Members of D.C. United were surprised to find 10 centimeters of snow when they arrived in Madrid Monday to set up the club's second preseason training camp. The team has established headquarters in Segovia, Spain at the Hotel Tryp Comendador and began the 12-day camp with a Monday afternoon practice.
United will play La Liga side Getafe CF on Thursday in an international friendly before taking on two other Spanish club sides in scrimmages.
The Black-and-Red's trip to Spain is sponsored in part by the Fundación Red Deporte y Cooperación, a 501 © 3 non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Maryland whose objective is to promote sports as an educational tool and social integration in the framework of international cooperation.
The Foundation specializes in executing and promoting social and educational projects in developing nations around the world, using sports as a basic element of integration.
The Foundation has already implemented these types of projects in African nations, including Sierra Leone, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Senegal and Zambia. It has also worked in Latin America in Nicaragua, Paraguay, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Brazil and others.
In Spain, the Foundation - along with the cooperation of officials from the City of Madrid, the U.S. Embassy and different media outlets - are promoting a series of cultural and sports related activities that will take place from March 1-10 in Madrid, with D.C. United's match vs. Getafe FC being one of the main attractions of the festivities.
For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.redeporte.org.
Player movement
Twenty-six players were named to United's travel roster for their stay in Spain. They are: Freddy Adu, Kenney Bertz, Bobby Boswell, Brian Carroll, Jeff Carroll, Stephen deRoux, Rod Dyachenko, Facundo Erpen, Alecko Eskandarian, Lucio Filomeno, Christian Gomez, Josh Gros, Devon McTavish, Andy Metcalf, Justin Moose, Jaime Moreno, Bryan Namoff, Ben Olsen, Troy Perkins, Brandon Prideaux, Santino Quaranta, Nick Rimando, Clyde Simms, Jamil Walker and John Wilson.
Matt Nickell (hamstring) and David Stokes (quadriceps) will remain behind to rehabilitate nagging injuries. Former University of Maryland standout Domenic Mediate, who was a member of the Columbus Crew last season, has joined the Black-and-Red in Spain on trial.
Meanwhile, the club has decided not to offer contracts to Shawn Kuykendall, Nick Van Sicklen or Andrew Weber for the 2006 season. Trials for Pablo Gomez and Allan Handy have ended without the two being offered contracts.
Nicole Megaloudis Foundation 5K Run/Walk
Details have been announced for the Second Annual Nicole Megaloudis Foundation 5K Walk/Run. Scheduled for March 4 at Byrd Park in Richmond, Va., the event raises funds in memory of former United head coach and TV analyst Thomas Rongen's stepdaughter.
The Nicole Megaloudis Foundation was set up by Nicole's mother, Gail, and friends to honor Nicole's memory and continue the good deeds that she did for others. Incorporated in 2004, the foundation was established to assist college-bound student athletes who demonstrate leadership qualities and have some degree of financial need. The charity's mission is to help these students realize their dreams and to allow Nicole's memore to live on. For more information on the event or the 501©3 foundation, please visit www.remembernicole.org.
Convey joins U.S. squad
Former United midfielder Bobby Convey was among 20 players named to Bruce Arena's U.S. side that will face Poland on Wednesday in Kaiserslauten, Germany. Kickoff at Fritz-Walter-Stadion, the site of the USA's highly anticipated FIFA World Cup match against Italy on June 17, is set for 2 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
