Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching has been called up to the United States national team for the June 15 World Cup qualifier against Barbados, to be held at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Tuesday.
Ching has played 26 games for the United States in his international career and has scored five goals, including two in World Cup qualifying. He is on a scoring streak for the Dynamo in Major League Soccer, netting five goals in his last six games and earning Player of the Week honors after notching two goals and one assist against Toronto FC on Sunday.
Due to the call-up, Ching will miss the Dynamo's Thursday match against the New England Revolution. If Ching is called up for the second leg on June 22, he would also miss the Dynamo's June 21 game against Colorado.
Beginning their effort to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup, the U.S. is coming off the most successful qualifying campaign in team history. During the last cycle, the U.S. compiled a 12-2-4 record over 18 matches with 10 shutouts, scoring 35 goals, while allowing just 11. The U.S. finished undefeated at home during the qualifying campaign, going 8-0-1, with all eight victories coming by shutout.
The U.S. and Barbados have only met twice before in their history, the matches taking place in the semifinal round of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying in a group that also included Guatemala and Costa Rica. The U.S. dominated both matches, winning, 7-0 on Aug. 16, 2000, in Foxborough, Mass., before a 4-0 victory in the final group match on Nov. 15, a win that booked the United States' passage to the final stage.
The Houston Dynamo will host the New England Revolution in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2 on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. at Robertson Stadium. Special $20 tickets are available for the game, from which $10 per ticket will go directly to the Nothing But Nets Foundation. For more information, call (713) 276-2500 or log on to www.houstondynamo.com.
