WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United's Ben Olsen, Nick Rimando and Alecko Eskandarian have been called into camp by U.S. National Team Manager Bruce Arena to be part of the 28-player roster for the approaching FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against Trinidad & Tobago on February 9th in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The U.S. team will train at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., and will depart for Trinidad on Feb. 7 after relocating to South Florida.
Olsen is the most experienced D.C. player on the preliminary U.S. roster, having netted four goals in 22 career appearances. He made his international debut on November 16, 1998 in a 0-0 draw with Australia. Olsen, 27, scored his first international goal in his very next appearance, a 2-1 decision over Chile on February 21st, 1999. Despite a serious ankle injury that kept him out for nearly 22 months, Olsen returned to the national team lineup, scoring the game winner in a 2-0 win over El Salvador at RFK Stadium on November 17, 2002.
Rimando, 25, made his international debut in that same November 17th game at RFK against El Salvador, combining with Tim Howard for a clean sheet. Since then, the UCLA product has accumulated three international appearances for his country. Rimando, a native of Montclair, CA, is one of four goalkeepers invited to the U.S. training camp.
Eskandarian, the first overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft and the 2004 MLS Cup MVP, earned his only CAP for the senior team in a 2003 appearance off the bench against Wales on May 26th. The 22-year-old University of Virginia product had a breakout year in 2004 for the Black-and-Red, registering 10 goals en route to becoming the first United striker to tally double-digit goals since 2001.
