U.S. Opens Training Camp
The U.S. national team opened its training camp Jan. 5 at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla., as 32 players vie for the 22 spots on the World Cup roster. Two-time World Cup keeper
Tony Meola rejoins the team after being added to the camp by U.S. coach Steve Sampson when
Brad Friedel signed with Liverpool. Two players are not at the camp due to injury:
Tony Sanneh of D.C. United (hernia) and
Mark Chung of Kansas City (strained lower back). Dallas Burn defender
Mark Santel has been added to the camp roster, while
Alexi Lalas and
Joe-Max Moore will not report until Jan. 18 in order to rest after their loan stint with Emelec of Ecuador. Sampson expects to release ten players on Jan. 16, with the option to bring them back at a later time, and does not plan to make any official cuts until late April.
U.S. to face Holland Feb. 21 in Miami
The U.S. will face Holland in a friendly match at Miami’s Pro Player Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). The match will be shown live on ESPN. Holland will also face Mexico at Pro Player Stadium on Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m. (ET). Tickets for both matches are available by calling Ticketmaster at (305) 358-5885. Group tickets may be purchased through the Miami Fusion at (888) 387-4664.
