Vasquez hospitalized
Tampa Bay Mutiny midfielder Martin Vasquez was hospitalized on Tuesday afternoon to remove an abscess from his left tonsil. Vasquez, who received his U.S. citizenship last month and is still waiting for his first national team appearance, was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but he will miss Sunday’s game.
Pope’s availability pending
D.C. United defender Eddie Pope is not on the U.S. roster for the Guatemala match. He will be formally called into the national team as soon as arrangements are made with North Carolina (where Pope is working towards his degree) that will allow him to fulfill his academic obligations while playing with the national team.
Notes
Kansas City Wiz star Preki Radoslavljevic, who gained his American citizenship last week, will go by his full name when playing for the U.S. national team…. A handful of U.S. players are looking into the possibility of playing in Mexico or overseas before the start of MLS in 1997, but no deals have been made yet…. Ernie Stewart has not played for the U.S. since the 1-0 loss to Brazil in the semifinals of the 1995 Copa America. A recurring knee injury sidelined the speedy forward, who has a goal and three assists for his Dutch club, NAC Breda, this season.