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Soto Calls 10 Players for Riviera Maya Cup
U.S. Beach Soccer National Team Heads to Four-Team Beach Soccer Worldwide Tournament in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
CHICAGO (May 9, 2014) – U.S. Beach Soccer National team head coach Eddie Soto has named a 10-player squad for the Beach Soccer Worldwide Tour Riviera Maya Cup that takes place from May 16-19 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
As reigning champions of CONCACAF, the U.S. will face stiff competition at the tournament as it takes on perennial beach power Brazil on May 16 before tackling regional rival Mexico the following day and finishing the event against rising European outfit Germany on May 18. All games will be played at Mamita’s Beach Club in Playa del Carmen.
“This event gives us an opportunity to evaluate new players against a very high level of competition,” said Soto. “Since we don't get the chance to play very often, we need to throw these guys into the fire and see who can and can't do it.”
Eight of the 10 players that make up the U.S. squad were part of the team that competed at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti last September; only Tino Nunez – previously part of the Beach National Team player pool in 2012 – and Mikel Palmerin were not members of the World Cup roster. The 2013 Beach Soccer World Cup, in which the U.S. went 1-0-2 in Group A that contained world runner up Spain and fourth-place finisher Tahiti, was the last beach soccer event the U.S. attended before the Maya Cup.
The U.S. team will train in Seal Beach, California, from May 10-14 before traveling to Mexico for the tournament.
Beach Soccer Worldwide Riviera Maya Cup Schedule:
Date Opponent Time (Local / ET)
May 16 vs. Brazil 12 p.m. ET
May 17 vs. Mexico 1:15 p.m. ET
May 18 vs. Germany 12 p.m. ET
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Michael McAndrews (BS Team Zurich; Long Beach, Calif.), Chris Toth (San Diego Sockers; Fallbrook, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (3): Francis Farberoff (Florida Beach Soccer; Hollywood, Fla.), Mikel Palmerin (San Diego Sockers; Fallbrook, Calif.), Lewie Valentine (US Sand Soccer; Oceanside, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5): Tomas Canale (UC San Diego; Venice Beach, Calif.), Andrew Feld (University of San Diego; Carlsbad, Calif.), Jason Leopoldo (UCLA; Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Tino Nunez (Ontario Fury; Long Beach, Calif.), Nick Perera (San Diego Sockers; San Diego, Calif.)
