June 8, 2003

RICHMOND, Va. - Former Santa Clara University goalkeeper Joe Cannon earned his first cap with the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team and helped the American squad earn a 2-1 victory of New Zealand Sunday at the University of Richmond.

The match was the final tune-up for both squads prior to the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup later this month. The competition will take place in the French cities of St-Denis, Lyons and Saint-Etienne from June 18 to 29. Eight teams will participate in the event: Colombia, France, Japan, New Zealand (Group A), Brazil, Cameroon, USA and Turkey (Group B).

A native of San Jose, Calif., Cannon played the final 45 minutes of the friendly against New Zealand and recorded one save due to a stingy U.S. defensive effort that limited the Kiwi to very few legitimate scoring chances. The MLS goalkeeper of the year in 2001 for the San Jose Earthquakes, Cannon played last season for RC Lens in the French First Division but his action was limited mostly to the team's reserve squad. He has recently been rumored to be returning to the MLS as soon as this summer.

The United States has participated in two previous FIFA Confederations Cup events, finishing third in both the inaugural 1992 tournament in Saudi Arabia and in 1999 in Mexico. Group B will be a challenge for the Americans as it consists of 2002 World Cup champion Brazil, third-place finisher Turkey and highly-regarded Cameroon.

For more information on the FIFA Confederations Cup, click here.. To visit the official U.S. Soccer website, click here.