CHICAGO - U.S. Men's National Team Manager Bruce Arena has called 19 players into camp to train for the upcoming friendly against England on May 28 in Chicago. Kickoff at Soldier Field is set for 2 p.m. (CST), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Telemundo.
The match will serve as important preparation for the upcoming qualifiers against Costa Rica (June 4 in Salt Lake City) and Panama (June 8 in Panama City). The team will assemble beginning May 22 in Chicago. Both Johnson and Vanney will play with FC Dallas on May 22 @ Chivas USA and will then join the U.S. team.
Johnson, 21, will look to continue his torrid scoring pace with the Men's National Team (MNT), scoring eight goals in eight international matches (including both World Cup Qualifiers and Exhibitions). On Oct. 13, 2004 against Panama, Johnson became the first substitute in U.S. Men's soccer history to record a hat trick and the eighth total player to accomplish the feat. Despite playing in only six World Cup qualifiers, he is currently tied for second on the U.S. all-time World Cup qualifying scoring list (table below).
A U.S. National Team veteran, Vanney has earned at least one appearance with the U.S. every year since 1996. He has 32 career caps with the National Team, making his debut as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against Guatemala in San Salvador during a key World Cup qualifying match in 1996. Set to replace the injured Chris Armas on the World Cup roster in 2002, he suffered an MCL sprain against Jamaica on May 16, 2002, and was unable to travel to Korea.
ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS IN U.S. WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
PLAYER WORLD CUP YEAR(S) MATCHES PLAYED GOALS
Earnie Stewart 1998, 2002, 2006 30 10
Eddie Johnson 2006 6 7
Brian McBride 1998, 2002, 2006 20 7
Willy Roy 1966, 1970, 1974 11 6
Joe-Max Moore 1998, 2002 20 5
Eric Wynalda 1998 11 5
