Bring on the best

U.S. names 23-man squad for Confederations Cup

Crew midfielder Kyle Martino is looking for his second cap. Chris Trotman/Getty Images

CHICAGO (Reuters) -- The United States named a mix of youth and experience on Friday in a 23-man squad for next month's Confederations Cup tournament in France, where they will face world champion Brazil.

Coach Bruce Arena named 10 players from the squad that reached the World Cup quarterfinals last year, including forwards Landon Donovan and Clint Mathis, as well as eight players who have fewer than 10 caps.

"We've selected a group of players that combines experience and youth," said Arena, who has led the U.S. to a 4-1-1 record in 2003. "The Confederations Cup presents a great challenge to our team and an opportunity to compete against some of the best countries in the world.

"For many of these players, it will be their first experience in a competition of this caliber, so the games can only benefit our group as we progress towards World Cup qualifying in 2004."

Several top U.S. players will miss the tournament, including goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller; midfielders John O'Brien and Claudio Reyna; and forward Brian McBride.

Reyna, the U.S. captain is recovering from surgery last Nov. 18 to repair a torn knee ligament and hopes to return to the national team in July for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Keller just had minor elbow surgery, Friedel and O'Brien are being given breaks following their club seasons and McBride's wife is due to give birth next month.

Also selected were midfielder Chris Armas, who missed the World Cup after tearing a knee ligament on May 12 last year, and defender Greg Vanney, slated to get Armas' World Cup roster spot until he partially tore a knee ligament four says later.

In addition to Donovan and Mathis, other players who were at the World Cup include defenders Eddie Pope, Gregg Berhalter, Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk; and midfielders DaMarcus Beasley, Eddie Lewis, Pablo Mastroenni and Earnie Stewart.

Stewart, 34, is the oldest player on the team and forward Bobby Convey, who turned 20 on Tuesday, is the youngest. The only player with no appearances for the national team is goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

The other two goalkeepers are relatively inexperienced: Tim Howard has six international appearances and Marcus Hahnemann has three.

Arena's roster has an average age of 24.4, down from 28.7 from the initial U.S. World Cup roster last year. Sixteen of the players are on teams in Major League Soccer, including three each from Chicago, Columbus and the MetroStars.

The squad enters a training camp on Sunday in Washington, D.C., and will play a final warmup match against New Zealand on June 8 in Richmond, Virginia, before departing for France on June 11.

It will be based in Lyon during the opening round of the eight-nation tournament that runs from June 18 to 29.

The U.S. opens Group B against World Cup third-place finisher Turkey on June 19 in St. Etienne followed by matches in Lyon against World Cup champion Brazil (June 21) and Cameroon (June 23).

Five players on the roster were a part of the team that placed third in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup in Mexico.

The U.S. will defend its regional championship in the Gold Cup, to be held from July 12-23 in Boston, Miami and Mexico City. In Group C action, the U.S. meets El Salvador (July 12) and Martinique (July 14), with both matches to be played at Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

Arena has named four alternates for the U.S. roster. New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston scored the first goal of his national team career against Canada earlier this year and has 10 caps. Kansas City Wizards defender Nick Garcia has played four times for the U.S., all in 2003. Also making the list is San Jose midfielder Richard Mulrooney and FC St. Pauli defender Cory Gibbs.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Joe Cannon (RC Lens), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading), Tim Howard (New York/New Jersey)

Defenders: Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Carlos Bocanegra (Chicago), Dan Califf (Los Angeles), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Eddie Pope (New York/New Jersey), Greg Vanney (F.C. Bastia)

Midfielders: Chris Armas (Chicago), DaMarcus Beasley (Chicago), Bobby Convey (D.C. United), Chris Klein (Kansas City), Eddie Lewis (Preston North End), Kyle Martino (Columbus), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), Earnie Stewart (D.C. United)

Forwards: Jeff Cunningham (Columbus), Landon Donovan (San Jose), Jovan Kirovski (Birmingham City), Clint Mathis (New York/New Jersey), Taylor Twellman (New England).

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.