CHICAGO - U.S. Men's National Team Manager Bruce Arena has removed Colorado Rapids defender Pablo Mastroeni and the Kansas City Wizards trio of Tony Meola, Josh Wolff and Kerry Zavagnin from the U.S. training camp roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Grenada on June 13 in Columbus, Ohio. MetroStars goalkeeper Jonny Walker will replace Meola on the U.S. roster, and no other players will be added. Nineteen players will report June 7 to Columbus, with 18 players to be named to the game day roster.
The Colorado Rapids exercised their right not to release Mastroeni until four days prior to the match. FIFA rules regarding player releases for international competition stipulate that a club is only required to release a player four days prior to a date that is scheduled for an official match as designated on the FIFA Coordinated Calendar, if that player is travelling within the same continent. As a result, Arena decided to remove players from both teams from the training camp. The Rapids are scheduled to host the Kansas City Wizards on Wednesday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m. MT. </p>
"The Rapids chose not to release Mastroeni until after their match against Kansas City on Wednesday. In the interest of fairness to both clubs, as well as the desire to have continuity in our training camp, I decided to remove all four players from the roster," said Arena, who is expected to finalize the roster for the June 20 return leg in Grenada on June 13.</p>
Walker, 29, earned his first three caps for the senior team earlier this year, posting a 1-0-2 record. After opening with a 1-1 draw against Denmark on Jan. 18 at the Home Depot Center, Walker became the fourth U.S. goalkeeper in history to record a shutout in their first appearance against Mexico with the 1-0 blanking of "El Tri" on April 28 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. </p>
Kickoff for the June 13 qualifier is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics. The U.S. then faces Grenada in the second leg of their second round qualifying series Sunday, June 20 in St. George's, Grenada (ESPN2, 4 p.m. ET).</p>
U.S. Men's National Team Roster v. Grenada - REVISED
CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying - Second Round
June 13, 2004 - Columbus, Ohio
GOALKEEPERS (2): Kasey Keller (Tottenham Hotspur), Jonny Walker (MetroStars)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Bobby Convey (D.C. United), Cory Gibbs
(Dallas Burn), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Eddie Pope (MetroStars), Tony Sanneh (FC N|rnberg), Greg Vanney (FC
Bastia)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), DaMarcus Beasley (Chicago Fire), Landon Donovan (San Jose Earthquakes),
Eddie Lewis (Preston North End), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City), Earnie Stewart (D.C. United)
FORWARDS (3): Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Jovan Kirovski (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian McBride (Fulham FC)
