The CONCACAF Gold Cup is over, and Houston Dynamo received two of their Gold Cup participants back on Sunday in goalkeeper Pat Onstad and midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. Forward Brian Ching will be back for the Orange against FC Dallas this weekend, but Houston will not get the last of its Gold Cup members back anytime soon.
Midfielder Ricardo Clark was called up to the U.S. national team to play in Copa America. After the USA's Gold Cup win against Mexico, Clark headed directly to Venezuela along with the U.S. team.
Back in Houston, his Dynamo teammates are happy for the midfielder and hope he does well.
"Very happy for him. I think he deserves it. He shows day in and day out in the league that he's a solid defensive midfielder," said forward Joseph Ngwenya. "If you watch the game against Mexico, he came on and did well. We're going to miss him and wish him the best. It's going to be a tough one in South America, but it's more experience that will help him when he gets back."
Clark played 45 minutes in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico, entering the game after halftime and providing a spark for the USA, helping the team to the 2-1 win. Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear said the game against Mexico showed why Clark is a valuable commodity to any team.
"I think it's fantastic (that he's playing in the Copa America). That, the World Cup, the European Championships and the Confederations Cup are the three or four top international soccer tournaments in the world," Kinnear said. "I hope he gets a start and a chance to play. It's a great honor. I think he showed how valuable he is on Sunday with his 45 minutes against Mexico."
Clark has been busy preparing for the USA's group play opener against Argentina on Thursday and hopes to do well during his time in Venezuela.
"(I want) to play well, make a lasting impression on the team, and like every other team, do well in the tournament," Clark told HoustonDynamo.com.
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
