NEW YORK - Nineteen of the 23 players that will represent the United States at the FIFA World Cup this summer in Germany have experience in Major League Soccer. Bruce Arena, U.S. Men's National Team Manager, announced the 23-man roster and 13 alternates today on ESPN's SportsCenter. The selections emphasize the impact that Major League Soccer continues to make on the maturation and improvement of the U.S. National Team program.
Arena, the longest-tenured national team coach in the 32-team field, accepted the position in October 1998 after guiding D.C. United to two MLS Cup titles. For the 2006 U.S. World Cup roster, Arena selected 11 current MLS players and 12 players employed by European clubs. Of the 13 players named as alternates to the U.S. roster, 11 are current MLS players.
The 32-team FIFA World Cup takes place in Germany from June 9 to July 9, with all 64 games being broadcast live and in high definition by ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The United States' first round opponents are the Czech Republic (June 12), Italy (June 17) and Ghana (June 22). The 11 current MLS players on the roster are slated to play for their respective teams this weekend before heading to Cary, N.C. for the U.S. team's training camp, which begins May 10. The United States will play three games in its Send-Off Series before departing for Germany: Tuesday, May 23 in Nashville vs. Morocco; Friday, May 26 in Cleveland vs. Venezuela and Sunday, May 28 in Hartford vs. Latvia.
"We congratulate each of the 23 players selected to represent our country on the world's grandest sporting stage," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "This United States team was assembled from arguably the deepest talent pool in American soccer history and we are confident that Coach Bruce Arena and this team will make us all proud."
A number of the U.S. team's top players have spent the majority of their professional careers in Major League Soccer, including Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni, Eddie Pope and Josh Wolff. Others, who currently play in Europe, forged their identities as stars while playing for MLS clubs and are still fan favorites in those cities, such as DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra with the Chicago Fire; Brian McBride with the Columbus Crew, and Bobby Convey with D.C. United.
"It's no secret that this team has a lot of MLS influence," Arena said. "I have said all along that our country's success in international soccer depends on Major League Soccer and its continued growth. Clearly our player pool is getting deeper, particularly if you look at each four-year cycle. For that to continue, a strong domestic league is essential."
The 23-player roster selected to the 2006 U.S. World Cup team follows (current MLS players in bold, former MLS players italicized):
Goalkeepers - Club
Marcus Hahnemann - Reading (England)
Tim Howard - Manchester United (England)
Kasey Keller - B. M'gladbach (Germany)
Defenders - Club
Carlos Bocanegra - Fulham (England)
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover 96 (Germany)
Jimmy Conrad - Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
Cory Gibbs - ADO Den Haag (Holland)
Frankie Hejduk - Columbus Crew (MLS)
Eddie Lewis - Leeds United (England)
Oguchi Onyewu - Standard Liege (Belgium)
Eddie Pope - Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Midfielders - Club
DaMarcus Beasley - PSV Eindhoven (Holland)
Bobby Convey - Reading (England)
Clint Dempsey - New England Revolution (MLS)
Landon Donovan - Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Pablo Mastroeni - Colorado Rapids (MLS)
John O'Brien - Chivas USA (MLS)
Ben Olsen - D.C. United (MLS)
Claudio Reyna - Manchester City (England)
Forwards - Club
Brian Ching - Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Eddie Johnson - Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
Brian McBride - Fulham (England)
Josh Wolff - Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
The Kansas City Wizards have the most U.S. World Cup team members of any MLS team, with three - Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff. Eight of the 12 MLS teams have one representative each: Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake.
U.S. Men's National Team Alternates List - 2006 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers (2): Tony Meola (New York Red Bulls), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders (3): Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Midfielders (5): Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)
Forwards (3): Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Other Major League Soccer players who could represent their respective countries at this summer's World cup are:
Player Club Country
Cornell Glen Los Angles Galaxy Trinidad & Tobago
Avery John New England Revolution Trinidad & Tobago
Roberto Mina FC Dallas Ecuador
Douglas Sequeira Real Salt Lake Costa Rica
Claudio Suarez Chivas USA Mexico
