tobago
CHICAGO (Wednesday, October 31, 2001) - United States Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena has named a 21-man squad that will train for the team’s final qualifier of the 2002 campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, November 11 at Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Matchday 10 of the Hexagonal will kickoff at 2 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ABC.
Oct. 31, 2001
CHICAGO (Wednesday, October 31, 2001) - United States Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena has named a 21-man squad that will train for the team’s final qualifier of the 2002 campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, November 11 at Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Matchday 10 of the Hexagonal will kickoff at 2 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ABC.
"With the task of qualifying completed, we look at this match as game one of our preparation for World Cup 2002," said Arena. We are pleased to have the opportunity to give some newer players a chance to get experience at this level; at the same time, we are heading to Trinidad with the idea of continuing to build upon our success and make ourselves a better team."
The squad features seven starters from the USA’s historic 2-1 win against Jamaica on Oct. 7, including Chevrolet Man of the Match Joe-Max Moore. Seven European-based players will join the camp in Ft. Lauderdale, led by U.S. captain Claudio Reyna. Two players on the roster have been in the first team for all of the USA’s final round qualifying matches: Jeff Agoos and Earnie Stewart, who is the all-time leading scorer for the United States in World Cup qualifying play with nine goals. Arena has called upon the services of goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who has recorded five shutouts in the 2002 qualifying tournament.
The U.S. will welcome the return to training of fellow Georgia natives Josh Wolff and Clint Mathis, both key members of the USA’s qualification campaign who have been sidelined for several months due to injury. Wolff has been sidelined since April, but has been involved in full training with the Chicago Fire for several weeks. Mathis, who tore the ACL in his right knee in the U.S. camp prior to the friendly against Ecuador on June 7, has recently returned to fitness training.
Arena has called on a total of 14 players from MLS squads with the Chicago Fire make the biggest contribution, sending five players. Joining Wolff will be strike partner Ante Razov, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra and goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Arena has called on the services of three players from the 2001 MLS Cup Champion San Jose Earthquakes, including: MLS Defender of the Year Jeff Agoos; forward Landon Donovan, who earned the crucial penalty in the USA’s 2-1 win against Jamaica; and Richard Mulrooney, making his first appearance in a U.S. camp since October 2000. Miami Fusion FC defender Carlos Llamosa returns to the squad after serving a one-match ban due to yellow card accumulation.
The United States hold a 5-3-1 record in final round qualifying play, and the second of three CONCACAF berths in World Cup 2002. The final berth will be determined when Mexico hosts Honduras at the Estadio Azteca on Nov.11, the Mexicans needing only a draw to advance to finals. Trinidad and Tobago sit in the bottom of the Hexagonal table, earning just one win and one draw after nine matches. The USA holds a 10-1-2 all-time record against the Soca Warriors, and is currently enjoying a four-match unbeaten run. In the previous meeting, forward Ante Razov scored the fastest goal in U.S. World Cup qualifying history just 74 seconds into the contest en route to a 2-0 victory on June 20, 2001 at Foxboro Stadium.
Trinidad and Tobago holds a special place in the USA’s World Cup qualifying history. On the final matchday of 1990 World Cup qualifying, the United States needed an away victory against T&T to secure a berth. Paul Caliguiri’s "shot heard around the world" goal on November 19, 1989 gave the USA a 1-0 win and marked its emergence onto the world soccer stage. Now 12 years later, the Soca Warriors improbable 1-0 victory away to Honduras on Matchday 9 has handed the United States its fourth consecutive place in the World Cup finals.
The Soca Warriors have called upon a 24-man pool to train for the match, recalling eight overseas-based players, four of whom are based in the United States. Technical Director Rene Simoes will look to West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop to anchor the defense, while posting former Columbus Crew forward Stern John at the helm of the attack. John has tallied three goals in final round qualifying play, including the game-winning goal against Honduras on October 7 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The match will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 2 p.m. ET, meaning that fans of the U.S. men will have seen 7 of 8 road qualifiers broadcast on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, with the eighth going to fans live on pay-per-view. In the past two years, 15 of 16 total U.S. qualifying matches will have been broadcast on the networks, the most in U.S. Soccer history.
|
United States Men's National Team Roster | |||||||
|
Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Birthdate |
Caps |
Hometown |
Club |
|
Agoos, Jeff |
D |
5'10" |
175 |
05/02/68 |
115/3 |
Dallas, Tex. |
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
|
Beasley, DaMarcus |
M |
5'7" |
126 |
05/24/82 |
2/0 |
Ft. Wayne, Ind. |
Chicago Fire (MLS) |
|
Bocanegra, Carlos |
D |
6'0" |
170 |
05/25/79 |
0/0 |
Alto Loma, Calif. |
Chicago Fire (MLS) |
|
Cherundolo, Steve |
D |
5'6" |
145 |
02/19/79 |
8/0 |
San Diego, Calif. |
Hannover 96 (Germany) |
|
Donovan, Landon |
F |
5'8" |
148 |
03/04/82 |
7/1 |
Redlands, Calif. |
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
|
Jones, Cobi |
M |
5'7" |
145 |
06/16/70 |
142/14 |
Westlake Village, Calif. |
Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
|
Keller, Kasey |
GK |
6'2" |
190 |
11/29/69 |
50/0 |
Lacey, Wash. |
Tottenham Hotspur (England) |
|
Kirovski, Jovan |
F |
6'1" |
175 |
03/18/76 |
51/7 |
Escondido, Calif. |
Crystal Palace (England) |
|
Llamosa, Carlos |
D |
5'11" |
166 |
06/30/69 |
24/0 |
Maspeth, N.Y. |
Miami Fusion FC (MLS) |
|
Mathis, Clint |
F |
5'10" |
170 |
11/25/76 |
11/3 |
Conyers, Ga. |
MetroStars (MLS) |
|
Moore, Joe-Max |
F |
5'9" |
150 |
02/23/71 |
91/24 |
Irvine, Calif. |
Everton (England) |
|
Mulrooney, Richard |
M |
5'9" |
160 |
11/3/76 |
0/0 |
Memphis, Tenn. |
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
|
O'Brien, John |
M |
5'9" |
150 |
08/29/77 |
10/1 |
Playa del Rey, Calif. |
Ajax (Holland) |
|
Pope, Eddie |
D |
6'1" |
180 |
12/24/73 |
43/4 |
High Point, N.C. |
D.C. United (MLS) |
|
Razov, Ante |
F |
6'1" |
175 |
03/02/74 |
18/5 |
Whittier, Calif. |
Chicago Fire (MLS) |
|
Reyna, Claudio |
M |
5'9" |
160 |
07/20/73 |
83/8 |
Springfield, N.J. |
Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) |
|
Rimando, Nick |
GK |
5'11" |
181 |
06/17/79 |
0/0 |
Montclair, Calif. |
Miami Fusion FC (MLS) |
|
Stewart, Earnie |
M/F |
5'9" |
145 |
03/28/69 |
73/15 |
Point Arena, Calif. |
NAC Breda (Holland) |
|
Thornton, Zach |
GK |
6'3" |
210 |
10/10/73 |
6/0 |
Edgewood, Md. |
Chicago Fire (MLS) |
|
Vanney, Greg |
D |
5'11" |
169 |
06/11/74 |
14/0 |
Tempe, Ariz. |
Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
|
Wolff, Josh |
F |
5'8" |
160 |
02/25/77 |
8/3 |
Stone Mountain, Ga. |
Chicago Fire (MLS) |
|
Team Staff | ||
|
Head Coach |
Bruce Arena |
Fairfax, Va. |
|
Assistant Coach |
Dave Sarachan |
Ashburn, Va. |
|
Assistant Coach |
Bob Bradley |
Palatine, Ill. |
|
Goalkeeper Coach |
Milutin Soskic |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
|
General Manager |
Pam Perkins |
Evanston, Ill. |
|
Trainers |
Jim Hashimoto |
Wilmington, Del. |
|
Bruce Snell |
Tacoma, Wash. | |
|
Equipment Manager |
Aaron Barrett |
Chicago |
|
Director of Security |
Gene Williams |
New York |
|
Press Officer |
Michael Kammarman |
Chicago |
