Freddy Adu headed home the sixth U-20 goal of his United States career on Tuesday as the U-20 U.S. Men's National Team came from behind to defeat Guatemala, 2-1, in front of 1,600 fans in Boca Raton, Fla. Adu cancelled out a first-half goal from Guatemala's Edward de la Roca when he got on the end of a Quavas Kirk cross, blasting his header back across goal and into the side netting.
The United States team would add another goal through Anthony Wallace in the 86th minute to snatch an impressive victory from Guatemala. The comeback win will be a great confidence boost for the American side as they prepare for the upcoming CONCACAF Final Round Qualifying Tournament in January, where they will fight for a spot in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Training overseas
Adu is one of three D.C. United players scheduled to train with European clubs this offseason. The teenage prodigy will join England's Manchester United this weekend for a two-week session.
Also making the trip across the Atlantic is Brian Carroll, D.C.'s iron man in midfield. Carroll has begun a week-long stint with German Bundesliga club Aachen. Newly promoted into the top tier of German soccer, Aachen (4-6-2) are in 13th place in the 18-team league. Defender David Stokes is also in Germany, currently working out with lower level club FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt, who currently sit in seventh place in the Regionalliga Nord with a 7-4-4 mark.
Special visit
D.C. United welcomed over 80 children from six different area Boys and Girls Clubs for a special tour of RFK Stadium earlier this week. Groups from the Boys and Girls Clubs at the Eastern Branch, Hopkins Branch, Orr Elementary School, FBR at THEARC, Robert V. Murray Clubhouse #11 and Richard England Clubhouse #14 from the Sixth District all participated in the event.
Led by United staffer Judah Cooks, the tour included a walk on the field, a visit to the United locker room and presentations from guest speakers. The visit concluded with a stop at the VIP lounge for pizza, where the kids won prizes for correct answers to D.C. United trivia questions and got an up-close look at the team's four MLS Cup championship trophies.
In addition to the tour, the Boys and Girls Club members got to meet D.C. United players Domenic Mediate and Bobby Boswell, who served as guest speakers and tour guides for the event. The two players also signed autographs for the children as they ended their day at RFK Stadium.
MLS Expansion Draft
On Friday, Major League Soccer will hold its third ever Expansion Draft to fill roster spots on the league's newest addition, Toronto FC. Each MLS team has selected 11 players on its 28-man roster that it wishes to protect: these players are considered off-limits for Friday's draft.
Those United players not available for selection by Toronto are: Troy Perkins, Bryan Namoff, Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen, Josh Gros, Brian Carroll, Ben Olsen, Christian Gomez, Freddy Adu, Jaime Moreno and Alecko Eskandarian.
Toronto will be allowed to select 10 players from the league's unprotected players to join their inaugural squad, though they cannot select more than one player from any one team. So, at most, D.C. United will lose only one player in the Expansion Draft, though it is possible that the Black-and-Red will not lose any members, as two MLS teams will not be affected by Friday's draft.
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
D.C. United will soon know their fate in next year's CONCACAF Champions' Cup, as the quarterfinal draw for the event will take place on Nov. 24. The Black-and-Red will face a representative from either the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) or from Central America's Union Centroamericana de Futbol (UNCAF).
While the CFU representative has yet to be determined, two UNCAF teams have already secured qualification into the 2007 Champions' Cup, making them potential opponents for United: Costa Rica's Puntarenas FC and Honduras' Club Olimpia. One other team from this region, either C.D. Victoria (Honduras) or Deportivo Marquense (Guatemala) will qualify as the third-place team.
The first leg of the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup will kick off on Feb. 20-22, with the return leg set for Feb. 27-March 1.
