Crew defender Frankie Hejduk had been named to U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley's initial 17-player roster that will travel to face Guatemala on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in the USA's first match of the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Kickoff at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City is set for 10 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
All 17 players were part of the roster that handed Barbados an 8-0 defeat in the first leg of Second Round qualifying on June 15 at The Home Depot Center. Additionally, all six of the USA's goalscorers in the Barbados series - Michael Bradley, Brian Ching (2), Clint Dempsey (2), Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson and Eddie Lewis - will be on hand. The team will gather in Miami beginning on Sunday, Aug. 17, and will depart for Guatemala City the following day. Bradley will add an 18th player to the roster prior to the team gathering in Miami.
Hejduk will depart Columbus and join the U.S. Men's National Team following the Crew's MLS match-up with FC Dallas at Crew Stadium this Saturday, Aug. 16 and is expected to return to the Black & Gold in advance of its match vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Aug. 23.
The U.S. is 10-4-5 lifetime against Guatemala and is currently riding a six-match shutout streak against the Chapines. The teams have met eight times overall in World Cup qualifying play, with the U.S. holding an unbeaten 4-0-4 mark in the series. During the final round hexagonal in 2005, the U.S. won the home meeting 2-0 in Birmingham, Ala., then the teams' played to a 0-0 draw in Guatemala City on Sept. 7, 2005, four days after the U.S. had clinched their place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 win against Mexico. In their most recent meeting, a Clint Dempsey goal sparked the U.S. to a 1-0 victory in its opening match of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, paving the way for the United States to successfully defend their Gold Cup crown. Hejduk was a member of that 2007 Gold Cup-championship squad and was named to the tournament's Best XI team.
One of the most recognizable and dynamic players in Major League Soccer and a longtime U.S. National Team standout, the 34-year-old Hejduk has earned 78 caps (appearances) for the red, white and blue. He has the distinction of being the only U.S. National Team player to see action in both the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups and the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Most recently, Hejduk took part in friendly matches against England (5/28), Spain (6/4) and Argentina (6/8), and was an unused substitute in the qualifier against Barbados (6/15).
Hejduk has been with the Crew since the 2003 season and, in 106 games with the club, has scored five goals and assisted on nine others. He is a six-time MLS All-Star who has appeared in a total of 156 games (10 goals, 18 assists) in an MLS career that began with the Tampa Bay Mutiny from 1996-98, following a three-year collegiate career at UCLA, where he played for current Crew head coach Sigi Schmid. Between his two MLS stints, he played professionally overseas for Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga (1998-2002) and St. Gallen of the Swiss First Division (2002).
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members and the U.S. Open Cup champion in 2002, it is in its 13th season overall and 10th in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium.
