U.S. coach Bruce Arena called up MetroStars forward Clint Mathis and Los Angeles defender Greg Vanney to replace injured D.C. United players Ben Olsen and Jeff Agoos, respectively, for upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Guatemala, on July 16, and Costa Rica, on July 23. Mathis, the reigning Major League Soccer Player of the Month, returns to the national team for the first time since March 13, 1999, when he appeared in a Nike U.S. Cup game against Mexico in San Diego. A former University of South Carolina standout, Mathis has scored five goals and added five assists since joining the MetroStars from the Los Angeles Galaxy. “Clint’s outstanding recent play with the MetroStars made him a candidate for this team,” Arena explained. “Plus he’s extremely versatile, and can fill in at either midfield or forward for us.” Vanney, who has made three of his seven appearances with the USA this year, last played for the United States in the team’s 1-1 tie with Ireland in the Nike U.S. Cup in June. A deadly penalty kick expert with a tremendous left foot, Vanney trails only national team forward Cobi Jones on the Galaxy scoring register this year with five goals and an assist. The 32-year-old Agoos will be out of action for 2-6 weeks after surgery is performed on his right knee on June 7. Olsen, who played in every Nike U.S. Cup match this year, has been slow to recover from a left ankle sprain he picked up in an MLS game with D.C. United this season. The matches against Guatemala and Costa Rica mark the first of six the United States will play in Group E qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. After the two road games in Guatemala and Costa Rica, the USA will return home for three consecutive games in the United States. The men’s national team will face Barbados at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on August 16; Guatemala at Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium on September 3; and Costa Rica at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on October 11. The United States will play its final Group “E” semifinal qualifying match in Barbados, at either the National Stadium or the Kensington Oval in St. Michael, on November 15. The top two teams in each of the three qualifying groups will advance to the next stage of qualifying, where six teams will battle for the three CONCACAF spots in the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea. The United States team will begin training for the two important matches on Monday, July 10, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After departing for Guatemala on Friday, July 14, and returning after the match on Sunday, July 16, the team will again train in Ft. Lauderdale for the week leading up to the Costa Rica match. Television change Each of the first two World Cup semifinal qualifiers will be shown live on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. ET. The Guatemala match had earlier been scheduled to air on ESPN.