Euro crew returns

U.S. names roster for World Cup warmup vs. Italy

Captain Claudio Reyna will join the team for the first time in 2002. Al Bello/Allsport

ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- United States national team head coach Bruce Arena on Tuesday named an 18-man roster to face three-time world champion Italy Feb. 13 in Catania, Sicily.

Kickoff at the Stadio Cibali is set for 2:45 p.m. ET (8:45 p.m. local). There is currently no U.S. TV broadcast scheduled.

"This match is another important step in our preparations for Korea/Japan," said Arena. "Many of these players are likely to play an important role in the World Cup, so to have an opportunity to bring them together for a few days and be challenged by a world class team is extremely valuable."

The roster is much heavier with European-based players than the U.S. side that recently won the Gold Cup title. U.S. captain Claudio Reyna will lead a European contingent that gathers for the first time in 2002.

The team represents much of the side that succeeded in leading the U.S. to its fourth-consecutive World Cup finals qualification. Earnie Stewart, the 2001 Male Athlete of the Year, was one of two U.S. players to appear in every match of final round qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

Brad Friedel joins Kasey Keller as the U.S. goalkeeping tandem. Keller is coming off a stellar performance in the Gold Cup, having posted four straight shutouts in marshalling the U.S. to its second Gold Cup championship.

Six domestic-based players fill out the roster. Chicago Fire forward Josh Wolff continued his return to form in the Gold Cup, scoring the first goal in the 2-0 win against Costa Rica in the championship final Feb. 2.

Veteran defensive stalwart Jeff Agoos added the insurance goal with a brilliantly taken free kick in that match, while Cobi Jones collected his 150th international cap on the same day. Jones is now tied for fourth on the all-time cap-winners list.

The United States and Italy have met just four times in their history, with the Italians holding a 2-0-2 record against the U.S. The first meeting between the sides took place in 1934 at the second World Cup, where the Italians cruised to a 7-1 win in Rome. The capital city also hosted the teams' second meeting in a World Cup, when Italy topped a young U.S. team 1-0 on June 14, 1990. The teams' most recent match took place June 6, 1992 in Chicago, a come-from-behind 1-1 draw for the U.S.

Italy has lifted the World Cup three times, most recently in 1982, and is currently ranked sixth in the world by FIFA. The Italians also reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup, losing to Brazil in penalty kicks at the Rose Bowl.

Led by veteran captain Paolo Maldini, the Azzurri qualified for their 15th World Cup and will appear in their 11th straight tournament in Korea/Japan. In 2002 qualifying, the Italians' renowned defense allowed just two goals as the team finished atop Group 8 in UEFA qualifying with a 6-0-2 record.

Italy boasts an array of attacking options, led in qualifying by Milan's Filippo Inzaghi, Inter Milan's Christian Vieri and Juventus' Alessandro del Piero. The Azzurri are coached by Giovanni Trapattoni, the most successful club coach in Italian history, having won seven Serie A championships.

Following the Italy match, the U.S. continues action with a pair of domestic matches in early March. Seattle will host its first match since 1994 when the U.S. meets Honduras on March 2 at SAFECO field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast live in ESPN. Eight days later, the U.S. takes on South American rival Ecuador at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. That match is slated for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff and will be broadcast live on ABC.

The major omissions from the roster for the Italy game were forward Brian McBride, who is getting married; forward Clint Mathis, just starting to return to form following knee surgery; forward Ante Razov, who strained a groin during the Gold Cup; defender Eddie Pope, recovering from knee surgery; and defender Carlos Llamosa, recovering from nose surgery.

U.S. National Team Roster
Name	P	Ht	Wt	DOB	Cap/G	Res	Club
Agoos, Jeff	D	5'10"	175	05/02/68	122/4	Dallas, Tex.	San Jose (MLS)
Armas, Chris	M	5'7"	150	08/27/72	40/2	Brentwood, N.Y.	Chicago (MLS)
Berhalter, Gregg	D	6'1"	175	08/01/73	21/0	Tenafly, N.J.	Crystal Palace (England)
Donovan, Landon	F	5'8"	148	03/04/82	14/2	Redlands, Calif.	San Jose (MLS)
Friedel, Brad	GK	6'4"	202	05/18/71	72/0	Bay Village, Ohio	Blackburn (England)
Hejduk, Frankie	D	5'8"	155	08/05/74	35/5	Cardiff, Calif.	Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Jones, Cobi	M	5'7"	145	06/16/70	150/14	Westlake Village, Calif.	Los Angeles (MLS)
Keller, Kasey	GK	6'2"	190	11/29/69	55/0	Lacey, Wash.	Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Kirovski, Jovan	F	6'1"	175	03/18/76	52/7	Escondido, Calif.	Crystal Palace (England)
Lewis, Eddie	M	5'10"	155	05/17/74	33/2	Cerritos, Calif.	Fulham FC (England)
Mastroeni, Pablo	D/M	5'10"	170	08/26/76	6/0	Phoenix, Ariz.	Colorado (MLS)
Moore, Joe-Max	F	5'9"	150	02/23/71	92/24	Irvine, Calif.	Everton (England)
O’Brien, John	M	5'9"	150	08/29/77	11/1	Playa del Rey, Calif.	Ajax (Holland)
Regis, David	D	5'11"	160	12/02/68	23/0	Valenciennes, France	F.C. Metz (France)
Reyna, Claudio	M	5'9"	160	07/20/73	84/8	Springfield, N.J.	Sunderland (England)
Sanneh, Tony	D/M	6'2"	190	06/01/71	26/1	St. Paul, Minn.	F.C. Nürnberg (Germany)
Stewart, Earnie	M/F	5'9"	145	03/28/69	74/15	Point Arena, Calif.	NAC Breda (Holland)
Wolff, Josh	F	5’8”	160	02/25/77	13/4	Stone Mountain, Ga.	Chicago (MLS)

 

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