Dempsey on Roster for World Cup

Bradley Announces Team That Will Face Guatemala

August 15, 2008

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 and will attempt to stabilize a men’s program rocked by another early departure in the Summer Olympics.

The team will gather in Miami beginning on Sunday, Aug. 17, and will depart for Guatemala City the following day. Coach Bob Bradley will add an 18th player to the roster prior to the team gathering in Miami.

“We are excited to begin the next phase of qualifying,” Bradley said. “There are no easy games, and we know that Guatemala is a very difficult team to play against at home. It’s important that we start off the semifinal round in a positive way, and we are confident the work from the last 18 months has prepared us for the task.”

Tim Howard returns to the U.S. fold after missing out on both World Cup qualifiers against Barbados due to a back injury. The Everton-based goalkeeper boasts 18 career wins and 11 shutouts in 31 appearances at the full international level. Newly transferred Aston Villa ‘keeper Brad Guzan performed admirably in his stead, earning two straight shutouts against Barbados. Guzan is coming off an outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games, earning Sierra Mist Man of the Match in the gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Nigeria that eliminated the squad from the tournament.

Three other players from the Olympic roster link up with the full team. Sacha Kljestan recorded goals in China, while Maurice Edu served admirably in central defense. Since the summer of 2007, midfielder Michael Bradley has appeared in four international tournaments at both the youth and full national team levels.

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. In their most recent meeting, a Clint Dempsey goal sparked the U.S. to a 1-0 victory in their opening match of the 2007 Gold Cup.

U.S. Men's National Team Roster vs. Guatemala
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 2/2 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 3/2 SO)

DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 13/1), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96: 15/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 11/1), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 8/0), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen: 2/1), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC: 1/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 1/0), Eddie Lewis (Derby County: 19/3), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids: 10/0)

FORWARDS (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 7/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 21/8), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 8/2), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC: 8/8)

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb