U.S. U23 Men’s Olympic Dream Over

The U.S. soccer team’s Olympic chances had turned bleak in the second half of Monday’s qualifying game with El Salvador at LP Field in Nashville, TN.

Then, for a while, the Americans were in good position to advance.
But, finally: heartbreak.

U.S. players fell to the Nashville grass in disappointment.

“Just seconds away,” U.S. Coach Caleb Porter said. “It’s unimaginable.”

After the Americans rallied from a goal down to take a 3-2 lead, El Salvador’s Jaime Alas scored a goal in extra time, deflecting the ball off U.S. goalie Sean Johnson and into the net to end the game in a draw and keep the Americans out of the Olympics for just the second time since 1984.

Porter was emotional in his post-game press conference, speaking slowly and fighting back tears.

“It was a painful moment. Players are devastated,” said Porter, who had seemed confident in the days before he could guide his first U.S. team to the Olympics.

“I cried with (Johnson),” Porter said. “He feels like he let everybody down, like he let his teammates down. I told him he didn’t.”

Before the extra time, the Americans seemed to be just one game away from qualifying.

Joe Corona scored a go-ahead goal with a header in the 68th minute for the U.S.

Just three minutes before Corona’s goal, Terrence Boyd scored his second goal, the tying shot, past a diving Salvadoran goalie, and the U.S. came to life in front of the announced LP Field crowd of 7,889.

“It’s a nightmare right now,” Boyd said after the loss. “We are the team that had the most quality in the CONCACAF, in my opinion.

“This is soccer, I’ll say it. This is soccer. For us, the world just ended right now.

“We lost this tournament when we lost to Canada (on Saturday). If you look at Canada (2-0, loss), that was the thing that broke our neck.”

After Canada picked up a point with a surprising draw against Cuba in Monday’s early game, the U.S. needed to win.

The Americans would have been the top team out of Nashville with a win. Instead, El Salvador finished first and Canada second.

“That hurts. It’s probably hurtful to watch, also. That’s one of the things that you don’t want to experience in life. I can tell you that,” U.S.
defender Mix Diskerud said of how quickly the game changed just when his team seemed to seize victory. “All the minutes after our third goal, all those minutes felt like really, really long hours. But I thought we were going to make it. Everybody thought we were going to make it.”

They didn’t. Instead, El Salvador advanced to Kansas City and will face either Honduras or Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday. With a win on Saturday, the Salvadorans will qualify for the London Olympics.

The Americans were the favored team heading into Nashville’s qualifying and mostly looked strong in an easy 6-0 win over Cuba on Thursday.

However, Saturday’s 2-0 upset loss to Canada combined with Canada’s 1-1 draw with Cuba in Monday’s early game put the U.S. in a must-win situation.

The U.S. had played in 14 Olympics coming into this year’s qualifying and 13 since 1924.

The Americans advanced to Nashville as an automatic North American qualifier and were 8-3-2 in its past men’s Olympic qualifier games coming into Monday’s game.

Before Saturday’s loss to Canada, the U.S. had conceded one goal or none in its previous six Olympic qualifier games.

The Americans lost to Honduras 1-0 on a goal in extra time in the 2008 Olympic qualifier championship match, also in Nashville but qualified for the Beijing Olympics with their second-place finish.

(Reprinted from The Tennessean.com)

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A Must Win For U.S. U-23s

The hopes of advancing to the Olympic Games in London later this year took a big hit when the U.S. was shutout by Canada 2-0 in the second game of group play for the CONCACAF U23 Men’s Championship. The loss was the first to Canada at this age level in nearly 20 years.

The U.S., which opened qualifying with a 6-0 win over Cuba, now faces a sudden-death situation at LP Field in Nashville, TN. The U.S. must beat El Salvador tonight, and then would face a strong Mexico team in the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals, which will be played Saturday in Kansas City, will advance to London.

A loss to either El Salvador, or to Mexico in the semifinals, would keep the U.S. out of the men’s Olympic competition for only the second time since 1976. The scenario is the same as 2004 when Mexico shutout the U.S. 4-0 in the semifinal and eliminated the Americans.

“We went to bed yesterday (feeling) side effects, but I’m looking forward, and I know the rest of my team is looking forward to a new game against El Salvador,” U.S. midfielder Mix Diskerud said on Sunday outside the ballroom of the American team’s hotel in downtown Nashville. “We know (El Salvador) is a good team. They’re technical and their formation’s good as well. But I think we’re better.”

It’s unlikely Canada will lose in today’s early game against a weak Cuba team, which has been outscored 10-0 in two games in Nashville, but if the U.S. were to tie El Salvador and Canada were to lose, then the U.S. would advance based on point differential.

“I’m not even thinking about that right now,” U.S. captain Freddy Adu said of elimination scenarios and the sort of setback a failure to qualify would be for American players. “I believe that we’re going to be there. (A loss) is not really something that’s in my head.”

The U.S. U23s defeated Mexico 2-0 in a friendly several weeks ago, but that loss might just fuel the fires for the USA’s southern rival. Before that rematch is a reality, the U.S. has to deal with a good El Salvador team.

“We can’t worry about not getting first place. At this point, we’re just trying to get to the next round,” U.S. defender Perry Kitchen said. “We have to have a short memory with this game coming up because there’s no time to dwell on what happened. We just weren’t sharp (against Canada). We need to be better.”

U.S. Coach Caleb Porter said he likes the mind-set and confidence of his team heading into today.

“They put (Saturday) behind them, and they’re focused on El Salvador, which is what we need to be focused on,” Porter said. “They’re looking forward to getting back on the field. It couldn’t come quick enough.”
The Americans looked mostly sharp in a 6-0 win over Cuba on Thursday but struggled on Saturday as Canada scored its two goals on second-half set plays. The Canadians clogged up the middle of the field, forcing the Americans to try to produce goals from the edges.

“I don’t think it was anything where players didn’t know what they needed to; we just didn’t execute well enough on the day. Credit to Canada. We didn’t do a good enough job exploiting the wide flanks,” Porter said. “But we’ll ready for everything El Salvador does. Bottom line, if we’re at our best we’ll get the result.

“No doubt in my mind that we’re going to get the result tomorrow.”

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U.S. U-23 WNT Wins Four Nations Title

LA MANGA, Spain (March 4, 2012) – The U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team defeated Norway 5-0 in its final match of the 2012 Four Nations Tournament. The victory clinched the tournament title for the U.S. team that also defeated Sweden 2-0 and fell to England 2-1. U.S. midfielder Amber Brooks was named MVP of the competition.

The USA scored just 13 minutes into the game when forward Morgan Marlborough was played a ball wide on the flank. She was able to beat a Norwegian defender and get to the end line before cutting the ball back to a driving Sinead Farrelly who finished the play off by tucking her shot low into the net from six yards out.

The USA’s second goal came in the 31st minute off a corner kick that eventually found the feet of Farrelly. She laid the ball back to Brooks for her to slam into the net.

The final goal of the first half came in the 40th minute when Farrelly finished a cross from defender Camille Levin. Levin made an overlapping run that got her free to play a beautiful cross to the on-rushing Farrelly.

With the match well in hand by halftime, the U.S. added two more after the break. The fourth goal came from Marlborough, who lost several defenders on the turn and fired a shot past the Norwegian goalkeeper in the 61st minute.

The final goal came in the 76th minute and was the work of two of U.S.’s substitutes. Midfielder Zakiya Bywaters slipped a ball to forward Taylor Lytle, who then created separation from her defender and curled a shot into the corner of the goal from 18 yards out.

U.S. goalkeeper Adrianna Franch kept a clean sheet, finishing the match with five saves.

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U.S. U-23 Men Blank Mexico 2-0

Juan Agudelo and Mix Diskerud scored back-to-back first-half goals in a span of a little more than one minute as the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team defeated Mexico’s U-23 National Team 2-0 during Wednesday’s international friendly at FC Dallas Stadium.

It was the U.S. U-23 squad’s first international match since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and U-23 head coach Caleb Porter’s team had an assertive effort against Mexico as it prepares for CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in late March.

“We knew this match would be a challenge and we have much respect for Mexico as a soccer playing country,” said Porter. “One of the reasons we wanted to play this game prior to qualifying was to get some questions answered and measure ourselves. I’m very proud of the guys and looking forward to qualifying.”

Agudelo started the scoring with a header off of a set piece in the 35th minute as Diskerud delivered the corner kick from the left side. Agudelo headed the ball toward the left side of the goal frame as Mexico goalkeeper Liborio Sanchez and a defender were in the area. The shot squeezed in between both Mexico players and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Diskerud then gave the U.S. a 2-0 cushion in the 36th minute as he slightly redirected Freddy Adu’s strike from distance and the ball found the inside of the right post. It appeared the goal was Adu’s from 26 yards out, but closer inspection showed that it was Diskerud who stuck his right foot backwards and put a slight touch on the ball before it found the net.

Porter’s side went with a 4-3-3 formation, and the U-23s demonstrated some good attacking moments and spells of strong possession. There was a two-minute stretch from the 14th to 16th minutes when Mexico could not get a touch on the ball.

Even when the U.S. was not getting shots on goal, the team was hovering inside the box. In the 49th minute alone, Agudelo and Joe Corona both had strong opportunities for a shot on net but both players took one too many touches as Mexico’s defense cleared on both occasions.

Mexico had a difficult time creating scoring chances in the early going, but in the 22nd minute Ricardo Bocanegra hit a deep volley from more than 20 yards out that was bound for the left side of the goal frame. U.S. goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who earned a shutout earlier this year with the U.S. Men’s National Team against Venezuela, was up to the task as he dove to his right to make the clutch save.

Porter took the opportunity to give some of his second-half subs significant playing time. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who played in the second half of the senior team’s 1-0 victory against Panama earlier this year, played the second 45 minutes on Wednesday night. Johnson was tested in the 62nd minute, reacting well for a save against Mexico’s Ricardo Mier, who headed the ball toward the net off of a Javier Aquino corner kick.

The U.S. defense caught a break in the 72nd minute when USA defender Zarek Valentin came into contact with Mexico’s Marco Fabian in the box. Fabian went down to the ground, and referee Dave Gantar rushed in to show Fabian a yellow card for diving.

Porter switched up his three-man front line in the second half. U.S. starters Agudelo, Adu and Joe Gyau were substituted out in place of Teal Bunbury, Tony Taylor and Dilly Duka.

With the U.S. U-23 team’s win, it completed a Leap Day tripleheader sweep for U.S. Soccer. Earlier in the day, the U.S. Women’s National Team blanked Denmark 5-0 to open the Algarve Cup, followed by the U.S. Men’s National Team that earned its first victory against Italy with a 1-0 decision in Genoa.

The U.S. U-23 MNT now looks forward to 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, with the group stages taking place March 22-26 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. The U-23s face Cuba at 9 p.m. ET on March 22, and the match will be broadcast live on Universal Sports Network and Telemundo.

-- U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team Game Report --

Match: U-23 Men’s National Team vs. Mexico
Date: Feb. 29, 2012
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: FC Dallas Stadium – Frisco, Texas
Kickoff: 9 p.m. CT
Attendance: 7,432
Weather: 70 degrees, balmy

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 0 2
MEX 0 0 0

USA - Juan Agudelo (Mix Diskerud) 35th minute
USA - Mix Diskerud (Freddy Adu) 36

Lineups:
USA: 1-Bill Hamid (18-Sean Johnson, 46); 3-Kofi Sarkodie, 2-Ike Opara (capt.), 4-Perry Kitchen, 5-Zarek Valentin; 6-Alfredo Morales (19-Amobi Okugo, 90), 8-Mix Diskerud, 10-Joe Corona; 7-Freddy Adu (17-Tony Taylor, 67), 9-Juan Agudelo (12-Teal Bunbury, 61), 11-Joe Gyau (14-Dilly Duka, 78)
Subs not used: 13-Jorge Villafana, 15-Jack McInerney, 16-Sebastian Lletget, 20-Michael Stephens
Head Coach: Caleb Porter

MEX: 1-Liborio Sanchez, 2-Israel Jimenez, 4-Nestor Araujo, 5-Darvin Chávez, 6-Ricardo Bocanegra (17-Javier Aquino, 46), 7-Javier Cortés, 9-Jeronimo Amione (19-Alan Pulido, 64), 10-Marco Fabian, 14-Jorge Enriquez (8-David Cabrera, 78), 16-Miguel Ponce (18-Hector Herrera, 46), 21-Ricardo Mier (capt.)
Subs not used: 11-Nestor Calderon, 12-Antonio Rodriguez, 13-Diego Reyes, 15-Jair Barraza, 20-Hugo Rodriguez
Head coach: Luis Fernando Tena

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 16 / 20
Shots on Goal: 6 / 8
Saves: 8 / 4
Corner Kicks: 3 / 6
Fouls: 15 / 10
Offside: 1 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Freddy Adu (caution) 38th minute
MEX – Marco Fabian (caution) 73

Officials:
Referee: Dave Gantar (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Phil Briere (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Armando Villarreal (USA)

ussoccer.com Man of the Match: Juan Agudelo

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Porter Calls 23 Into U23 MNT Camp

CHICAGO (Feb. 16, 2012) – U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Caleb Porter named a 23-player roster as the group convenes Feb. 19 for a 10-day training camp in Frisco, Texas.

The camp culminates with a match against Mexico’s U-23 National Team on Wed., Feb. 29 at FC Dallas Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on Univision

The training camp and Mexico match make up an important stretch for the U-23s as they get set for the Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament, with group play kicking off March 22 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.

“I think Mexico is going to be about as close to a qualifying atmosphere as we can possibly get,” Porter said. “We’re going to have, for the most part, our entire group together for the first time.

“The No. 1 priority in this camp is to see our guys in games and to build a little bit of that rhythm by playing multiple games in a short amount of time. Everything is geared toward the Mexico game, but we want to get a couple of games early in the week to get guys minutes so we can look at everybody to help with those final roster decisions leading into qualifying.”

Five players who had not previously been in camp with the U-23 team will be on hand, including FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea, who has appeared in all nine of the U.S. Men’s National Team matches under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The 2011 U.S. Young Male Athlete of the Year and Bryan, Texas, native is coming off a strong season with FC Dallas that included MLS Best XI recognition and a nomination for MLS Most Valuable Player.

Juan Agudelo joins the camp after earning 14 appearances with the senior team last year. Agudelo was the first player to come out of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy to earn a cap with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Also making their first U-23 appearances under Porter are defenders Perry Kitchen, Ike Opara and Alfredo Morales. Kitchen was the third overall pick by D.C. United in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft following a collegiate career at Akron.

U.S. U-23 MNT Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)
DEFENDERS (7): Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Ike Opara (San Jose Earthquakes), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo), Zarek Valentin (Montreal Impact), Jorge Villafaña (Chivas USA)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Gent), Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew), Jared Jeffrey (Mainz), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union), Michael Stephens (LA Galaxy)
FORWARDS (8): Freddy Adu (Philadelphia Union), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Tony Taylor (Estoril Praia)

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Porter Names U-23 Training Roster

U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Caleb Porter has called in 22 players for a two-part training camp which will take place from Jan. 8-25 in Carson, Calif., and San Jose, Costa Rica. The U-23s will conduct the first 11 days of camp training at The Home Depot Center, before traveling on Jan. 18 to Costa Rica, where they will play two matches against local club teams.

The January camp marks the third gathering of this group as the team prepares for the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in March. Tickets for the March 22-26 qualifiers at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., are on sale through ussoccer.com.

"I'm very pleased with where we are at in our process," Porter said. "With three training camps remaining, I know the staff and players are hungry to get back to work after the holidays. We feel like we have a good handle on the pool after two camps, and certainly the group will become clearer when we get closer to qualifying."

Porter's roster includes 18 players who were named to the Dec. 15-23 training session in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

"We are really looking to build as much continuity as possible and this will be reflected in our roster selections from this point forward," Porter said.
The U-23s, along with all men's youth National Teams, are incorporating continuity representative of the playing style and framework that is implemented under the U.S. Men's National Team and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The full U.S. Men's National Team will be training at The HDC at the same time, and the U-23s will face Klinsmann's group twice, with scrimmages on Jan. 13 and 17 in Carson, Calif.

The forward corps has a couple of new additions with Josh Gatt and Tony Taylor joining the roster. Jacksonville, Fla., native Taylor is in the midst of a loan with Atletico Clube de Portugal through July. Gatt, a native of Plymouth, Mich., signed with Norwegian side Molde at the start of 2011 and helped the club win the Norwegian Premier League.

Calexico, Calif., native Isaac Acuña will be part of Porter's midfield in this corps. Acuña debuted for Club América in April of 2010 and is currently on loan to Mérida.

The roster includes a trio of college players. Returning from the mid-December training camp are Duke defenders Sebastien Ibeagha and Andrew Wenger. Also joining the team is UCLA sophomore midfielder Kelyn Rowe, who was named the 2011 Pac-12 Player of the Year and recently earned a contract with Major League Soccer.

"Nothing is completely set yet, and you will see several more players sprinkled in until we make our final decisions," Porter said. "Things are taking shape quickly, which is very promising, and I'm eager to continue building on the great progress we made from the last camp."

The same seven defenders from December's camp return in January. The group includes the Houston Dynamo's Kofi Sarkodie and Montreal Impact's Zarek Valentin, who both played for Porter during the Akron Zips' 2010 NCAA Championship.

There are six players with U.S. Soccer Development Academy ties on Porter's roster: defenders Gale Agbossoumonde and Valentin, midfielders Joe Corona and Rowe, and forwards Gatt and Jack McInerney.

The second leg of the training camp in San Jose, Costa Rica, includes a pair of scrimmages as the U-23s face Saprissa Reserves on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Alajuela on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

The U.S. U-23 MNT was drawn into Group A of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament and will face Canada, Cuba and El Salvador. The teams open group play from March 22-26 at LP Field in Nashville. The two finalists from the tournament qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer.

U.S. UNDER-23 ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Zac MacMath (Philadelphia Union)?DEFENDERS (7): Gale Agbossoumonde (Estoril Praia), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo), Zarek Valentin (Montreal Impact), Jorge Villafaña (Chivas USA), Andrew Wenger (Duke), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union)?MIDFIELDERS (9): Isaac Acuña (Mérida), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabæk), Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew), Jared Jeffrey (Mainz), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham United), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA), Michael Stephens (LA Galaxy)?FORWARDS (4): Freddy Adu (Philadelphia Union), Josh Gatt (Molde), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union), Tony Taylor (Atletico Clube de Portugal)

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U.S. U23s Shut Out In Hong Kong

The U.S. Under-23 MNT wrapped up its pre-Olympic preparations with a 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast and a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the ING Cup in Hong Kong.

While the defense played well in both outings, the results underlined a stark inability to score goals. The only goal allowed in the two games was a first-half penalty kick against Cameroon after Michael Bradley fouled an opponent in the penalty box.

While the U.S. took seven shots against Cameroon, only one was on goal. They also only had one shot on goal against the Ivory Coast.

The U.S. now moves on to China where they open with their first Group B game against Japan on August 7. They play the Netherlands on August 10 and complete the group round robin on August 13 against Nigeria.

U.S. games are expected to be televised on one of the NBC networks (See story on Southern Soccer Scene home page).

The problem of being able to score goals is not a recent one, but rather goes back to the CONCACAF qualifying where Peter Nowak’s team advanced to a semifinal meeting with Canada by drawing 1-1 with Cuba, beating Panama 1-0 and beating Honduras 1-0. They qualified for the Olympics with a 3-0 win over Canada.

Freddy Adu scored four of those goals, but Jozy Altidore failed to score in any of those games. The U.S. was upset in the regional final 1-0 by Honduras. Altidore started both games in Hong Kong without a goal.

The results in Hong Kong are less important than the fact that Nowak was able to get some time on the field for every player on the U.S. roster. The goal was to get better. One would hope that happened.

“As I said before the start of the tournament, the reason we were here was to make progress in the way we play, said Nowak, after the loss to Cameroon. “Looking at this game maybe we’re a still a little bit naïve about international football.

“Going into games like this we have to expect that they’ll be physical, with a lot of contact so we have to prevail. For us, I think the second half we played much better. Progress has been made and we expect to go to Tianjin tomorrow and polish the things that we need to this week.”

The U.S. team, on paper, is arguably the strongest ever sent to the Olympic Games. Nowak probably got every player he wanted, who was healthy.

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Honduras Wins U23 Final

NASHVILLE, TN (Mar 23, 2008) USSF -- The US Under-23 Men’s National Team fell to Honduras, 1-0, in overtime of the 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Final. Both teams had already qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Honduras goal, scored by George Wilson Welcome in the 103nd minute, was the just the second goal allowed by the US during five games in qualifying, and the first goal since the opening half of their match against Cuba, a streak of 421 minutes.

Thursday night’s victory over Canada clinched the USA’s 13th trip to the Olympic Games on the men’s side. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be played from Aug. 6-23 in five venues, and will mark the USA’s first trip to the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2000, when the team advanced to the medal round and finished in fourth place.

“I congratulated our players in the locker room for their effort,” said US head coach Peter Nowak. “It was a very difficult tournament for us and for both teams in terms of knowing how you’re supposed to prepare yourself from game to game. As we said, we work on the spirit and the team mentality and it worked pretty well. We’re happy to be going to the Olympic Games and sometimes for the players it’s just, they’re relieved to get it all behind them and looking forward to getting some MLS games."

Overall, the US finished the tournament with a 3-1-1 record, allowing just two goals in five games while scoring six. Freddy Adu, who was named to the Best XI by the CONCACAF Technical Committee on Saturday, led all goalscorers with four tallies in three games played. Maurice Edu, Dax McCarty and Michael Orozco were also named to the Best XI, while midfielder Sacha Kljestan earned Honorable Mention.

Against Honduras, the US was without the services of four European-based players where allowed to return to their club teams for weekend matches. Along with Adu, Charlie Davies, Jonathan Spector and Sal Zizzo made their way back across the pond on Friday.

With just 16 players to choose from, Nowak once again made a number changes to his lineup, keeping Edu, McCarty and Jozy Altidore on the bench to start the match. Edu would come on in the 26th minute to replace an injured Hunter Freeman, while Altidore would come on in the 80th minute as the US looked for the game-winner.

Despite the changes, the US was the more dominant team throughout the match and outshot Honduras 23-9, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Stuart Holden, Robbie Findley and Eddie Gaven were at the center of most of the US opportunities in the first half, with Holden creating the first chance of the game in just the third minute. Getting free down the right flank, Holden swung in a cross, but the Honduras defense was up to the task, as it was all night, and cleared the ball out of danger.

The US started to pepper the Honduras goal early, but it was Holden who was able to put the first shot on goal for the US in the 27th minute. Four minutes later, Findley got free down the right side and crossed a ball into the box for forward Chad Barrett, but his header went just over the crossbar.

In the 33rd minute, the US created possibly the best chance for either team in the first half when Gaven collected the ball in midfield and pushed forward. The Columbus Crew midfielder fed the ball to Robbie Findley, who was able to avoid a tackle and slip the ball to Edu inside the box. Edu unleashed a shot that looked destined for the lower right corner, but Honduras goalkeeper Kevin Hernandez was able to push it wide.

The US had the first dangerous opportunity of the second half less than a minute after the whistle, when Barrett laid the ball off for Gaven., who found Holden in the box. Holden touched the ball back for Kljestan, but his hard shot was blocked by the head of Erick Norales and cleared away.

Despite the Americans controlling most of the match, Honduras almost took the lead in the 53rd minute when US goalkeeper Dominic Cervi came off his line for a through ball, beating the attacker but giving up a rebound. Luis Alfredo Lopez jumped on the loose ball and took a shot to the near post, but it was saved off the line by defender Pat Ianni. Marvin Sanchez pounced on the ensuing rebound, putting his shot toward the far post, but it went out for a corner.

The US had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead in the 71st minute when Barrett received the ball on the right wing and played it in for Findley, who headed the ball down on goal, but it bounced up and hit the cross bar before being touched out of bounds by Marvin Sanchez.

With the temperatures continuing to drop on a cool evening in Nashville, the teams moved into overtime to decide the Final and it was Honduras that took advantage. In the 103rd minute of the first overtime, Welcome produced a great individual effort that would eventually allow Honduras to raise the trophy on the field after the match. Sitting near the top of the penalty area, he received a ball from the left flank, touched it around Orozco and uncorked a driving shot into the upper right corner from 22 yards out.

The US and Honduras join 13 other teams who have already entered the 16-team tournament, with one spot still up for grabs for a team from Africa. The draw for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament will take place on April 20 in Beijing.

-- GAME REPORT --

Match-up: USA vs. Honduras
Competition: 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Final
Venue: LP Field; Nashville, Tenn.
Date: March 23, 2008
Attendance: 12,663
Weather: 55 degrees, breezy

Scoring Summary:
1 2 OT1 OT2 F
USA 0 0 0 0 0
HON 0 0 1 0 1

HON – Georgie Wilson Welcome (Marvin Sanchez) 103rd minute

Lineups:
USA: 18-Dominic Cervi; 15-Kamani Hill, 3-Michael Orozco, 4-Pat Ianni, 13-Hunter Freeman (6-Maurice Edu, 26); 7-Stuart Holden (2-Marvell Wynne, 89), 16-Sacha Kljestan (capt.), 5-Nathan Sturgis, 20-Eddie Gaven; 19-Chad Barrett (12-Jozy Altidore, 80), 14-Robbie Findley
Subs not used: 1-Chris Seitz, 10-Dax McCarty
Head Coach: Peter Nowak

HON: 1-Kevin Hernandez; 2-Quiarol Arzu, 3-David Alejandro Molina, 5-Erick Norales (capt.), 6-Luis Alfredo Lopez (18-Jose Cesar Guity, 69), 7-Rigoberto Padilla, 8-Irvin Reyna, 10-Ramon Nunez (13-Arnol Solorzano, 115), 16-Marvin Sanchez, 21-Oscar Morales (14-Misael Ruiz, 43), 24-George Wilson Welcome
Subs not used: 9-Jefferson Bernardez, 15-Mario Martinez, 17-Daniel Alvarez, 22-Levon Smith
Head Coach: Alexis Mendoza

Statistical Summary:
USA / HON
Shots: 23/9
Shots on Goal: 6/3
Saves: 2/5
Corner Kicks: 9/4
Fouls: 34/17
Offside: 0/4

Misconduct Summary:
HON – David Alejandro Molina (caution) 20th minute
HON – Marvin Sanchez (caution) 45+.
USA – Stuart Holden (caution) 68.
HON - Misael Ruiz (caution) 83.
USA – Marvell Wynne (caution) 119.
USA – Patrick Ianni (caution) 120.

Officials
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
1st Asst.: William Torres (SLV)
2nd Asst.: Leonel Leal (CRC)
4th Official: Jose Guerrero (NCA)

Courtesy of US Soccer Communications

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U.S. U-23s Qualify For Olympic Games

The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team clinched a berth to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after defeating Canada, 3-0, at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., in the semifinals of CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying.

Freddy Adu led the way for the U.S., scoring the first two goals on free kicks in the 27th and 48th minutes, while Sacha Kljestan finished off the Canadians with a close-range strike in the 78th minute.

The victory marks the 13th time the U.S. will get the chance to compete for a medal at the Olympic Games on the men’s side. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be played from Aug. 8-24 in five venues, and will mark the USA’s first trip to the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2000.
“I was really proud and pleased to see everything that we had discussed before this kind of tournament come to fruition,” said U.S. head coach Peter Nowak. “I think that from the beginning to the end there was only one team that was going to win this game, and it was us."

The U.S. moves on to the championship match on Sunday, March 23 against Honduras, who also qualified for the Olympics this evening by defeating Guatemala in penalty kicks, 6-5, after a scoreless 120 minutes in regulation and overtime. The final will kick off at 4 p.m. CT at LP Field and will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes.
The U.S. had little time to warm up on the field before the game due to the first match of the doubleheader going long, but that fact didn’t slow down the U.S. attack led by Jozy Altidore and Adu. Altidore set up both of Adu’s free kicks with determined runs that forced Canadian defenders to bring him down just outside the penalty area. Adu’s brace made him the tournament leader with four goals in as many games.

Altidore set up Adu’s first free kick goal of the night when he was tripped up by Nikolas Ledgerwood near the right corner of the penalty area. Adu whipped an in-swinger towards the goalmouth that skipped in front of goalkeeper Joshua Wagenaar, who may have been frozen by Kljestan’s attempt to get a foot on the service. Kljestan ended up not getting to it in time, and Wagenaar’s late reaction allowed the ball to get past him and land in the far-left netting.

Learning from their first match of the tournament against Cuba, the U.S. didn’t take their foot off the pedal and pressured Canada’s backline during the rest of first half. Their continued pressure was evident just two minutes after Adu’s goal when Altidore hustled after a bobbled shot by Wagenaar and clashed with the ‘keeper and two defenders.

The game started to get a bit chippy, but the U.S. defense was able to overpower most challenges that came their way. Canada only got two shots off in the first half – and nine in the entire game – and none of them on goal, meaning U.S. goalkeeper Chris Seitz didn’t have to make single save while earning his second shutout of the tournament. Through four matches in the qualifying tournament, the U.S. held their opponents scoreless three times.

The U.S. didn’t give Canada a chance to catch their breath in the second half, coming after them right from the second half whistle in an attempt to double their lead. Adu was given an early chance two minutes in when Altidore was taken down near the top of the box after beating Canada defender Andrew Hainault, resulting in a yellow card for the captain and a 20-yard free kick for the Benfica-based midfielder. Adu curled his shot over the wall and into the upper-right corner, giving Wagenaar no chance to make the save.

"Jozy made two great runs that resulted in two free kicks,” said Adu. “Jozy made a great run and the build up was great. We had a little bit of possession and the ball ended up at Jozy's feet. He turned around ran at the guy and got the foul.

With the Canadians against the ropes and struggling to mount a comeback, the USA took advantage of a break to score its third goal of the game. Adu played a ball out wide left to Stuart Holden, who held the ball while waiting for help before feeding a square ball to Kljestan who darted into the box. Kljestan did the rest, taking a perfect first touch past his defender and firing a low shot to the near left post.

Kljestan leads the team in minutes played with 315 throughout the tournament. The midfielder came on at halftime of the USA’s first match against Cuba, and has played every minute since.

Nowak used his fourth different lineup in as many games, inserting Jonathan Spector into the central defense along with Michael Orozco. A veteran of two World Youth Championships, Spector made his first-ever appearance with the U-23s after joining up with the team in Nashville.

“It’s exciting. Everyone is really happy right now, we’re all really confident that we’re going to Beijing now,” said Kljestan. “We’re happy to finally celebrate with Coach Nowak and we’re all just excited. The whole tournament our team unity was good.”

The U.S. and Honduras join 13 other teams who have already entered the 16-team tournament, with one spot still up for grabs for a team from Africa. The draw for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament will take place on April 20 in Beijing.

- U.S. UNDER-23 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT -

Match-up: USA vs. Canada
Competition: 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying
Venue: LP Field - Nashville, Tenn.
Date: March 20, 2008
Attendance: 13,201
Weather: 60 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary:
1 2 F
USA 1 2 3
CAN 0 0 0

USA – Freddy Adu (unassisted) 27th minute
USA – Freddy Adu (unassisted) 48.
USA – Sacha Kljestan (Stuart Holden) 78.

Lineups:
USA: 1-Chris Seitz; 2-Marvell Wynne, 3-Michael Orozco, 17-Jonathan Spector, 5-Nathan Sturgis; 16-Sacha Kljestan (14-Robbie Findley, 88) , 6-Maurice Edu (capt.), 10-Dax McCarty, 7-Stuart Holden; 11-Freddy Adu (20-Eddie Gaven, 82) 12-Jozy Altidore (9-Charlie Davies, 75)
Subs not used: 4-Patrick Ianni, 8-Sal Zizzo. 13-Hunter Freeman, 18-Dominic Cervi
Head Coach: Peter Nowak

CAN: 18-Joshua Wagenaar; 2-Graham Ramalho (9-Andrea Lombardo, 54), 4-Dejan Jakovic, 5-Andrew Hainault (capt.), 6-Nikolas Ledgerwood, 7-Andrazes Ornoch, 10-Will Johnson, 11-Tosaint Ricketts, 14-Tyler Hemming, 15-Tyler Roselund (17-Marcus Haber, 76), 16-Keegan Ayre (13-Kyle Hall, 30)
Subs not used: 3-Jacob Lensky, 8-Ryan Gyaki, 12-Diaz Kambere, 22-David Monsalve
Head Coach: Nick Dasovic

Statistical Summary:
USA / CAN
Shots: 13/9
Shots on Goal: 7/0
Saves: 0/4
Corner Kicks: 10/7
Fouls: 4/3
Offside: 3/0

Misconduct Summary:
CAN – Andrew Hainault (caution) 47th minute
USA – Jozy Altidore (caution) 66.
CAN – Will Johnson (caution) 89.

Officials
Referee: Walter Quesada (CRC)
1st Asst.: Leonel Leal (CRC)
2nd Asst.: Dion Innis (GUY)
4th Official: Erico Wijngaarde (SUR)

Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Freddy Adu

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Mexico out of Olympic Soccer

The U.S. Will play Canada in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-23 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Thursday, March 20, in Nashville, TN. Canada beat Guatemala 5-0 in its third Group A game to edge Mexico on goal differential. Mexico scored five goals also, but gave up one in their final group game in a 5-1 win over Haiti.

Mexico had been the favorite from Group A to advance to the semifinal, and is now eliminated from a trip to the Olympics later this summer in China. Mexico, which tied Canada 1-1, finished 1-1-1.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-soccer17mar17,1,4206944.story

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U.S. U23s Qualify for Semifinals

Tampa, Fla. (March 15, 2008) – The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team topped Honduras, 1-0, on an Eddie Gaven penalty kick in the final minute of second half stoppage time.

The U.S. will travel to Nashville on Sunday in preparation for the all-important semifinal match, which will be played Thursday, March 20 at LP Field. The semifinal winners will earn a berth to the 2008 Beijing Olympics this August.

The U.S. will play the second-place finisher in Group B, which concludes play Sunday night at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with a doubleheader that includes Guatemala vs. Canada at 3:30 p.m. PT, and Mexico vs. Haiti at 6 p.m. PT. After two games, Guatemala leads the group with six points, followed by Haiti with three and Mexico and Canada with one each.

“We showed spirit and pushed for a win,” said head coach Peter Nowak. “It’s not like the penalty kicks come from thin air or someone gives it to you as a present. I think the boys worked hard on the field and you have to give them credit.”

Gaven’s penalty kick in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time was the result of a through ball from Patrick Ianni to Charlie Davies, who ran into the box and was taken down from behind by defender Quiarol Arzu. Gaven calmly stepped up and put the ball to the right of Honduran goalkeeper Kevin Hernandez, who dove the wrong way.

The penalty was a welcome reprise for Davies, who in the 62nd minute missed a penalty kick of his own. On that play, Davies was pulled down by Oscar Morales and referee Erico Wijngaarde pointed to the spot, but Davies missed the spot kick wide right.

The U.S. created a number of chances on the night, taking 13 shots overall, but once again couldn’t find the final touch to score. Playing their third game in five days, Nowak once again put out a different starting line-up. Freddy Adu, who played 90 minutes in both the first two games and was carrying a yellow card, was not included in the 18-man game day roster. Despite sitting a handful of other field players who had started the first two matches – including Jozy Altidore, Dax McCarty, Nathan Sturgis and captain Maurice Edu – the U.S. was on the attack early and often and put Honduras on their heels.

There was also a change in the nets, as goalkeeper Dominic Cervi replaced Chris Seitz. The start marked the first-ever appearance for the U.S. at any national team level for Cervi , who earned a shutout and Sierra Mist Man of the Match honors for his composed performance.

The U.S. was on the offensive early, starting in the second minute when Sal Zizzo, who got his first start of the tournament, ran onto a ball on the right wing and played the ball in, only to have it knocked down by a defender’s arm. Just two minutes later it was Zizzo again playing the ball from the corner back to Kamani Hill, whose cross into the box was challenged for by both Stuart Holden and Chad Barrett, but the ensuing header went wide of Hernandez’ goal.

Honduras looked to have taken the lead in the eighth minute against the run of play, when a long ball bounced into the box of Cervi. George Wilson Welcome, who was dangerous all night, ran onto the bouncing ball, but was called for a foul on Cervi before the ball rolled into the net.

In the 20th minute, the U.S. built up a long possession that resulted in a Hill cross into the box, but it was just enough behind the charging forwards that the Honduras defense got to it first to clear. The U.S. quickly won the ball back and Barrett played the ball wide for Zizzo, who played a slotted ball in for Robbie Findley. Findley reached back but his shot attempt was blocked out for a corner kick.

Honduras started the second half on the attack, making a quick break up field and taking a shot that was scooped up by Cervi. Minutes later after a big switch across the field, Daniel Alvarez took control of the ball and attacked on the dribble, but he was run down from behind by Gaven.

At the other end, a passing combination through the middle of the field ended up at Findley’s feet on the end line. The Real Salt Lake forward made a short pass to Holden, but the next pass was alertly blocked away by the defense.

The U.S. had the opportunity to take the lead in the 62nd minute when Davies was fouled inside the box and given a penalty kick. Davies stepped up to finish the play he started, but his shot from the spot went wide to the right of the goal.

Cervi, who was active in his area throughout the match, was forced to come off his line for a long lofted ball in the 74th minute. The 6 foot 6 inch goalkeeper came out and used his long arms to reach around the forward and pick the ball off his feet in midair. The U.S. continued to press up until the waning moments, setting the stage for the climactic finish.

Group B action concludes on Sunday, March 16, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., when Guatemala takes on Canada and Mexico battles Haiti. Every team in Group B is still in the hunt to advance to the semifinals, with Guatemala the only team assured of a place in Nashville. The eight-team CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament, which includes national teams at the Under-23 age level, will send the two finalists to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

- U.S. UNDER-23 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT -

Match-up: USA vs. Honduras
Competition: 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying
Venue: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
Date: March 15, 2008
Attendance: 10,974
Weather: 85 degrees, humid

Scoring Summary:
1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
HON 0 0 0

USA - Eddie Gaven (penalty kick) 95+ minute

Lineups:
USA: 18-Dominic Cervi; 15-Kamani Hill, 3-Michael Orozco, 4-Pat Ianni, 13-Hunter Freeman; 8-Sal Zizzo (9-Charlie Davies, 60), 7-Stuart Holden, 16-Sacha Kljestan (capt.) (10-Dax McCarty, 60), 20-Eddie Gaven; 19-Chad Barrett, 14-Robbie Findley
Subs not used: 1-Chris Seitz, 2-Marvell Wynne, 5-Nathan Sturgis, 6-Maurice Edu, 12-Jozy Altidore
Unavailable: 11-Freddy Adu, 17-Jonathan Spector
Head Coach: Peter Nowak

HON: 1-Kevin Hernandez; 2-Quiarol Arzu, 3-David Alejandro Molina, 6-Luis Alfredo Molina (10-Ramon Nunez, 69), 7-Rigoberto Padilla, 8-Irvin Reyna, 14-Misael Ruiz (9-Jefferson Bernardez, 46), 16-Marvin Sanchez (capt.) (13-Arnol Simion, 73), 17-Daniel Alvarez, 21-Oscar Morales, 24-George Wilson Welcome
Subs not used: 12-Obed Enarmorado, 15-Mario Martinez, 18-Jose Cesar, 20-Hendry Thomas
Unavailable: 5-Erick Norales, 22-Levon Smitt
Head Coach: Raul Gonzalez

Statistical Summary:
USA / HON
Shots: 13/8
Shots on Goal: 6/5
Saves: 5/5
Corner Kicks: 8/1
Fouls: 20/19
Offside: 0/2

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Patrick Ianni (caution) 15th minute
HON – George Wilson Welcome (caution) 15.
HON – Irvin Reyna (caution) 45.
USA – Sacha Kljestan (caution) 51.
USA – Hunter Freeman (caution) 57.
HON – Marvin Sanchez (caution) 62.
HON – Daniel Alvarez (caution) 76.
HON – Quiarol Arzu (caution) 94+.

Officials
Referee: Erico Wijngaarde (SUR)
1st Asst.: Ricardo Louisville (SUR)
2nd Asst.: Dion Inniss (GUY)
4th Official: Roberto Garcia (MEX)

Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Dominic Cervi

Group A Final Standings
Team GP W L T Pts. GD
USA 3 2 0 1 7 +2
HON 3 2 1 0 6 +2
PAN 3 1 2 0 3 +1
CUB 3 0 2 1 1 -7

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U.S. U23s Tie Cuba 1-1

The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team tied Cuba, 1-1, in its opening game of 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying behind a 14th minute goal from Freddy Adu. The U.S. is currently tied for second in Group A, and will take on Panama on Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Honduras topped Panama, 1-0, behind a goal from Hendry Thomas in the final minute of play. Honduras currently sits atop Group A with three points, while the U.S. and Cuba are tied for second with one point each.

The result was very disappointing, as the U.S. forwards missed opportunity after opportunity, including a pair of one-on-ones with Cuba’s goalkeeper. The U.S. now must win its other two group games in order to win the group, and avoid playing Mexico, which is expected to be the other group winner, in the semifinals.

In 2004 the U.S. and Mexico met in the semifinials, with Mexico winning 4-0 and eliminating the U.S. from the Olympic Games.

Adu scored after taking a short corner kick to Robbie Findley, who played the ball back to Adu as he was running into the box. Adu took a touch and then fired the ball towards the goalmouth. Screened by midfielder Charlie Davies, Cuban goalkeeper Jose Manuel Miranda didn’t see the ball until the final moment when Davies quickly jumped out of the way, giving the ‘keeper no chance to make the save.

"We had enough chances to win the game," said head coach Peter Nowak. "We have to capitalize on our chances we had in the first half, and also in the second half. As I said, it's the first game and we had a difficult game. We're going to be ready for the next game
Adu was dangerous early and often, giving the U.S. multiple opportunities in the first half. The 18-year-old received a ball inside the box in the second minute, turned and took a shot that banged off the far post and was then cleared away by the Cuban defense.

In the eighth minute, it was Adu who again took a ball from Dax McCarty, turned and took a long-range shot that forced a diving save from goalkeeper Jose Manuel Miranda. In the 31st, Adu took a free kick from 25 yards out forcing a fingertip save over the crossbar from Miranda.

Minutes before halftime, Cuba broke through the U.S. defense by building up its attack from the midfield. After several passing combinations, Leonel Duarte slotted the ball back to Yordany Alvarez, who sent a driven ball toward goal that was redirected into the goal by Roberto Linares. Linares celebrated near the corner flag a bit too excessively, earning a yellow card that would come back to hurt him late in the match.

In the second half, the U.S. attacked quickly, earning a free kick outside the corner of the box just three minutes into the second half. Adu put the in-swinger onto Patrick Ianni’s head, but the defender redirected the ball just wide.

The Americans’ most dangerous chance early on came when Maurice Edu touched a ball down for Adu at the top of the box, but Adu’s one-time shot went just wide of the far post.

The U.S. began to press late in the half, putting together a combination of scoring chances in the 70th minute behind hard work from McCarty, who started things off by hitting a long-range shot, forcing a diving save. Less than a minute later, the FC Dallas midfielder played a ball in for Chad Barrett, who crossed the ball in looking for Findley, but his shot was high.

It appeared that the U.S. had regained the lead late in the game, when Kamani Hill played a soft chip over the back line for Barrett, who beat Miranda, but the assistant referee’s flag was raised for offside.

“It’s the first game and we just need to bounce back,” said midfielder and team captain Maurice Edu. “There are still two more games in our group and now we’re looking to pick up three points in each one. We need to keep our heads up and just put our focus on Thursday’s game.”

Cuba went down to 10 men late in the game when Linares, the goalscorer, picked up his second yellow card of the game. The U.S., with renewed energy after gaining the man-advantage, picked up their offensive pressure in the final minutes and earned a free kick in the 90th minute. Adu took the left-footed shot that went just to the right of the near goalpost.

Group B kicks off on Wednesday, March 12 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with the first of three doubleheaders. Haiti and Guatemala will face off in the first match, with Mexico and Canada to follow. The eight-team CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying touranment, which includes national teams at the Under-23 age level, will send the two finalists to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

- U.S. UNDER-23 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT -

Match-up: USA vs. Cuba
Competition: 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying
Venue: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
Date: March 11, 2008
Attendance: 4,259
Weather: Sunny, breezy – 78 degrees

Scoring Summary:
1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
CUB 0 0 1

USA – Freddy Adu (Robbie Findley) 14th minute
CUB – Roberto Linares (Yordany Alvarez) 42.

Lineups:
USA: 1-Chris Seitz; 4-Patrick Ianni, 5-Nathan Sturgis, 13-Hunter Freeman; 9-Charlie Davies (19-Chad Barrett, 61), 10-Dax McCarty, 6-Maurice Edu (capt.), 14-Robbie Findley (20-Eddie Gaven, 77); 11-Freddy Adu, 12-Jozy Altidore (16-Sacha Kljestan, 46)
Subs not used: 2-Marvell Wynne, 3-Michael Orozco, 7-Stuart Holden, 18-Dominic Cervi
Unavailable: 8-Sal Zizzo, 17-Jonathan Spector
Head Coach: Peter Nowak

CUB: 1-Jose Manuel Miranda; 2-Erlys Garcia Baro, 3-Yenier Bermudez (capt.), 5-Yendry Diaz, 15-Juan Carlos Martinez (16-Loanni Cartaya, 53); 7-Livan Vasconcelos (13-Eder Roldan, 72), 6-Alianni Urgelles, 11-Enrique Villarruta, 10-Yordany Alvarez (18-Yasnier Rosales, 74); 9-Roberto Linares, 19-Leonel Duarte
Subs not used: 4-Raciel Mazquia Pozo, 8-Francisco Carrazanna, 12-Arael Arguelles, 14-Armando Coroneaux
Head Coach: Raul Gonzalez

Statistical Summary:
USA / CUB
Shots: 19 / 6
Shots on Goal: 9 / 4
Saves: 3 / 8
Corner Kicks: 9 / 0
Fouls: 13 / 18
Offside: 4 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
CUB – Yendry Diaz (caution) 18th minute
CUB – Roberto Lines (caution) 43.
USA – Charlie Davies (caution) 39.
USA – Kamani Hill (caution) 40.
CUB – Roberto Lineras (caution) 84.
CUB – Roberto Lineras (ejection) 86.

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Nowak Names U23 Qualifying Roster

U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Peter Nowak named the 20-player roster for 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in advance of the team’s first game against Cuba on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The team arrived in Tampa earlier today after a nine-day training camp in Bradenton, Fla.

“We have seen many strong players over the past few months, and had some difficult decisions to make,” said Nowak. “We feel that the group of players that will compete in the qualifying tournament represent the team that gives us the best chance of going through a difficult stretch of games to advance to the Olympic Games in Beijing.”

The roster features 10 players who have earned caps with the Men’s National Team, led by Jonathan Spector, who has appeared 11 times with the senior team. Eddie Gaven and Sacha Kljestan have five caps each, while Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu have four. Jozy Altidore is coming off of his first start for the full team, scoring his first goal against Mexico in February.

Along with Spector (England) and Adu (Portugal), four other players ply their trade outside the United States, including defender Michael Orozco (Mexico), Charlie Davies (Sweden), Kamani Hill and Sal Zizzo (Germany).

Major League Soccer is represented by 13 players, with Real Salt Lake sending the most representatives with three – Robbie Findley, Chris Seitz and Nathan Sturgis. Two-time defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC each send a pair, while the Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas also contribute players to the qualifying campaign.

After playing Cuba in their opening game on March 11, the U.S. will face Panama on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET and then finish Group A play against Honduras on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET. All three U.S. matches will be the second match of three doubleheaders played at Raymond James Stadium and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes.

Group B features Canada, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico facing off on March 12, 14 and 16 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. LP Field in Nashville will host the semifinals on Thursday, March 20. The top two teams from Group A and B will move on to the semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., where the winners will earn berths to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes will broadcast both semifinal games live on March 20 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET, and the championship match on March 23 at 5 p.m. ET. The third-place match on March 23 will be live on ESPN Deportes at 2 p.m. ET, but delayed at 3 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

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U.S. Qualifiers Televised On Fox Soccer Channel

The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team’s road through 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel, the tournament’s exclusive English-language provider. Fox Soccer Channel will show a total of seven qualifying matches, including all three of the USA’s first-round matches, semifinals, third-place and championship match.

All three U.S. matches in Group A will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., with the U.S. taking on Cuba on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET, Panama on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET and Honduras on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET. Group B features Canada, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico facing off on March 12, 14 and 16 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

The top two teams from Group A and B will move on to the semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., where the winners will earn berths to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast both semifinal games on March 20 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET, along with the third-place match at 2 p.m. ET and final at 5 p.m. ET on March 23 at LP Field.

As announced last week, ESPN Deportes will broadcast all 16 matches of the tournament asd the exclusive Spanish-language rights holders (ADD LINK). Along with ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com will also show all 16 games live online, and will have a replay of each game available on demand for 48-hours following its completion.

U.S. Under-23 MNT head coach Peter Nowak has invited 24 players to participate in the team’s final training camp, which kicked off on March 1 in Bradenton, Fla. The final 20-player roster may include players not in the Bradenton training camp, and will be announced prior to the team’s arrival in Tampa on March 9.

Tickets priced from $18 to $65 for each of the eight doubleheaders in the tournament are now on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 813-287-8844 (Tampa), 213-480-3232 (Los Angeles) or 615-255-9600 (Nashville) and at local Ticketmaster ticket centers in the venue cities.

2008 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying
U.S. Under-23 Broadcast Schedule
Date Match Time (ET) Television
Tuesday, March 11 United States vs. Cuba 8 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Thursday, March 13 United States vs. Panama 8 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Saturday, March 15 United States vs. Honduras 7 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Thursday, March 2 Semifinal #1 6 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Thursday, March 20 Semifinal #2 9 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Sunday, March 23 Third Place Match 2 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes
Sunday, March 23 Final 5 p.m. FSC, ESPN Deportes

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Olympic Dream Dies For U.S. Men

The United States under-23 men's Olympic hopes came crashing down under the weight of a 4-0 rout at the hands of Mexico.

Playing before a wildly supportive sold-out crowd of about 60,000 in Guadalajara, Mexico received a goal in each half by striker Rafael Márquez Lugo and one goal and two assists from midfielder and captain Diego Martínez in a CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinal at Estadio Jalisco.

"Obviously, our weakness throughout the tournament has been conceding goals," U.S. coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick said. "This is the third game (of four here) in which we gave up three goals and, of course, we gave up the fourth one late in the game. You just can't play soccer at the international level and concede goals like we have.

"We were disappointed in our ability to defend. Any team's defending starts with the quality of their one-on-one defending, and there were just too many times tonight when our defenders didn't do a good enough job of slowing the attack down, making a player on Mexico play a negative pass and giving themselves more of a chance to get numbers across the back."

In tonight's first match, Costa Rica earned CONCACAF's other berth in the Summer Olympics by defeating Honduras 2-0.

On Thursday, the U.S will face Honduras to decide third place while Mexico and Costa Rica will play for the championship in strictly ceremonial matches.

The U.S. failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 1976. (The Americans qualified in 1980, but did not compete because of the boycott of the Moscow games.) The setback also snapped the U.S. streak of qualifying for 19 consecutive FIFA outdoor world championships, including the World Cup, Women's World Cup, men's and women's Olympics, World Youth (under-20 men) Championships, Under-19 Women's World Championship and Under-17 Men's World Championship.

"It's very disappointing. I can't speak about other (past Olympic) teams; I can only speak about this one," Myernick said. "We knew it was going to be very difficult here in Mexico. I'm proud of my team to have gotten to this point, but the dreams of our team, the dreams of our players of going to the Olympics, are now something in the past. I'm sure it will hurt even more tomorrow than it does right now. But my team doesn't have anything to be ashamed of."

The streak began and ended with teams coached by Myernick. His under-17 men went to the world championship in 1995, but today he saw his under-23s dominated in all facets of the game, managing only one shot on goal while being outshot 18-4.

Brazil, which saw its men's team eliminated from the Olympics by Paraguay three weeks ago, held the previous longest streak. Meanwhile, Mexico is now undefeated in 20 consecutive CONCACAF Olympic qualifying games, dating back to a 3-0 loss to the Americans on April 26, 1992.

Before the U.S could manage the first of just two first-half shots, Mexico already held a 2-0 advantage with back-to-back goals in the 27th and 28th minutes. After midfielder Bobby Convey was stripped in the corner, Mexico went on a counter-attack. Martinez sent a cross that Marquez Lugo put away from point-blank range for a 1-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, another U.S. giveaway in midfield led to a Martinez cross into the penalty area, intended for the head of defender Mario Perez. As he and U.S. back Nat Borchers battled in the air, the ball sailed over them and into the far side netting to make it 2-0.

"You have to give Mexico credit. I don't think we lost the game, I think they came and won it," U.S. striker Landon Donovan said. "It's kind of like it didn't happen. It's weird. It hasn't really set in yet.

"Really, in the first half, there were two plays that they scored on that ended the game. I thought we were OK (in the first 20 minutes). We had some decent opportunities -- nothing great -- but we were keeping the ball well, and then in like a five-minute period, they had two sequences where they scored, and from there they got more confidence and that was it."

Myernick replaced defender Chris Wingert with midfielder Kyle Beckerman to start the second half, but Mexico was not to be denied. In the 55th minute, Marquez Lugo struck a shot that Countess saved, only to have the striker track his own rebound. With his back to goal, Lugo wheeled around and beat surprised goalkeeper D.J. Countess with a difficult shot inside the post for a 3-0 advantage.

"Plain and simple, they were a better team than us tonight," Countess said. "They outworked us, they finished their chances very well. They had a couple of great opportunities and they capitalized on them. Tonight just wasn't good enough defensively. I think throughout this tournament we gave up way too many goals, and I thought sooner or later it's going to catch up to us. And tonight it did. Mexico is a great side, they deserved to win tonight. They beat us fair and square."

In the 74th minute, Borchers was sent off with his second yellow card, reducing the Americans to 10 players.

Two minutes into stoppage time, Martinez fed late sub Ismael Iniguez for a breakaway and he beat Countess to increase the margin to 4-0.
A header from reserve forward Alecko Eskandarian in the 80th minute was the only American shot to require a save keeper Jose de Jesus Corona.

"It's a tough thing to play Mexico in front of all those people, with their home crowd," Convey said. "They're extremely energetic about the whole thing. I think (Mexico) completely outplayed us. Once they scored, they got more and more momentum, and that was a tough thing to overcome."

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USA vs. Mexico For Olympic Berth

The United States under-23 men must defeat host Mexico before a hostile crowd Tuesday if the Americans are to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Striker Alecko Eskandarian scored three times, leading the U.S. past Honduras in the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Group A finale before about 500 at Estadio Tres de Marzo. Both nations entered the match 2-0 and were assured of playing in the semifinals. All that was left to be determined was who their opponents would be.

Last night, Costa Rica drew 1-1 with Mexico to win Group B. Both sides finished 2-0-1, but Costa Rica took first with a plus-7 goal differential to plus-6 for Mexico. So the U.S., as the Group A winner faces Mexico, the Group B runnerup, Tuesday at Estadio Jalisco here while Honduras and Costa Rica square off in the first semifinal.

A crowd exceeding 50,000 is expected to be on hand in this central Mexico city for Tuesday's doubleheader. Both semifinal winners earn Olympic berths.

"The Mexican team will start the game with 12 players because of the 60,000, but none of them can kick the ball," U.S. coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick said of the anticipated crowd. "Getting to the Olympics is a big prize and it shouldn't come easy and it won't."

Myernick said he was not concerned with Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe's prediction last night that his team would be victorious no matter who its semifinal opponent was because of superior team unity: "I can't control what he says. I'd be disappointed if he didn't think like that about his group," Myernick said. "It's a coach's job to think that way about his group. I feel the same about my team. I think we both have some very talented players and the game will just have to speak for itself."

Today's match provided an unusual amount of scoring for two teams were more concerned about resting players and preventing yellow-card suspensions than winning. The U.S. started the match with six starters -- goalkeeper D.J. Countess, defender Chad Marshall, midfielders DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey (four goals) and Brad Davis, and forward Landon Donovan, the captain -- on the bench.

Similarly, Honduras played the game without five key players, including leading scorer Emil Martinez (three goals), defender and captain Sergio Mendoza, goalkeeper Doni Escobar, playmaker Alex Andino and forward Jerry Palacios.
"We knew it could be a strange affair, which it was," Myernick said. "As you saw, I don't think Honduras was in a hurry to try to win the game. But the things that we said to our players is that we really only know one way how to play and that's to win. We knew that with a draw, we were still going to play Mexico, so why not win the group and be the only team in the tournament that got nine points and scored the most goals. There's nothing wrong with that."

While Eskandarian recorded the hat trick, it was Kyle Beckerman who put the U.S. ahead for good 2-1 in the 47th minute despite the Americans going a player short for the final 61 minutes.

Midfielder Eddie Gaven sent a shot skimming off the crossbar in the first minute after intermission. Then, Eskandarian found defender-turned-midfielder Ricky Lewis in the right corner of the penalty area. Lewis looked up and played a square ball to Beckerman in the middle and the defensive midfielder drove a low shot past goalkeeper John Bodden and inside the right post.

"We know (playing Mexico) is a game that can get us into the Olympics, so we're just excited to be in the position to be one game away," Beckerman said.

The Americans made it 3-1 in the 58th minute on a similar setup, with Beckerman providing the assist. He collected a ball in the midfield and carried toward goal before laying off a lateral pass to Eskandarian, who ran through a huge gap in the Honduras back four. After a quick touch, Eskandarian slipped a shot under the legs of a sliding Bodden.

Eskandarian was at it again in the 70th minute, putting away a pass from his D.C. United teammate, defender David Stokes, who had switched position along the right side with Lewis.

"Since we've had this program together, Esky's been one of the leading goal scorers over the past couple of years," Myernick said. "When he's given the chance, he's generally a good finisher. I would like to see him get into finishing positions a little bit more. I know he had a frustrating year in (Major League Soccer), but I believe in the kid and I think he can score goals at every level if given the opportunity."

A minute later, midfielder Logan Pause, who came on for Beckerman in the 60th minute, was whistled for the USA's second hand ball in its penalty area. Ronald Maradiaga converted his second penalty kick of the match, sending his shot right down the middle as goalie Doug Warren moved to his left, narrowing the Catrachos' deficit to 4-2 in the 72nd minute.

Midfielder Samir Arzu brought Honduras within 4-3 in the 77th minute, pouncing on a bad touch from midfielder Brian Carroll 25 yards from the U.S. goal. He raced between defenders Nat Borchers and Lewis to crush a shot past Warren.

The Americans, however, then put the clamps on, stifling the Honduran attack and almost completely controlling possession for the remainder of the game.

After having one shot blocked off his foot in the 20th minute and another shot saved by Honduras goalkeeper Bodden five minutes later, Eskandarian found net in the 28th minute with a perfectly-placed 25-yard free kick. Gaven made a decoy run over the ball and Eskandarian stepped up with a left-footed shot around the defensive wall.

Honduras struck back two minutes later after defender Jose Luis Burciaga was whistled for a hand ball in the box off a shot by defender Mario Berrios. Burciaga was ejected and Maradiaga finished the PK, shooting into the right corner of the net as Warren dove in the other direction with Honduras' only shot of the first half.
Eskandarian has eight goals in 13 international appearances with the under-23s, 13 goals in 21 overall matches in the last 13 months. He is tied with Honduras' Martinez in total goals, trailing Convey's four..

The U.S.'s 10 goals are the most scored by any of the eight teams in this tournament.
"The tournament really starts now for us," U.S. defender Chris Wingert said. "Obviously, our expectations are to go the Olympics. It's going to be a tough match on Tuesday, but we're looking forward to it."

United States 4, Honduras 3
Lineups: United States - Doug Warren, Chris Wingert, Jose Luis Burciaga, Nat Borchers, David Stokes, Kyle Beckerman - captain (Logan Pause 60), Brian Carroll, Ricky Lewis, Eddie Gaven, Alecko Eskandarian, 19-David Testo. Honduras - John Bodden, Maynor Figueroa (Walter Martinez 80), Nery Medina, Hendry Thomas - captain (Mauricio Castro 46), Roy Posas, Clifford Laing, Mario Berrios, Samir Arzu, Ronald Maradiaga, Israel Abidán Solis (Víctor Bernárdez 75), 18-Jeff Brook.
Scoring:
United States - Eskandarian (unassisted) 28.
Honduras - Maradiaga (penalty kick) 30.
United States - Beckerman (Lewis) 47.
United States - Eskandarian (Beckerman) 58.
United States - Eskandarian (Stokes) 70.
Honduras - Maradiaga (penalty kick) 72.
Honduras - Arzu (unassisted) 77.
Shots: United States 12, Honduras 8.
Saves: United States 2, Honduras 4. Corner kicks: United States 1, Honduras 2. Fouls: United States 8, Honduras 9. Offside: United States 3, Honduras 3. Yellow card cautions: United States - Pause 71; Honduras - Medina 69. Red card ejection: United States - Burciaga 29.
Referee: Gilberto Alcala (Mexico). Assistant referees: Hector Delgadillo (Mexico), Modesto Hierrezuelo (Cuba)/ Attendance: 500 (estimated) at Estadio Tres de Marzo in Guadalajara, Mexico. Weather: 72 degrees, clear, mild.

CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Schedule
at Estadio Tres de Marzo in Guadalajara, Mexico
(All times Eastern)
Semifinals
at Estadio Jalisco
Tuesday, February 10
Costa Rica vs. Honduras, 6:30 p.m.
United States vs. Mexico, 9 p.m.
Third place
at Estadio Jalisco
Tuesday, February 10
Semifinal losers, 6:30 p.m.
Championship
at Estadio Jalisco
Tuesday, February 10
Semifinal losers, 9 p.m.

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Convey Scores Two More To Beat Canada

Riding the continued hot scoring of midfielder Bobby Convey, the United States under-23 men secured a spot in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Convey found net twice for the second straight outing -- assisted both times by striker Landon Donovan -- to down Canada 2-0 before an estimated 1,500 at Estadio Tres de Marzo in Guadalajara, Mexico

The U.S. and Honduras -- a 3-1 victor tonight over Panama -- are both 2-0 in Group A and face off Saturday with semifinal berths clinched. The winner will finish first; in case of a tie, the U.S. would take first on the strength of scoring six goals to four by Honduras. Both teams have six points in the standings and a plus-3 goal differential.

Mexico and Costa Rica are both 2-0 in Group B and the two nations face off Friday night. The winner of each group plays the runnerup from the other group in Tuesday's semifinals. Both semifinal winners earn advancement to the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

"We're delighted to be in the semifinal round. This is what it's all about," said U.S. coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick who has guided the U-23s to a 6-0-2 record in their last eight internationals. "The (U.S. is) very focused and the (team) worked very hard. Now they're only 90 minutes away from going to the Olympics, and that's the only thing my team has come here for.

"I think both Mexico and Costa Rica are very good teams. We don't fear either team. We would be delighted to play either one. My decision on how we go into the Honduras game is going to be based on the yellow-card situation and the injury situation. We want to continue to improve and not just use the Honduras game as a nothing game. We want to get our players some more international experience and use the Honduras game to prepare for the semifinal."

Emotions ran high at the start of the match and five cautions were handed out in the opening 25 minutes, three to Canada.

"Obviously, I can't control the officiating. I can only control my team," Myernick said. "I thought that in the early part of the game, the referee was treating the game a little too. . . delicately. He seemed to be calling a lot of fouls, but again, I can't control the referee."

The Americans grabbed the lead for good with an efficient counter-attack in the 30th minute. The series of excellent passes started in the back with defender Chris Wingert who switched from right side of defense to left in place of an injured Zak Whitbread who tore his left quadriceps in Tuesday's 4-3 triumph over Panama. Wingert fed up the left flank to midfielder DaMarcus Beasley who sent a pass toward the middle to Donovan. Donovan slipped the ball to Convey who drove his shot past goalkeeper Andrew Olivieri for the 1-0 advantage.

"We have a lot of team speed up top, and Landon, DaMarcus and I know where each other is going to be," Convey said, citing two teammates he has played with since they were under-17s. "We've played together enough, it's easy for us to know where each other is going to be. We all just get in good spots, and Landon found me on the first goal, and Landon found me on the second goal. They were two good balls, and I just had to finish."

The U.S. defense, which blew a three-goal lead before squeezing past Panama, did not lose its focus tonight. The Americans tenaciously protected their lead until Convey struck again in the 71st minute.
The sequence began with a long diagonal ball from midfielder Eddie Gaven, springing Donovan for a breakaway. Donovan collected the ball on the right side of the penalty area, then patiently controlled the ball, waiting for Convey to make his run. Donovan put his pass in the path of the advancing Convey, who held off a defender and again beat Olivieri to make it 2-0.

"Bobby plays attacking mid the way I like to play," Donovan said. "He makes runs from deep. I always want good service when I'm making those runs, so when he makes those, I make sure to give him service. He's just playing really well right now; he's just so confident."

"It's like with Beaz (Beasley), too. We all know each other. And usually when we score goals, one of us has assisted on it. They've assisted me, or I've assisted Beaz, or Beaz has assisted Bobby and so on. We've been together for years and years, so it's no coincidence."

After Convey scored, Canada defender Adam Braz was issued his second yellow card -- and subsequently was ejected -- for protesting that Donovan was offside when taking Gaven's pass. This left Canada a man short for the final 20 minutes.

Even with the loss of Whitbread and his replacement on defense, Jose Luis Burciaga, to injury for the remainder of the tournament, the U.S. calmly preserved its lead. Though Canada outshot the U.S. 10-8, only two were on target, with defender Nat Borchers clearing a ball a step in front of keeper D.J. Countess, who was on his goal line, and Countess making the other save himself.

The U.S. put four shots on frame.

"We knew coming into the game that Canada is a strong team," Borchers said. "They're tall and they're very physical, and they like to pump balls into the box. We knew coming in that we had to minimize their ability to cross the ball, which I think we did very well, and minimize how well their striker up top played. I think Chad Marshall did a very good job shutting him down.

In addition to Gaven, four other players -- defender Ricky Lewis, midfielders Logan Pause and Brian Carroll and forward David Testo -- saw their first action of the tournament in tonight's match, meaning Myernick has used 18 of the 20 players on his roster. Goalkeeper Doug Warren and defender David Stokes have yet to appear.

Gaven, who turned 17 on October 25, replaced injured forward Ed Johnson (mild concussion) in the 64th minute and became the youngest player in CONCACAF history to appear in an Olympic qualifying match. The two previous youngest were both Americans and members of the 2002 World Cup team -- Beasley, who was a month short of his 18th birthday when he played in a 2000 qualifier and six days younger than Claudio Reyna when he made an appearance in a 1991 qualifier.

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Convey's Second Goals Saves USA Olympic Hopes

Bobby Convey came to the rescue.

After the United States had squandered a three-goal lead, the midfielder scored his second goal of the evening in the 79th minute to send the Americans to a 4-3 decision over Panama in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament Group A opener for both nation's under-23 teams before an estimated 1,500 at Estadio Tres de Marzo.

"We're always happy to get three points, but we're just disappointed about the manner in which we did it," U.S. coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick said. "My team is very disappointed in the lockerroom, and I haven't had to say a word to them, which is a good sign.

In the first Group A match tonight, Honduras used a goal by Emil Martinez in the 58th minute to defeat Canada 1-0. The U.S. next plays Canada Thursday.

"From the first time we started putting this group together, we knew that the experience was in the attack and the inexperience was in the back," Myernick said. "Tonight was a pretty clear demonstration of that. If we have to win 5-4 or 6-5, maybe that's what we'll do."

After recording eight shots and putting three straight in the net before intermission, the U.S. did not have a shot in the second half until the bang-bang play that produced the game-winner. Midfielder Damarcus Beasley set up the play, carrying down the left flank and crossing to second-half sub Ed Johnson in the middle of the box. Johnson's volley was blocked by a defender, but the loose ball fell to Convey who slammed it past goalkeeper Jaime Penedo for a 4-3 lead in the 79th minute.

Immediately after the shot, Convey collided with Panama captain Felipe Baloy and then fell to the ground under the weight of a celebrating teammates. While Baloy received a yellow card for the incident, the D.C. United midfielder received medical attention, though his only injury was having the wind knocked out of him.

"I scored and their defender punched me in the stomach. I couldn't breathe," Convey said. "He elbowed me in the stomach and then tried to say I was wasting time while on the ground. You have to know it's coming in qualifying and against these teams, and you just have to play through it."
The U.S. went ahead 1-0 in the seventh minute on its second shot after midfielder Brad Davis' free kick produced a poor clearance and loose ball in the box. Convey fought to reach it and drove off the hands of Penedo and into the side netting.

"I'm just happy to play in a more forward position and score goals for my team," Convey said. "I was just in the right place and finished for us. I like playing up there and I was happy that I could score those two."

The next two American shots came after a steady offensive push by Panama for the next 20 minutes. Both wound up in the net.

In the 28th minute, striker Landon Donovan eluded two defenders while dribbling down the right flank near the end line. He played a ball back to Davis who crushed his shot past Penedo to make it 2-0.

Less than a minute later, Donovan was on the receiving end, playing a give-and-go with Beasley, his 2002 World Cup teammate. Donovan provided a clever flick to finish and give the U.S. what should have been a commanding 3-0 lead.

"My team scored the early goal then, at that moment, stopped playing with the intensity that is required to play at this level," Myernick said. "And even though we then scored two more goals, we lacked urgency, particularly in our individual defending, which I thought was poor. But again, congratulations to Panama. They never stopped playing."

The U.S. and Panama traded chances for the rest of the first half, with Chad Marshall putting a header on net in the 34th minute and his fellow defender Zak Whitbread finding the target with a volley in the 45th. Both were saved by Penedo.

Panama came out blazing in the second half, bouyed by the support of an anti-U.S. crowd that chanted "Si, Se Puede" (Yes, You Can) and "Panama, Panama, Panama."

Lanky Panama forward Jose Luis Garces slotted home the first of his two goals after deftly chesting down a long ball that cleared the head of defender Nat Borchers and made it to midfielder Victor Miranda. Garces beat U.S. goalkeeper D.J. Countess to narrow the deficit to 3-1 in the 53rd minute.

Four minutes later, defender Luis Henriquez ran onto a long ball from midfield playmaker William Aguilar and caught Countess flat-footed with a wicked shot from the left corner or the penalty area that found the right side netting from the left corner of the penalty area to make it 3-2.
"I don't know who the best goalkeeper in the world is, but I don't think anyone was going to save that shot," Myernick said.

The U.S. nearly went ahead 4-2, but striker Alecko Eskandarian was stripped of a goal by an offside call after finishing a breakaway chance that was set up by Beasley.

Instead, Panama continued on the offensive and Garces netted the equalizer in the 71st minute after a poor clearance by Borchers of a long ball by defender Francisco Lopez 40 yards from the American net. Aguilar pounced on the ball, quickly found Tejada with a square pass before the forward fed Garces, streaking ahead for an easy breakway goal and a 3-3 tie to the delight of the audience.

"We came out and scored three quick goals and I think we set back a bit, and they came out flying in the second half," Convey said. "We settled in a little too much and gave the ball away a little bit too much, and they just kept creating momentum with the goals they scored. We're just happy that we came out with a win in the end."

After Convey put the U.S back ahead, the Americans had a chance to add an insurance goal in the 83rd minute when Beasley played Johnson behind the defense for a quick breakaway, but the Dallas Burn striker sent his first-time shot a foot wide of the far post.

With the go-ahead goal having taken the wind out of Panama's sails, the U.S. was able to control the final 10 minutes of play and kill off the two minutes of extra time.

"It's obviously one of the craziest games that I've ever been a part of," said Countess who, like Convey, Donovan and Beasley, has represented the U.S previously in under-17 and under-20 world championships.

The U.S. might be without Whitbread who was replaced in the 55th minute by Jose Luis Burciaga because of a quad strain. The U.S. also picked up two yellow cards in the match, with Davis receiving one in the 17th minute and Beckerman another in the 21st minute.

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Moochie Names Olympic Training Roster

Three players who were instrumental in leading UNC Chapel Hill to the 2001 NCAA Division I men's national championship, are among the 22 players Coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick selected to the roster of the United States under-23 men with qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympics less than two weeks away.

The CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament runs February 2-12 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Myernick will hold a seven-day training camp before trimming his roster to 20 by the January 31 deadline.

"It's been a two-year process in which I've learned a lot about this pool of players, and overall I think it's a very talented pool," said Myernick in a U.S. Soccer Federation press release. "Maybe we're not as experienced in some areas as others, but they're still a very capable team."

Former Tar Heels on the roster are defenders David Stokes and Logan Pause and forward David Testo. Also among the other former ACC players are Wake Forest's Brian Carroll and Clemson's Doug Warren and Ricky Lewis. Also on the squad are former Virginia standouts Kyle Martino and Alecko Escandarian.

In Group A, the U.S. faces Panama February 3, followed by matches against Canada February 5 and Honduras February 7. All three games will be played at the 10,000-seat Estadio Tres de Marzo and start at 7 p.m. (ET)

Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago play in Group at Estadio Jalisco. The top two teams from each group will meet in the semifinals February 10 at Estadio Jalisco with the winners of those matches earning CONCACAF's two Olympics berth. The winner of each group faces the runnerup from the other group with the semifinal winners meeting February 12 in an anticlimactic final to determine the champion from the region that includes North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The Ameriacns are led by two veterans of the 2002 U.S. World Cup quarterfinal finish - striker Landon Donovan and midfielder DaMarcus Beasley. Midfielder\defender Bobby Convey and Donovan led the senior national team with 15 appearances in 2003.

The trio of experienced midfielders, along with defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman, hail from the U.S. team that finished fourth at the 1999 under-17 world championships. Donovan and Beasley took the top two individual honors in that tournament, winning the Golden Ball and Silver Ball, respectively, as the top two goal scorers.

Donovan, 21, was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that finished fourth in Sydney, Australia., advancing beyond the first round for the first time.

Also on Myernick's roster are the team's three leading scorers in 2003 -- forwards Testo, Edson Buddle and Eskandarian. Buddle finished tied for 10th in MLS with 10 goals and 11th with 24 points.

Buddle and Testo are joined on the roster by three Columbus Crew teammates -- midfielder Martino, and defenders Chad Marshall and Chris Wingert. Testo, Marshall and Wingert all were selected by the Crew in last week's draft. Wingert received the MAC Herman Trophy as the best Division I men's player after helping St. John's advance to the NCAA championship game and a 2-1 loss to Indiana.

The only player on the team that is not part of MLS is Zak Whitbread who lives in Liverpool, England, and is part of the Liverpool FC youth program,

Attacker Ed Johnson earned the Golden Boot as the leading goal scorer with four goals (though three were penalty kicks) at the recent under-20 world championships where the U.S. finished fifth.

Notably absent from the qualifying roster are defender Oguchi Onyewu of Belgium's RAA Louviere and striker Conor Casey of FC Karlsruher). Neither was released by their clubs.

"Both players are significant components in the pool; unfortunately, (world governing body) FIFA rules and their relationship to international fixture dates prevented them from being a part of this squad." said Myernick who took over the U-23s last January. "While I believe that they can possibly help us in the future, I have all the confidence in the world in this team to get the job done."

The U.S. advanced to the final round of qualifying by romping over St. Kitts & Nevis by an aggregate of 10-0 in a two-match series.

The U.S. under-23 men's roster with hometowns and teams. All players play in MLS except Zak Whitbread in Liverpool:

Goalkeepers (2): D.J. Countess (Sacramento, Calif.; Dallas Burn), Doug Warren (Hoffman Estates, Ill,; D.C. United,
Defenders (8): Nat Borchers (Pueblo, Colo.; Colorado Rapids), Jose Luis Burciaga (Duncanville, Tex.; Kansas City Wizards), Ricky Lewis (Spring, Tex.; Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Riverside, Calif.; Columbus Crew), Logan Pause (Hillsborough, N.C.; Chicago Fire), David Stokes (Dumfries, Va. D.C. United), Zak Whitbread (Liverpool England, Liverpool FC), Chris Wingert (Babylon, N.Y.; Columbus Crew).
Midfielders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Fort Wayne, Ind.; Chicago Fire), Kyle Beckerman (Crofton, Md.; Colorado Rapids), Brian Carroll (Springfield, Va.; D.C. United) , Bobby Convey (Philadelphia, D.C. United), Brad Davis (St. Charles, Mo.; Dallas Burn), Eddie Gaven (Hamilton, N.J.; MetroStars), Ed Johnson (Palm Coast, Fla.; Dallas Burn), (Kyle Martino Westport, Conn..; Columbus Crew).
Forwards (4): Edson Buddle (New Rochelle, N.Y.; Columbus Crew), Landon Donovan Redlands, Calif.; San Jose Earthquakes), Alecko Eskandarian (Montvale, N.J. D.C. United), David Testo (Arden, N.C. ; Columbus Crew).

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