HOUSTON, TX - Houston Dynamo midfielders Ricardo Clark and Brian Mullan, and Defender Eddie Robinson have been called up to the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming camp at The Home Depot Center, it was announced today.
The 29-player group will prepare for the USA's first match of 2007, to be played against Denmark on January 20th at The Home Depot Center (3:50 p.m. CT, live on ESPN2)
"We feel very proud that three of our players have been called up to try out for the National Team. Any athlete knows that there is no greater honor than representing his country in international competition. I wish them all the luck in the world," said Houston Dynamo President and General Manager Oliver Luck.
Ricardo Clark was a member of U.S. Youth National Teams from 1999 through 2004. He played five games for the Under-20 National Team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships, helping the team to reach the quarterfinals. Clark was also a member of the U.S. Under-23 National Team in 2004. He made his first appearance for the full national team on October 12, 2005 in a World Cup Qualifying match vs. Panama.
Robinson Earned his first call-up to U.S. National Team in 2002, training with the team at a November training camp and making the final roster for the November 17 game against El Salvador.
Mullan, on the other hand, earns yet another invitation to the U.S. Men's National Team Training Camp. At the club level, he had a solid season, playing in 31 games in 2006, all of them starts, in which he scored 2 goals and notched 4 assists. He also scored the third goal in Houston's 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids in the 2006 MLS Western Conference Final.
"This is a great opportunity to get a first-hand look at a wide variety of domestic-based players as we begin a new World Cup cycle," said U.S. Men's National Team Bob Bradley. "Along with some experienced players, we have quite a few players who will be getting their first exposure to the national team. Obviously, the goal for developing our team is to be ready for World Cup qualifying in 2008, and this is where we start. At the same time, we want to be prepared to compete against Denmark, and many of these players have recently had a long break from soccer. With only a short period of time to prepare, we will have to work very hard to get our players both physically and mentally ready to play."
After the Denmark match, the U.S. will host regional rivals Mexico on Feb. 7 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Along with a series of friendlies, the United States will compete in two major championships next summer. The three-time champions will first try to defend their title against 11 other teams at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scheduled from June 6-24 in several cities across the United States. Just a few days later, the U.S. will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. For the United States, the appearance will mark their third entrance into CONMEBOL's signature event.
U.S. NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER (BY POSITION) - JANUARY 2007 CAMP
Goalkeepers (4): Joe Cannon (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders (9): Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Bryan Namoff (D.C. United), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Dasan Robinson (Chicago Fire) Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
Midfielders (10): Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Joshua Gros (D.C. United), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Brian Mullan (Houston Dynamo), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)
Forwards (6): Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
