April 18, 2004
CHICAGO, Ill. -
Santa Clara University rising sophomore Erik Ustruck has been named to the United State Under-20 Men's National Team that will play the Haiti U-20 Men's National Team at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The match will be part of the U-20's third domestic training camp of the year, which will take place from April 18-24.
During the eight-day camp, the U.S. will also face CONCACAF rival Jamaica in two closed door exhibitions in Sunrise, Fla., on Tuesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 22. The times of both matches are yet to be determined.
"Getting the chance to play Haiti and Jamaica during the week will really give us an opportunity to look at a number of players as we continue to identify the best available athletes for the qualifying tournament next year," said U.S. Under-20 head coach Thomas Rongen. "We are especially looking forward to the match against Haiti, which I'm certain will be a good test for the team and a great atmosphere at Lockhart Stadium."
Rongen has named a 23-player roster as he continues to sort through the U.S. U-20 player pool in preparation for the CONCACAF U-20 World Youth Championship qualifying tournament in January 2005.
Leading the way for the U.S. are two young, promising Major League Soccer professionals in 14-year-old Freddy Adu (D.C. United) and 17-year-old Eddie Gaven (MetroStars). During both of United's first two games, Adu has come off the bench and shown glimpses of his potential with a soft touch on the ball, pin-point passing and the ability to create chances around the goal. Adu is also the only returning player from the 2003 U-20 World Youth Championship team that took fifth place this past December in the United Arab Emirates.
With his tireless work rate and knack for always being around the ball, Gaven has won a starting midfielder position for the MetroStars after less than a year with the team and played the full 90 minutes in their 3-1 victory in their season opener against the Columbus Crew. The two former Under-17 teammates will face off against each other in a match of unbeatens as United will travel to the Meadowlands this Saturday, April 17.
Three other MLS players - Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Bradley (MetroStars) and Craig Capano (Chicago Fire) - will also partake in the camp. Alvarez and Capano were both considered for the final 20-player roster for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, but each suffered injuries in the final weeks leading up to the tournament.
Rounding out the rest of the roster is a collection of top college and high school players, many of which are current or past members of U.S. Soccer's U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. Four current U-17 Residency players - goalkeeper Steve Sandbo, defenders Nathan Sturgis and Tim Ward, and midfielder Danny Szetela - will make the cross-state trip to participate in the camp. Along with Adu and Bradley, recent Residency graduates Adrian Chevannes (Clemson), Brandon Owens (UCLA) and 2003 ACC Rookie of the Year Jamie Watson (UNC) will join them in South Florida.
The U.S. and Haiti last met in their first match of Group B at 2002 CONCACAF World Youth Championship Qualifying Tournament in Charleston, S.C., with the U.S. coming away with a 2-0 victory behind goals from Ed Johnson and Santino Quaranta.
Rongen led one of the most remarkable runs by any U.S. team in a FIFA World Championship at any age level as the Under-20s won their group and finished with a fifth-place showing in UAE, the second best performance ever at the WYC. Along with winning their group for the first time ever, the U.S. set numerous team accomplishments during their course through the World Youth Championship, including advancing to the quarterfinals of a WYC for just the second time and first time since the tournament increased to 24 teams in 1997, winning the most matches by any U.S. team in any FIFA Men's World Championship (three), and tying the record for the most goals scored in any FIFA Men's World Championship (nine).
The U.S. Under-20 coaches and players will be available to the media prior to the Haiti match at the Sunrise Hilton in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. All media requests must be pre-arranged by contacting Neil Buethe in the U.S. Soccer Communications Department at 312-528-1270.
Tickets for the match went on sale Monday (April 12) and are $12 in advance and $15 day of game, while kids 12 and under are just $5. Tickets are available by phone at 1-877-877-7677, online at www.tixops.com and at Soccer Max in Sunrise (954-382-0040), Soccer Locker in Miami (305-670-9100) and the Soccer Store in Boca Raton (561-477-1040).
U.S. Under-20 Media Availability
Monday, April 19
Sunrise Hilton
1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20
Sunrise Hilton
6 p.m.
U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team Roster
U.S. vs. Haiti - April 21, 2004
Lockhart Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Name Pos.Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club/College
Adu, Freddy F 5'8" 150 06/02/89 Potomac, Md. DC United (MLS)
Alvarez, Arturo M 5'9" 145 06/28/85 Houston, Texas San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Bradley, MichaelF 6'1" 165 07/31/87 Pennington, N.J.Metrostars (MLS)
Capano, Craig M 5'7"140 07/07/85 Hyde Park, N.Y. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Chevannes, Adrian D 5'11" 175 06/17/86 Ft. Worth, TexasClemson University
Gaven, Eddie M 6'0"145 10/25/86 Hamilton, N.J. Metrostars (MLS)
Hill, Kamani F 6'1"170 12/28/85 Berkeley, Calif. Mairn FC
Holden, Stuart M 5'9" 160 08/01/85 Houston, Texas Clemson University
Hughes, Justin GK6'0" 165 04/23/85 Wake Forest, N.C.UNC
Jimenez, Christian M/F 5'9" 150 11/03/86 San Dimas, Calif.Irvine Strikers
John, Will F/M5'10" 155 06/13/85 Overland Park, Kan.St. Louis University
Kartunen, Andrew GK6'1"175 02/07/85 San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Stanford University
Long, Kevin D 6'3"170 02/02/85 Irvine, Calif. Univ. of San Francisco
McClung, KielD/M6'1"170 05/01/85 Palmdale, Calif. UCLA
Orozco, Mike D/M5'8"140 02/07/86 Stanton, Calif. Irvine Strikers
Owens, Brandon D 6'0" 170 01/23/86 Murietta, Calif. UCLA
Phelan, Patrick D 6'1" 175 01/16/85 Enfield, Conn. Oakwood SC
Sandbo, Steve GK 6'2 190 02/23/87 Columbus, Ohio Ohio Thunder
Sturgis, Nathan D 5'10"150 07/06/87 St. Augustine, Fla.Jacksonville KYX
Szetela, Danny M 5'11"170 06/17/87 Clifton, N.J. World Class Olympic
Ustruck, Erik M 5'10"165 01/04/85 St. Louis, Mo. Santa Clara University
Ward, Tim D 6'0" 165 02/28/87 Waukesha, Wis. Parkland SC
Watson, Jamie F 5'9" 155 04/10/86 Coppell, Texas UNC
GOALKEEPERS (3): Justin Hughes (UNC), Andrew Kartunen (Stanford), Steve Sandbo (Colombus, Ohio); DEFENDERS (8): Adrian Chevannes (Clemson), Kevin Long (San Francisco), Kiel McClung (UCLA), Mike Orozco (Stanton, Calif.), Brandon Owens (UCLA), Patrick Phelan (Enfield, Conn.), Nathan Sturgis (St. Augustine, Fla.), Tim Ward (Waukesha, Wis); MIDFIELDERS (7): Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Craig Capano (Chicago Fire), Eddie Gaven (MetroStars), Stuart Holden (Clemson), Christian Jimenez (San Dimas, Calif.), Danny Szetela (Clifton, N.J.), Erik Ustruck (Santa Clara); FORWARDS (6): Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Michael Bradley (MetroStars), Kamani Hill (Berkley, Calif.), Will John (St. Louis University), Jamie Watson (UNC).
