CHICAGO, IL (May 12, 2008) USSF -- US Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Peter Nowak has named the 22 players who will participate in the Toulon International Tournament in Toulon, France. The team will arrive in Toulon on Thursday, May 15, and will have five days of training before their opening game against Turkey on May 21st at 3:30pm local (9:30 am ET).
All 16 games of the tournament will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel, including the US Group B match-ups against the Ivory Coast on May 23rd at 12:30pm ET, and Italy on May 25th at noon ET.
“This tournament will give us an opportunity to have a look at some players we have had in previous camps, and also a look at the new faces,” said Nowak. “We don’t want to be short-sighted with our selection for the Olympics. We want a whole picture that includes a variety of players, and to make sure we see every option before we make final choices.”
Group A of the tournament features France along with Chile, the Netherlands and Japan. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals on May 27, and either the third-place match or final on May 29.
Of the three goalkeepers on the roster, Dominic Cervi and Chris Seitz, shared duties between the pipes during Olympic qualifying and combined for a goals against average of just 0.40 over five games. Defender Kamani Hill is the only field player on the roster to have played in that tournament, helping the US qualify for the Olympics with a 3-1-1 record.
Seitz, who started three out of the five games in the tournament, is one of five players heading to Toulon who were also part of the US Under-20 team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada last summer. Joining the Real Salt Lake goalkeeper are Bryan Arguez, Tony Beltran, Gabe Ferrari and Julian Valentin.
Arguez is one of four players who are eligible to play in the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, along with Hertha Berlin teammate Ellis McLoughlin, Southampton’s Kyle Davies and FC Dallas defender Brek Shea.
In addition to Major League Soccer, seven leagues from across the globe contribute players to the US roster. Sammy Ochoa, who will be part of his first US National Team camp since the 2005 Under-20 World Cup, plays for UAG Tecos in Mexico. Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who was also part of the 2005 Under-20 World Cup team, joins the squad from French club Troyes AC. Davies and Derby County’s Benny Feilhaber, the oldest member of the team, will join the US from England and Hill joins the Hertha Berlin duo from Germany. SC Charleroi (Belgium) defender Greg Dalby and Randers (Denmark) midfielder Lee Nguyen round out the foreign contingent.
Of the 11 players from MLS, the Los Angeles Galaxy have the most representatives on the roster with Mike Gavin, Bryan Jordan and Valentin. FC Dallas sends a pair of defenders in Blake Wagner and Shea.
Overall, the US has made seven previous trips to the invitation-only event, with their most recent appearance dating back to 2001 when the team finished in fifth place. In 1989 the team finished in a best-ever third place, and in 1994, 1997 and 2001 received the Fair Play Award. Josh Wolff is the only American to earn an individual award at the tournament, earning the Golden Boot by scoring five goals in 1997, outscoring future FIFA World Cup winner Thierry Henry.
The US will be participating in its 13th Olympic Games, earning their place by advancing to the final of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in March. The Americans finished the tournament with a 3-1-1 record, with their only loss coming to Honduras in overtime of the championship match. Both teams had already secured their ticket to Beijing, the United States defeating Canada in one semifinal while Honduras ousted Guatemala in the other.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), Quentin Westburg (Troyes)
DEFENDERS (10): Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Eric Brunner (out of contract), Kyle Davies (Southampton), Michael Gavin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Jonathan Leathers (Kansas City Wizards), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Julian Valentin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Rob Valentino (New England Revolution), Blake Wagner (FC Dallas)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin), Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo), Greg Dalby (SC Charleroi), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Lee Nguyen (Randers FC)
FORWARDS (4): Gabe Ferrari (Sampdoria), Bryan Jordan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Ellis McLoughlin (Hertha Berlin), Sammy Ochoa (U.A.G.)
Courtesy of US Soccer Communications
