Bradley Announces 23-Man FIFA Confederations Cup Roster
U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 23-man roster that will compete in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup from June 14-28 in South Africa.
June 7, 2009
The U.S. kicks off action against defending World Cup champion Italy on June 15 at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane/Pretoria (ESPN, 2:25 p.m. ET), and then faces Brazil on June 18 in the same venue (ESPN2, 9:55 a.m. ET). The United States finishes group play on June 21 against Egypt at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg (ESPN2 2:25 p.m. ET). All 16 matches of the tournament will be available in high definition on the ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. Fans can also follow all the USA’s matches live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
The U.S. team will depart June 8 for South Africa, setting up camp in Tshwane/Pretoria the following day. The FIFA Confederations Cup is made up of the six champions of each regional confederation, the defending World Cup champions, and the host nation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“The FIFA Confederations Cup is a great opportunity to play against top level competition and gain further experience competing in tough games,” said Bradley, who holds a 25-9-4 record since being named head coach in 2007. “Equally important is the chance for our team to experience the environment in South Africa, everything from travel to food to weather. We believe the experience will be invaluable if we qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”
Of the 23-man roster, 17 players are plying their trade in Europe, playing in nine different countries. Twenty-two players have at least one cap in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying cycle, where the U.S. currently sits in second place in the final round hexagonal with a 3-1-1 record. DaMarcus Beasley, part of the Rangers side that won the Scottish ‘Double’ as both SPL and Scottish FA Cup champions, leads the group in appearances with 11 caps in 12 total qualifiers. With five goals, Jozy Altidore is the USA’s leading scorer in World Cup qualifying, riding a three-goal performance against Trinidad & Tobago in April. Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley have four apiece. In total, the U.S. has had 14 different goalscorers through the qualifying campaign.
Five players on the U.S. roster earned starts during the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France. Beasley scored the lone goal in the 2-1 loss to Turkey to open group play. Tim Howard started all three matches, while Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra and Danny Califf all made appearances.
Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 110 international appearances. The USA’s all-time leader in goals (39) and assists (36) notched two goals in World Cup qualifying this past week, setting the mark for most career goals in qualifying history for the team (11).
The defense is backstopped in goal by Howard, the 2008 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year. Howard, who recently signed a five-year contract with Everton, led the Toffees to a fifth-place finish in the English Premier League and a spot in the FA Cup final against Chelsea. Bocanegra – the U.S. captain who scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago – has been an anchor in central defense alongside Oguchi Onyewu, who helped marshal Standard de Liege to their second-consecutive Belgian league title. In 2008, the U.S. defense allowed the fewest average goals per game in team history, surrendering a paltry goals against average per game (0.57). The team is without the services of Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk, both wing backs sidelined through injury.
The midfield group boasts experience and youth. Along with Beasley and Dempsey, who just surpassed 50 caps, Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley has been an essential element in the center of the park. Having helped ‘Gladbach stave off relegation from the Bundesliga, he has played in three major international tournaments in the last three years, including the 2007 U-20 World Cup and the 2008 Olympic Games. Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan is one of six domestic-based players on the roster. Earlier this year, he became the second player in U.S. history to score all of his first three goals for the full team in the same game when the U.S. earned a 3-2 win against Sweden on Jan. 24 in Carson, Calif. Pachuca (Mexico) midfielder José Francisco Torres is the only player on the roster who plays professionally outside of either Europe of the United States.
The U.S. is playing in its fourth FIFA Confederations Cup tournament, having appeared most recently in the 2003 event in a group with Brazil, Turkey and Cameroon. The team reached the semifinals of the 1999 tournament, beating Germany and New Zealand in group play before losing to hosts Mexico in the semifinals. The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup matches will represent the USA’s second time playing on South African soil, the team having defeated South Africa 1-0 on Nov. 11, 2007, in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The U.S. qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup by winning their second consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup. In front of 60,000 fans, the U.S. erased a 1-0 deficit and defeated regional rivals Mexico 2-1 in the final on June 24, 2007 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The U.S. is in the midst of a grueling summer schedule. Following two World Cup qualifiers on June 3 and June 6 and their participation in the FIFA Confederations Cup, the U.S. returns to home soil to defend the Gold Cup title from July 3-26 in 13 venues across the United States. Now halfway through the final round of qualifying and sitting in second place with 10 points, the U.S. next travels to face Mexico on Aug. 12 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
U.S. Men's National Team Roster
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
June 14-28, 2009 - South Africa
| No. | Player Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown | Club | Caps/G |
| 1 | Howard, Tim | GK | 6-3 | 210 | 03/06/1979 | North Brunswick, N.J. | Everton FC (England) | 39/0 |
| 2 | Bornstein, Jonathan | D | 5-9 | 145 | 11/07/1984 | Los Alamitos, Calif. | Chivas USA | 15/1 |
| 3 | Bocanegra, Carlos | D | 6-0 | 170 | 05/25/1979 | Alta Loma, Calif. | Stade Rennais (France) | 67/11 |
| 4 | Casey, Conor | F | 6-1 | 170 | 07/25/1981 | Denver, Colo. | Colorado Rapids (MLS) | 10/0 |
| 5 | Onyewu, Oguchi | D | 6-4 | 210 | 05/13/1982 | Olney, Md. | Standard de Liege (Belgium) |
42/5 |
| 6 | Pearce, Heath | D | 5-10 | 175 | 08/13/1984 | Modesto, Calif. | Hansa Rostock (Germany) |
23/0 |
| 7 | Beasley, DaMarcus | M | 5-8 | 145 | 05/24/1982 | Ft. Wayne, Ind. | Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) |
87/17 |
| 8 | Dempsey, Clint | F | 6-1 | 170 | 03/09/1983 | Nacogdoches, Texas | Fulham FC (England) | 51/13 |
| 9 | Davies, Charlie | F | 5-10 | 160 | 06/25/1986 | Manchester, N.H. | Hammarby IF (Sweden) | 6/1 |
| 10 | Donovan, Landon | F | 5-8 | 150 | 03/04/1982 | Redlands, Calif. | Los Angeles Galaxy | 110/39 |
| 11 | Wynne, Marvell | D | 5-9 | 170 | 05/08/1986 | Poway, Calif. | Toronto FC | 3/0 |
| 12 | Bradley, Michael | M | 6-2 | 175 | 07/31/1987 | Manhattan Beach, Calif. | Borussia M'gladbach (Germany) | 29/5 |
| 13 | Clark, Ricardo | M | 5-10 | 150 | 05/10/1983 | Jonesboro, Ga. | Houston Dynamo (MLS) | 19/1 |
| 14 | Califf, Danny | D | 6-1 | 175 | 03/17/1980 | Orange, Calif | FC Midtjylland (Denmark) | 23/1 |
| 15 | DeMerit, Jay | D | 6-0 | 185 | 12/04/1979 | Green Bay, Wis. | Watford FC (England) | 10/0 |
| 16 | Kljestan, Sacha | M | 6-1 | 150 | 09/09/1985 | Huntington Beach, Calif. | Chivas USA | 17/3 |
| 17 | Altidore, Jozy | F | 6-1 | 175 | 11/06/1989 | Boca Raton, Fla. | Xerez C.D. (Spain) | 11/6 |
| 18 | Guzan, Brad | GK | 6-4 | 210 | 09/09/1984 | Homer Glen, Ill. | Aston Villa FC (England) | 12/0 |
| 19 | Adu, Freddy | M | 5-8 | 140 | 06/02/1989 | Potomac, Md. | AS Monaco (France) | 13/1 |
| 20 | Torres, José Francisco | M | 5-7 | 135 | 10/29/1987 | Longview, Texas | C.D. Pachuca (Mexico) | 5/0 |
| 21 | Spector, Jonathan | D | 6-0 | 180 | 03/01/1986 | Arlington Heights, Ill. | West Ham United (England) | 13/0 |
| 22 | Feilhaber, Benny | M | 5-9 | 150 | 01/19/1985 | Irvine, Calif. | AGF Aarhus (Denmark) | 17/2 |
| 23 | Robles, Luis | GK | 6-1 | 180 | 05/11/1984 | Fort Huachuca, Ariz. | FC Kaiserslautern (Germany) |
0/0 |
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (Midtjylland ), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Xerez), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM STAFF
Head Coach: Bob Bradley (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Mike Sorber (St. Louis)
Assistant Coach: John Hackworth (Bradenton, Fla.)
Goalkeeper Coach: Zak Abdel (Laverne, Calif.)
Fitness Coach: Pierre Barrieu (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
General Manager: Pam Perkins (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Trainers: Ivan Pierra (Los Angeles), Jim Bollinger (Philadelphia)
Doctor: Michael Gerhardt (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Chiropractor: George Billauer (Los Angeles)
Equipment Manager: Tim Cook (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)
Video/Content Coordinator: Mark Liskevych (Chicago)
Videographer: Alejandro Becker (Hollywood, Calif.)
Press Officer: Michael Kammarman (Chicago)
U.S. Men’s National Team 2009 Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time / Result | TV / U.S. Goal Scorer(s) | Venue; City |
| Jan. 24 | Sweden | 3-2 W | Kljestan (3) | The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif. |
| Feb. 11 | Mexico* | 2-0 W | Bradley (2) | Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio |
| March 28 | El Salvador* | 2-2 T | Altidore, Hejduk | Estadio Cuscatlán; San Salvador, El Salvador |
| April 1 | Trinidad & Tobago* | 3-0 W | Altidore (3) | LP Field; Nashville, Tenn. |
| June 3 | Costa Rica* | 1-3 L | Donovan | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa; San Jose, Costa Rica |
| June 6 | Honduras* | 2-1 W | Donovan, Bocanegra | Soldier Field; Chicago, Ill. |
| June 15 | Italy # | 8:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Loftus Versfeld; Tshwane/Pretoria |
| June 18 | Brazil # | 4 p.m. / 10 a.m. ET | ESPN2 | Loftus Versfeld; Tshwane/Pretoria |
| June 21 | Egypt # | 8:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace; Rustenburg |
| July 4 | Grenada ^ | 6 p.m. PT | TBD | Qwest Field; Seattle, Wash. |
| July 8 | Honduras ^ | 9 p.m. ET | TBD | RFK Stadium; Washingon, D.C. |
| July 11 | Haiti ^ | 7 p.m. ET | TBD | Gillette Stadium; Foxborough, Mass. |
| Aug. 12 | Mexico* | TBD | TBD | Away (Venue TBD) |
| Sept. 5 | El Salvador* | 5:30 p.m. MT | ESPN Classic/Galavision | Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah |
| Sept. 9 | Trinidad & Tobago* | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN Classic/Galavision | Away (Venue TBD) |
| Oct. 10 | Honduras* | TBD | TBD | Away (Venue TBD) |
| Oct. 14 | Costa Rica* | TBD | ESPN2/Galavision | RFK Stadium; Washington, D.C. |
* FIFA World Cup Qualifier
# FIFA Confederations Cup
^ CONCACAF Gold Cup
