Charles Names 17-Player U.S. Under-23 Roster for April 7 Friendly Versus Brazil
CHICAGO (Wednesday, March 31, 1999) - U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team Head Coach Clive Charles today announced the 17-player roster that will compete in a friendly against Brazil on Wednesday, April 7 at Brasilia Stadium at 7:40 p.m. (ET). The team departs for Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday be
March 31, 1999
The Brazil friendly marks the first Under-23 call-up for U.S. Under-17 scoring sensation Landon Donovan, who has scored 15 goals in 15 games in 1999, including six goals in four international matches. Donovan is currently competing with the U-17s in the Dallas Cup, and will join the team this weekend.
"He's one of our brightest young prospects, so this opens the door for him to see what he can do at this level," said Charles, who also coaches the men's and women's collegiate soccer programs at the University of Portland. "He's someone that we have to keep on eye on for the Olympic team later on. The team heading to Brazil is a very young, experimental side, which gives us an opportunity to give them some experience.
"We're not calling the majority of MLS players in because they're getting serious playing time in MLS, and it's more important for the development of the individuals and the league that they stay with their clubs."
The squad does boast several professional players from the MLS ranks, including midfielder Carlos Parra (Miami Fusion), goalkeeper Matt Napoleon (Columbus Crew) and midfielder Ramiro Corrales (NY/NJ MetroStars).
The roster also includes three UCLA players -- midfielders Sasha Victorine, Peter Vanegas, and Steve Shak -- all of whom have been regulars on the team for the past year.
The U.S. Under-23 team is 4-1-4 on the year, with their most recent international result an impressive 2-0 win over Germany in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 8. On the their last trip abroad, the U-23s finished 1-0-2 against three professional clubs from Spain in late February.
Following the trip to Brazil, the next scheduled match for the Under-23s is against Canada on May 19 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 843/740-7787.
The United States will also host the final round of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, which has been tentatively set for April 2000. Locations for these matches, which has the top two teams from the region advance to compete in Sydney, Australia, have not been selected.
| U.S. Under-23 National Team Roster April 4 - 9, 1999 Wednesday, April 7 -- USA vs. Brazil Brasilia, Brazil | |||||||
| Num. | Pos. | Name | D.O.B. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | Last Club/School |
| 1 | GK | Brown, Adin | 05/27/78 | 6'4" | 200 | Pleasant Hill, CA | College of William & Mary |
| 18 | GK | Napoleon, Matt | 08/18/77 | 6'0" | 175 | Feasterville, PA | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| 12 | D | Corrales, Ramiro | 03/29/77 | 6'1" | 170 | Salinas, CA | NY/NJ Metrostars (MLS) |
| 13 | D | Sahaydak, Timothy | 06/01/77 | 6'0" | 175 | Bethlehem, PA | Miami Fusion (MLS) |
| 5 | D | Whitfield, Evan | 06/23/77 | 5'11" | 160 | Glendale, AZ | AAK Gent (Belgium) |
| 4 | D | Chulis, Matt | 08/29/77 | 5'10" | 155 | Central Islip, NY | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| 7 | M | Casey, Conor | 07/25/81 | 6'1" | 170 | New Rochelle, NY | H.B.C. / Porchester H.S. |
| 3 | M | Otero, Antonio | 05/20/77 | 5'11" | 165 | Tampa, FL | DC United (MLS) |
| 6 | M | Parra, Carlos | 02/03/77 | 6'1" | 175 | West Haven, CT | Miami Fusion (MLS) |
| 2 | M | Preis, Michael | 03/15/78 | 5'9" | 155 | Chatsworth, CA | Cal. State University Northridge |
| 17 | M | Shak, Steve | 02/08/78 | 6'1" | 175 | Cerritos, CA | UCLA |
| 8 | M | Vagenas, Peter | 02/06/78 | 5'8" | 160 | Pasadena, CA | UCLA |
| 14 | M | Victorine, Sasha | 02/02/78 | 6'2" | 170 | Carmichael, CA | UCLA |
| 11 | M | Winters, Brian | 12/31/77 | 5'10" | 172 | Tacoma, WA | University of Portland |
| 9 | F | Bower, Scott | 06/27/78 | 5'10" | 165 | Tampa, FL | San Jose Clash (MLS) |
| 10 | F | Brown, Chris | 03/10/77 | 5'11" | 165 | Portland, OR | Kansas City Wizards (MLS) |
| 15 | F | Donovan, Landon | 03/04/82 | 5'8" | 150 | Redlands, CA | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Team Staff | ||
| Head Coach | Clive Charles | Portland, OR |
| Assistant Coach | John Ellinger | Ellicott City, MD |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Peter Mellor | Palm Harbor, FL |
| National Team Coordinator | Craig Blazer | Chicago, IL |
| Doctor | Dr. William Queale | Baltimore, MD |
| Trainer | Bruce Snell | Tacoma, WA |
| Equipment Manager | Rob Stelzer | St. Louis, MO |
| Press Officer | Bryan Chenault | Chicago, IL |
