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U20 Camp and Friendlies - December 12-23


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US Roster for Training Camp and Friendlies, from ussoccer.com

-it looks like the friendly matches will be a 4 team tournament with the US fielding two squads.

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CHICAGO (Dec. 9, 2004) – United States Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Sigi Schmid named his 30-player roster that will participate in the team’s final training camp of 2004 at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., from Dec. 12-23. This will be the last camp before Schmid selects his final roster to compete in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifying Tournament, which will also be held at The Home Depot Center, from Jan 12-16, 2005. The U.S. will be attempting to qualify for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, which will be held in Holland from June 10-July 2, 2005.

Of the 30 players named to camp, 24 are in college while six are professional players, four of which play in Major League Soccer – Freddy Adu (D.C United), Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Craig Capano (Chicago Fire) and Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew). The final two professional players are goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who plays for ESTAC Troyes in the second division in France, and Jay Denny of Stoke City in the English first division.

“Minus a few professional players, basically everyone we are considering using to help us qualify for the World Championship will be in this camp,” said Schmid, who will be holding just his second camp since being named the U.S. U-20 MNT head coach in late October. “We’ve invited in 30 players to give us the opportunity to look at as many players as possible before making our final decision on who will give us the best chance in the qualifying tournament in January. This will be a crucial 12 days as we will evaluate everyone in camp during every practice and see how they compete in the four matches.”

During the 12-day camp, the 30 players will be split into two teams (White and Blue) for games against the Canadian Under-20 Men’s National Team, Necaxa and another team still to be determined. On Thursday, Dec. 16 the Blue team will go up against Canada in the morning, while the White team will face a team still to be determined in the afternoon. Then, on Saturday, Dec. 18 the White will take on Canada with the Blue team facing off against Mexican first-division club team Necaxa. On Dec. 20, there will be an intrasquad scrimmage.

With the qualifying tournament a month away, this will be the first time Schmid will have the chance to look at the majority of players in the Under-20 pool. During the first U-20 camp under Schmid this November in Sunrise, Fla., a number of college players were unavailable due to the beginning of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup, forcing him to bring in a young roster filled with players from U.S. Soccer’s Under-17 Residency Program. Of the 30 players invited in by Schmid to this camp, only 12 took part in the November camp.

Despite the inexperienced roster in the last camp, the U.S. snagged two impressive victories, defeating Honduras 2-0 and then topping Mexico 2-1 with an injury-time penalty kick by Adu.

Out of the 24 college players invited into camp, a total of seven conferences are represented. The Pacific-10 Conference leads the way with eight players, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with seven, the Big East with four and Conference USA with two. The three remaining – Big Ten Conference, Ivy League and Southern Conference – each have one representative.

While only being 15 years of age, Adu is one of the most experienced international players on the team as he was part of the U.S. Under-20 MNT that had a remarkable run at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, finishing in fifth place. In a total of eight games with the U-20s in the past two years, Adu has played in eight international matches with two goals and one assist.

With four professionals available to play the inside and outside midfield positions, the U.S. will look to lead from the center of the field. Alvarez, a consistent starter at left midfield, leads the team with 16 international caps over the past two years, while Capano is right behind with 12 appearances. Szetela (six caps) and Denny (five) have also shown their talent with the ball at their feet during matches this year and will be looking to snag a starting position for the qualifying tournament.

On defense, Westberg is the first-choice goalkeeper as his experience in France and with the U.S. Under-17 MNT has pushed him to the lead in caps for goalkeepers this year with nine international appearances for the U-20s. In front of him throughout the year has been a mix of college defenders, all of whom will be looking to make an impact during this camp to win a spot on the final qualifying roster.

Two of the Under-20’s top players – midfielder Eddie Gaven (MetroStars) and defender Jonathan Spector (Manchester United) – were not available for this camp. Gaven is still recovering from hernia surgery he underwent after the MLS season and Spector is in season with Manchester United. It is still unclear whether either player will be available for the qualifying tournament in January.

During the CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifying Tournament in January at the HDC, the U.S. will be attempting to qualify for their fifth consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship. The U.S. is in Group A along with Costa Rica, Panama and the winner of the Caribbean Zone Series 1 between Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba (T&T leads 3-2 after the first game of the home-and-home series with the final match to be played in T&T on Dec. 10).

The U.S. will play the second match on each day and open against the winner of the Caribbean Zone Series 1 playoff on Wednesday, Jan. 12 before facing Panama on Friday, Jan. 14. The U-20s wrap up the tournament against Costa Rica on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. PT. The top two finishers in Carson will advance to the FIFA World Youth Championship. Ticket information will be released and made available at ussoccer.com when it becomes available.

The other two CONCACAF representatives to the 2005 FIFA WYC will come from CONCACAF U-20 Group B as Honduras will host Mexico, Canada and Jamaica in San Pedro Sula from Jan. 26-30, 2005.

U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team Training Camp Roster

The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.

Dec. 12-23

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club / College

Adu, Freddy F 5’8 150 06/02/89 Potomac, Md. DC United

Allen, Ely F 5’10 165 06/12/86 Kent, Wash. University of Washington

Alvarez, Arturo M 5’9 145 06/28/85 Houston, Texas San Jose Earthquakes

Barrett, Chad F 5’11 180 04/30/85 Beaverton, Ore. UCLA

Capano, Craig M 5’7 140 07/07/85 Hyde Park, N.Y. Chicago Fire

Christman, Adam F 6’0 180 01/08/85 Glen Allen, Va. University of Virginia

Colaluca, Nico M/F 5’9 150 05/23/86 Coventry, R.I. University of Virginia

Dalby, Greg D 6’0 175 11/03/85 Poway, Calif. Notre Dame University

Davies, Charlie F 5’10 160 06/25/86 Manchester, N.H. Boston College

Denny, Jay M 6’0 150 01/06/86 Shenstone, England Stoke City (ENGLAND)

Fielhaber, Benny M 5’9 150 01/19/85 Irvine, Calif. UCLA

Freeman, Hunter D/M 5’11 170 01/08/85 Allen, Texas University of Virginia

Hughes, Justin GK 6’0 165 04/23/85 Wake Forest, N.C. University of North Carolina

Ianni, Patrick M 6’1 175 04/15/85 Lodi, Calif. UCLA

John, Will F/M 5’10 155 06/13/85 Overland Park, Kan. St. Louis University

Kartunen, Andrew GK 6’1 175 02/07/85 San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Stanford University

Kljestan, Sacha M 6’1 150 09/09/85 Huntington Beach, Calif. Seton Hall University

McClung, Kiel D 6’1 170 05/01/85 Palmdale, Calif. UCLA

Ordonez, Mike D/M 6’1 175 09/27/85 Miami, Fla. Dartmouth University

Patterson, Randi F 5’10 170 04/16/85 Hackensack, N.J. UNC – Greensboro

Peterson, Jacob F 5’10 160 01/27/86 Portage, Mich. Indiana University

Phelan, Patrick D 6’1 175 01/16/85 Enfield, Conn. Wake Forest University

Purdy, Steve D/M 6’3 180 02/05/85 San Jose, Calif. University of California

Schilling, Karl D 6’0 160 08/20/86 Canton, Conn. University of Connecticut

Sturgis, Nathan D 5’10” 150 07/06/87 St. Augustine, Fla. Clemson University

Szetela, Danny M 5’11 170 06/17/87 Clifton, N.J. Columbus Crew

Videira, Michael D/M 5’11” 170 01/06/86 Milford, Mass. Duke

Ward, Tim D 6’0 160 02/28/87 Waukesha, Wis. St. Louis University

Westberg, Quentin GK 6’1 180 04/25/86 Paris, France ESTAC Troyes (FRANCE)

Wynne, Marvell D 5’10 170 05/08/86 Poway, Calif. UCLA

U.S. U-20 MNT Staff

Position Name Residence

Head Coach: Sigi Schmid Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Assistant Coach: Dave Dir Addison, Texas

Assistant Coach: Marcelo Balboa Denver, Colo.

Assistant Coach: Peter Vermes Overland Park, Kan.

Coordinator: Erik Carlson Long Beach, Calif.

Trainer: Jason Matthews Chicago, Ill.

Equipment Manager: Mike Manning Newberry Park, Calif.

Press Officer: Neil Buethe Chicago, Ill.

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quote:Originally posted by canso

"U.S. Under-20 MNT that had a remarkable run at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, finishing in fifth place."

How do they figure fifth place, they lost in the quarterfinals, and why does it matter?

No, the great American revisionist tradition is obviously at full force here. Don't be surprised to see articles claiming: "The US finished an impressive second to what was clearly an overage Brazilian side in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships."

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Does anyone know if Rob Sing was considered for this team? He's only 18 and spent the spring and summer trying out in Brazil. His friends say he's close to signing for Corinthians once he gets a work visa for Brazil.

He's back in BC for the winter, finishing school. He's playing amateur in the VMSL against many former Whitecaps. Last week he was named the player of the week in the VMSL.

He's a skillful midfielder, 6'1" and 170 lbs.

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Posted at BigSoccer.com today. Nothing on our boys other than the GK impressed:

Just saw the U-20 Grey team beat Canada 1-0. I'm sure others will report on the game, including www.topdrawersoccer.com Was an early goal (Barrett?) from a Robbie Rogers cross. The U.S. created a lot of opportunities, especially in the first half, and the Canadian GK came up big several times. I was very impressed with him.

I won't run down each player, just give some random impressions. I thought Marvell Wynne at right back played well (he only played the first half). Not technically gifted, he nonetheless has other good qualities. Good pace, strong, good positioning, I know one game doesn't tell the whole picture, but I have a feeling he's making a strong case for inclusion on the qualifying team.

Danny Szetela makes the game look easy. At 17 he was the most mature U.S. player--calm, cool and collected. Though not brilliant technically, he's pretty damn good, and just moves around the field like he's been there for a long time.

Nico Colaluca impressed me with his comfort on the ball. I've seen few players who can pivot as well as he can. (Can't anyone else cut the ball with the outside of the foot?)

Robbie Rogers needs work on his passing decisions and passing touch. But he has serious wheels, and was unlucky not to score on a scorching header (one of the many fine saves by the Canadian GK).

Another one with serious wheels is Randi Patterson, who came on in the 2nd half. He's listed at 5'10", but he didn't appear that tall to me. Not sure if he has the dribbling skills needed to really advance, but he really knows how to get at defenders with speed, and he had several nice shots.

Fielhaber has nice skill in the middle and worked hard all game, but his lack of size and strength may not allow him to crack this squad, which seems strongest in the midfield.

The back line, as others have mentioned, is the weak link. Phelan has nice size and presence in the middle, and only played the first half. Sturgis was OK, but he moves stiffly. McClung was so-so. In the 2nd half Christman came on at CB. I guess he was told that if he wants to make it, he should play at the back rather than at forward. You can see his inexperience there, but he has good pace, is strong and can ping the ball. Be interesting to see if he can develop there.

Well, it's back to HDC for the Blue team against Necaxa.

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Thanks for the report, Ed. I guess they rescheduled the matches from the US report I posted above:

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(from ussoccer.com)

Under-20 MNT Prepare for Four Matches in Three Days at HDC

12/17/04 6:16 PM

CANADA AND NECAXA

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team has hit the halfway mark of their 12-day camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., and get set to play the first two of four matches on Saturday. The 30 players in camp have been split up into two teams (see below for rosters) with the Grey team playing the Canadian Under-20 Men’s National Team at 10 a.m. and the Blue team playing Mexican first division club team Necaxa at 3 p.m. The players will have the day off on Sunday before playing two more games on Monday, once again facing off against Canada at 10 a.m. and then a collection of local college and professional players at 3 p.m.

U.S. Under-20 MNT Match Schedule

Date Opponent Venue Time (PT)

Dec. 18 Canada U-20 HDC – Field 1 10 a.m. [uS GREY 1- Canada 0]

Dec. 18 Necaxa HDC – Field 1 3 p.m. [vs. US Blue]

Dec. 20 Canada U-20 HDC – Field 1 10 a.m. [vs. US BLUE]

Dec. 20 All-Star Team HDC – Field 1 3 p.m. [vs.US GREY}

U.S. U-20 Grey Team

GOALKEEPERS (1): Justin Hughes (UNC); DEFENDERS (4): Kiel McClung (UCLA), Patrick Phelan (Wake Forest), Nathan Sturgis (Clemson), Marvell Wynne (UCLA); MIDFIELDERS (5): Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Nico Colaluca (Virginia), Robbie Rogers (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Benny Fielhaber (UCLA), Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew); FORWARDS (4): Ely Allen (Washington), Chad Barrett (UCLA), Adam Christman (Virginia), Randi Patterson (UNC-Greensboro).

U.S. U-20 Blue Team

GOALKEEPERS (1): Quentin Westberg (ESTAC Troyes); DEFENDERS (5): Greg Dalby (Notre Dame), Hunter Freeman (Virginia), Mike Ordonez (Dartmouth), Karl Schilling (Connecticut), Tim Ward (St. Louis); MIDFIELDERS (4): Craig Capano (Chicago Fire), Patrick Ianni (UCLA), Sacha Kljestan (Seton Hall), Michael Videira (Duke); FORWARDS (4): Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Charlie Davies (Boston College), Will John (St. Louis), Jacob Peterson (Indiana).

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Report of Matches Saturday,

http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=134830&itype=113&iCategoryID=0

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U.S. Under-20 MNT Split Squads Each Come Away With Victories Against Canada and Necaxa

12/19/04 0:28 AM

* Head coach Sigi Schmid Remains Undefeated With Fourth Straight Victory Since Taking Over U-20s

* Chad Barrett Scores Lone Goal in 1-0 Victory Over Canada

* Sacha Kljestan and Jacob Peterson Notch Goals as U.S. Topples Necaxa 2-1

* Under-20s Will Two More Games on Monday, Dec. 20 Against Canada and Local All-Star Team

CARSON, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2004) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team kicked off the first of two days of games during their 12-day training camp at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, splitting into two teams (Grey and Blue), both of which came away with one-goal victories. The Grey team used an early goal by Chad Barrett to cruise to a 1-0 victory over the Canadian Under-20 Men's National Team in the morning, while the Blue team got goals from Sacha Kljestan and Jacob Peterson to topple a tough Necaxa team.

The players will have the day off on Sunday before playing two more games, once again facing off against Canada at 10 a.m. and then a collection of local college and professional players at 3 p.m.

Head coach Sigi Schmid stayed unbeaten, snagging his third and fourth straight victory in his second camp since taking over the team in late October. Schmid’s previous victories were against Honduras (2-0) and Mexico (2-1) during the coach’s first camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in November.

The 12 day camp, which kicked off on Dec. 12, will be crucial as Schmid prepares to whittle the 30 players invited in this camp down to 18 for the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament from Jan. 12-16, which will also be at The Home Depot Center. The U.S. U-20s, who are attempting to qualify for a fifth consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship, play the second match on each day and open against Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, Jan. 12 before facing Panama on Friday, Jan. 14. The U-20s wrap up the tournament against Costa Rica on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. PT. The top two finishers in Carson will advance to the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands from June 10-July 2, 2005.

“The camp has gone well so far,” said Schmid after the two matches on Saturday. “It is difficult as we are attempting to identify players this week to make a final decision on our qualifying roster as I haven’t had much time to work with, but overall I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen.”

The U.S. Grey team set the tone for the day with a solid performance against Canada. There were a limited number of chances for either squad in the first half, with each team only putting one shot on target. The U.S. was able to do better with their chance though as Barrett buried his shot in the sixth minute.

On the goal, midfielder Robbie Rogers got free inside the penalty area on the right side and dribbled to the endline before knocking the ball back for Barrett, who buried his one-timer into the upper-right corner.

Canada’s only chance of the first half was in the 24th minute when central defender Andrew Hainault flick header off a free kick went over the crossbar.

The U.S. was able to create a number of quality chances in the first twenty minutes, but couldn’t widen their lead before fatigue set in for a number of players and the game turned a bit sloppy in the final third of the half.

Two minutes after the break, UNC-Greensboro product Randi Patterson came inches from scoring from his right midfield position. Canada defender Tyler Hemming attempted to clear a cross from the right wing by Nathan Sturgis, but his header fell directly to the feet of Patterson, who took a touch to control before unleashing a blast that nicked the top of the crossbar.

Adam Cristman, who usually plays as a forward at Virginia, had the next chance for the U.S. from his central back position in the 12th minute. Pushing forward on a corner kick, Cristman crashed the penalty area and got his head to Nico Colaluca’s service, but goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was able to parry the shot over the bar.

Four minutes later, Patterson got free once again on the right side behind the defense and hit a low burner that narrowly missed the left post.

Patterson also set up his teammates for opportunities, serving in a ball from the right flank after a give-and-go with Danny Szetela, but Begovic got a piece of Barrett’s header at the back post to keep the U.S. from doubling their lead.

Second half substitute David Guzman put together the best two chances for Canada. In the 30th minute, Guzman got free on the left wing and put in a low cross for Will Johnson from 10 yards out that deflected off people before being cleared away by Sturgis. Minutes from the final whistle, Guzman got free once again and this time pulled the trigger himself, sending a 25 yard shot dipping a fraction too late as it fell behind the U.S. goal.

The Blue team followed suit in the afternoon with a 2-1 victory over Mexican first division club team Necaxa, who is training in the area during their preseason. Despite being outshot 13-5, the U.S. was able to pull out the win by capitalizing on their chances.

The U.S. took the lead a minute from the halftime whistle as Kljestan scored on a creative pass from Peterson. Freddy Adu started the attack on the right flank, pushing the ball a bit to his left for Kljestan, who quickly knocked it forward to Peterson near the top of the box. Instead of stopping the ball, Peterson rolled the ball straight behind him with his cleats and Kljestan blew past the Necaxa defenders, burying the ball past the ‘keeper.

Necaxa found the equalizer in the 70th minute as Da Costa Fabiano got free behind the U.S. defense and placed his shot into the lower right corner past Quentin Westberg.

The U.S. bounced back a minute later after another nice buildup by the U.S. Kljestan played a give-and-go with Charlie Davies getting the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Kljestan dribbled past one defender before crossing the ball in front of the goal. The goalkeeper got a hand to it, but it went over his head and a defender tried to head it out for danger. Peterson was there to knock it home from six feet out

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Match summary here:

- U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Game Report -

Participants: U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team vs. Canada

Competition: Friendly

Location: The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.

Date: Dec. 18, 2004

Weather: Warm; 70 degrees

Scoring Summary:

1st 2nd Final

United States 1 0 1

Canada 0 0 0

USA – Chad Barrett (Robbie Rogers) 6th minute

Lineups:

USA – 24-Justin Hughes; 2-Ely Allen, 5-Patrick Phelan (4-Kiel McClung, 46), 6-Nathan Sturgis, 16-Marvell Wynne (11-Adam Cristman, 46); 12-Benny Fielhaber, 10-Nico Colaluca, 9-Arturo Alvarezb (capt.) (13-Randi Patterson, 46), 8-Danny Szetela, 14-Robbie Rogers; 7-Chad Barrett.

CAN – 1-Asmir Begovic; 2-Simon Kassaye, 5-Brad Peetoom (12-Myles Davis, 59), 4-Andrew Hainault (capt.), 3-Partrick Kelly (14-Tyler Hemming, 46); 7-Jaime Peters (13-David Guzman, 46), 8-Tyler Rosenlund, 6-Ryan Gyaki (14-Tristan Murray, 62), 11-Nikolas Ledgerwood (15-Murphy Wiredu, 75); 10-Will Johnson, 9-Riley O’Neill (16-Dylan Hughes, 46).

Statistical Summary:

USA CAN

Shots 9 3

Shots on goal 5 2

Saves 2 3

Corner Kick 5 2

Fouls 15 13

Offside 1 3

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

No, the great American revisionist tradition is obviously at full force here. Don't be surprised to see articles claiming: "The US finished an impressive second to what was clearly an overage Brazilian side in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships."

Or maybe they took into acount how they finished in the group compared to the other quaterfinalists.

Sheesh, lay off the Hateorade.

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quote:Originally posted by canso

USA lost in the quarterfinals...end of story.

SABuffalo is right, you and Beaver should relax a bit. At the end of the tournament, FIFA ranks the teams, using how far they went, plus their group stage performance. In 2003, the U.S. was ranked 5th in the tournament, Canada was ranked 8th. In 2001 Canada was last (24th). Here'a a pdf with the rankings from every youth tournament, its on the last page:

http://fifa.com/infoplus/IP-205_01E_WYC.pdf

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Another 1-0 loss today, this time to the USA Blue split squad. No game report as yet but someone on bigsoccer said Canada looked much better today.

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CARSON, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2004) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team won their final two games during their final training camp of 2004 at The Home Depot Center on Monday, splitting into two teams (Grey and Blue) and coming away with a 1-0 victory over Canada and a 4-1 victory over a California All-Star team. The victory was head coach Sigi Schmid’s sixth straight as he stays unbeaten since taking over the U-20 MNT in late October.

Jacob Peterson had the winning goal against Canada off a free kick from Hunter Freeman for the Grey team in the morning match. In the afternoon, Charlie Davies and Randi Patterson led the way for the Blue team, combining for three goals and two assists against the California All-Stars, a mix of local college or former college players.

The 12-day camp will end on Thursday, as he players will all fly home for the holidays. Over the next two days, Schmid will hold training sessions as he determines his final roster (including alternates) that he’ll bring in early January when the U.S. gets back together for training before the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament from Jan. 12-16, which will also be at The Home Depot Center.

The U.S. U-20s, who are attempting to qualify for a fifth consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship, play the second match on each day and open against Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, Jan. 12 before facing Panama on Friday, Jan. 14. The U-20s wrap up the tournament against Costa Rica on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. PT. The top two finishers in Carson will advance to the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands from June 10-July 2, 2005.

“I think we’ve progressed somewhat from the beginning of this camp and I was happy with the games today,” said Schmid after the two matches on Saturday. “We had moments in the game where I thought the movement of the ball was very good. It’s going to get better and as I’ve told the team we’re undefeated in all the games we’ve played and our best soccer is still ahead of us. That’s a good sign.”

The U.S. Grey team was the dominant side against Canada, holding possession for the majority of the match and clamping down on defense to hold their northern neighbors to only six shots on goal total. U.S. goalkeeper Quentin Westberg was never really tested by Canada, only needing to come up with one save on the night.

The fantastic defensive effort was lead by central backs Patrick Ianni and Patrick Phelan. Ianni was solid in the air and on tackles winning the majority of the long balls played in from midfield, while Phelan was able to put the U.S. on the attack quickly with a number of precise long balls out of the back to his outside midfielders and forwards.

The U.S. got the winning goal in the 22nd minute on a free kick won when Freddy Adu was tripped up deep on the right sideline. Defender Hunter Freeman curled in a cross to the huddled penalty area where Phelan let the ball pass him by and Jacobsen was bury it first-time into the right side of the net.

Second half substitutes Danny Szetela and Chad Barrett almost doubled the lead for the U.S. just four minutes after the break. Barrett got free on the left side of the goal, beating a defender along the endline before dropping the ball back for Szetela. With the ‘keeper out of position, Szetela put his shot on the open net, but defender Andrew Hainault was there to clear it off the line.

During the rest of the half, Szetela, Barrett and Greg Dalby all unleashed shots, but none were able to find the back of the net. Barrett’s attempt in the 73rd minute was the most dangerous as he beat Hainault to a long ball and went free in on goal, but his breakaway attempt went wide left.

The Blue team easily took care of the California All-Star team, which was comprised of a number of local players from the area.

Patterson, playing upfront with Davies, was the most impressive player in the match, as he was involved in all three goals. The UNC-Greensboro standout drew the foul that led to a penalty kick early, before assisting on both of Davies’ goals and knocking one home himself.

“Randi is doing well,” said Schmid. “It’s the first time in for him, so he gets more comfortable each time he gets out there. I think he showed some good things, which were positives for us.”

The U.S. jumped out to an early lead when Szetela stole the ball in midfield and quickly pushed the ball ahead to Patterson, knifing his way into the penalty area. Patterson moved in on goal, but was brought down from behind and the referee pointed to the spot. Capano calmly placed the ball into the right side of the net for a 1-0 lead.

In the 16th minute, Patterson stepped in front of a poor pass out of the California back and found Davies cutting in on goal to his right. Davies took a few touches before slipping the ball past the ‘keeper into the lower-left corner of the goal.

A minute later, California was able to strike back as their two forwards combined for the goal, as a nice dribbling run in the box drew out Andrew Kartunen and he couldn’t get to the pass across the middle for the wide-open finish.

Patterson kept up his pressure in the second half, ripping a shot that just missed in the 52nd minute. He got loose in midfield and dribbled to his left along the 18-yard box looking for some room to shoot before unleashing a bullet that nicked the top of the crossbar.

Eight minutes later, Patterson broke free down the right side and put in a cross for Davies, who was crashing into the six-yard box at the back post. Davies was just able to get a touch to it and direct it inside the left post.

Patterson then finished off the scoring with his own strike in the 80th minute. After a good combination play between Robbie Rogers and Szetela, Rogers lifted the ball over the backline for a streaking Arturo Alvarez toward the endline. Alvarez was able to run it down and flicked the ball over the ‘keeper to Patterson at the back post for the easy finish.

- U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Game Report -

Participants: U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team vs. Canada

Competition: Friendly

Location: The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.

Date: Dec. 20, 2004

Weather: Warm; 70 degrees

Scoring Summary:

1st 2nd Final

United States 1 0 0

Canada 0 0 0

USA – Jacob Peterson (Hunter Freeman) 22nd minute

Lineups:

USA – 1-Quentin Westberg; 9-Hunter Freeman, 5-Patrick Phelan, 5-Patrick Ianni, 6-Nathan Sturgis (3-Marvell Wynee, 46); 12-Benny Fielhaber, 4-Greg Dalby, 12-Will John, 16-Sacha Kljestan (10-Danny Szetela, 46); 11-Freddy Adu (7-Chad Barrett, 46), 15-Jacob Peterson (20-Robbie Rogers, 46).

CAN – 1-Joshua Wagenaar; 2-Simon Kassaye, 5-David Edgar, 4-Andrew Hainault (capt.), 3-Nikolas Ledgerwood; 7-Jaime Peters (15-Will Johnson, 71), 8-Tyler Rosenlund, 6-Ryan Gyaki 9-Jeremy Shepherd (13-David Guzman, 46); 10-Franco Lalli (16-Riley O’Neill, 53), 11-Dylan Hughes (16-Murphy Wiredu, 46).

Statistical Summary:

USA CAN

Shots 12 6

Shots on goal 4 1

Saves 1 2

Corner Kick 5 2

Fouls 11 10

Offside 0 1

- U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Game Report -

Participants: U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team vs. California All-Stars

Competition: Friendly

Location: The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.

Date: Dec. 20, 2004

Weather: Warm; 70 degrees

Scoring Summary:

1st 2nd Final

United States 2 2 4

California All-Stars 1 0 1

USA – Craig Capano (penalty kick) 3rd minute

USA – Charlie Davies (Randi Patterson) 16th

CAS – n/a 17th

USA – Charlie Davies (Randi Patterson) 60th

USA – Randi Patterson (Arturo Alvarez) 80th

Lineups:

USA – 24-Justin Hughes (18-Andrew Kartunen, 46); 12-Tim Ward, Kiel McClung (6-Karl Schilling, 46), 3-Adam Cristman (2-Ely Allen, 46), 5-Micheal Ordonez; 10-Danny Szetela (20-Robbie Rogers, 46), 15-Mike Vidiera, Craig Capano, Arturo Alvarez; Randi Patterson, Charlie Davies.

CAS – n/a

Statistical Summary:

USA CAS

Shots 11 9

Shots on goal 6 5

Saves 4 2

Corner Kick 4 2

Fouls 11 7

Offside 2 4

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I really am beginning to wonder that the big difference between this U20 side and the last one is no Hutchinson to run the midfield and more importantly, no Hume to pop in the goals. Last time around, I thought the reason we progressed so far was Mitchell getting the defense very well organised (which he seems to be doing again) and Hume being able to score. IT seems no one on the current side has Hume's ability, and I wonder about the central midfield as on paper its not very dominant (perhaps the team needs a bit of time to gel of course). I think we could really use the younger De Guzman to play there and create some ball control (of course, this is without having seen the game, but a couple of shots on net and no goals over two games cannot be that encouraging). Hopefully, him and Uccello up front may help in this category, and perhaps De Jong on the left wing. There are also Charowski and Schiavoni in central midfield, Ramallo at right back and Wilson up front who are not with this team. So there is still some hope for some improvement.

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We need to remember, before we get too down on the team, that the US have largely lived and played together for some time at Bradenton so at this stage, they are going to be more organized and better as a unit - even split in half. With that level of familiarity, the vantages early on in the cycle are huge. Now I am not saying that we are necessarily going to be better than the US when all is said and done. Simply that it is too early to worry about losing to split squad.

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Great point Gordon. I think we all discussed the merits of bringing in Jonathan DeGuzman and Uccello just prior to the qualification tournament after these guys had never played with the all the others, who at least had these types of camps and tourneys together previously.

I agree An Observer, I do not think we have anyone playing at the level of Hume or Hutchinson.

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Ivan, that is speculation on your part I'd say. Hutchison was not exactly setting the world on fire prior to the U20s in the middle east. Quite a few of the boys in this set of U20s are living in a total football environment, although admittedly none are playing at the same level as Iain Hume was at 17 or 18. The young keeper Begovic is highly rated and playing up a level at Portsmouth. Nik Ledgerwood has been playing with professionals since he was 17 years old; Dylan Hughes, Ryan Gyaki and Jeremy Shepherd have all spent time in pro environments.

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But Hutchinson was playing in the Swedish Premier League with Oster. Not setting the world on fire, but surely, and with all due respect, higher than the level that Begovic, Ledgerwood and the rest are playing at.

Don't get me wrong Ed, noone wants to see the team do better than I do, and I am very proud of all our boys playing at this level and follow all of them as much as I can (very appreciative of your posts by the way). I worry that we do not have that true scorer (Hume) and stopper (Hutch) that we had with the previous team.

And, in spite of my concern over team unity, I would still like to see the young DeGuz and Uccello with our Nats. I just remember Argentina when they brought Dunfield in with much fanfare ............. although I do not think that Dale is dumb enough to make one of these guys captain after parachuting them in.

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Gordon and Ed, i am not down on the team and time will tell how good this side will be. As I mentioned previously on this Board, this U-20 side will probably be the best prepared ever with the current camp; one in January, and one just before qualifying. But I just don't see a consistent scorer on this side unless Uccello can do it or one of the others step up. Lets face it, in two games there has not been a goal...and from the sounds of it not alot of pressure either.

Personally, I think the players are better than the last U-20 side but the big difference is the spine is a bit weak (no proven scorer, no dominant player in the central midfield, and the central defense is young eg. Edgar is underage and Hainault is an 86 and not 85). I think Ledgerwood and Peters are probably keepers for the future but are wing players and without the strength in the middle they will see little of the ball. Hughes seems to have had little playing time this year with Kaiserslautern's reserves so is likely to be a bit rusty. Perhaps if he gets some playing time in 2005, he will be there for the finals in the Netherlands but we will need someone to get us there. Lali has been injured so not on form. Shepherd has had very little playing time with Hertha Berlin and dropped recently from the organisation all together so I don't believe at this stage he has a great future. As for Gyaki, he can't cut it with the Sheffield United reserves and is playing (when he does play) as overage player in central defense for their U-18 side...not the player you can rely on to dominate the midfield.

I personally think these weaknesses will show up against Mexico, Honduras, etc. but I hope I am wrong.

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An Observer-

I think you may be correct in some issues specially in the defence it seems to be on track, however still no back bone if one is injured or suspended for a match. That could cause some problems on the strecth run.

As Far as Midfield I believe that If they get D guzman and Dejong that will help set the midfield and the spine as far as I am concerned still like to see some Mexican blood there too like Rivas.

However that from whispers and some discussions source in Mexico are suggesting that he has not been invited as of yet maybe im wrong or simply an overesight, I have been wrong before, I hope not they say he is an excellent mid fielder. Wingers they have on the left and the right in 4-4-2, it really depend how your coach wishes to use his strikers, and his mids, he could possibly go with a 4 3 3 or 4 3 1 2 in either case the mids in this case will have to be very strong both attacking and defending. Uccello knows what he has to do and can play both behind the stikers as a free man, in as a central striker where he is more effective scoring touch, or left striker where he had players ejected and or recieved yellow cards trying to stop him from having good wingers getting him the ball in open space. He is strong and a bull and a true goalies nightmare if he is open to recieve the ball. Savona works around in delevoping this kid because of his scoring touch and what he can do. He has the right mister for that, and with his help he is expected to be the best stiker in Savona History with over 20 goals by the end of the season.

If this is the case and these players where to make the team Uccello, Dejong, Rivas, Peters, Oniel, Deguzman, Huges, Ledgerewood, Gyaki, Lalli if not injured and some other too, this will supply ample expereince in all areas of the mid field, to work the ball up to the strikers which should be many chances for the 3 stikers to score. If they go with it in 4-3-3 or a 4-3-1 2 setup. But again precaution is the best defence and a 4-4-2 is what the line up should be in the first have and maybe after switching to either one of the other formations would be not bad.

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quote:Originally posted by Alberto

However that from whispers and some discussions source in Mexico are suggesting that he has not been invited as of yet maybe im wrong or simply an overesight, I have been wrong before, I hope not they say he is an excellent mid fielder. Wingers they have on the left and the right in 4-4-2, it really depend how your coach wishes to use his strikers, and his mids, he could possibly go with a 4 3 3 or 4 3 1 2 in either case the mids in this case will have to be very strong both attacking and defending. Uccello knows what he has to do and can play both behind the stikers as a free man, in as a central striker where he is more effective scoring touch, or left striker where he had players ejected and or recieved yellow cards trying to stop him from having good wingers getting him the ball in open space. He is strong and a bull and a true goalies nightmare if he is open to recieve the ball. Savona works around in delevoping this kid because of his scoring touch and what he can do. He has the right mister for that, and with his help he is expected to be the best stiker in Savona History with over 20 goals by the end of the season.

Interesting stuff, Alberto. I look forward to seeing him in the Canadian jersey, as he sound EXACTLY like the type of player Canada traditional lacks and needs.

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Sounds very promising, but he will play for Canada, right?

That seems to be the question more and more frequently asked regarding promising young talent; will he play for us? Hass it always been of such importance? Before Hargreaves?

That non-decision, offset by the kidnapping of Dunfield, and Gdofrey last generation has set the tone for the youth program. 'Til now! Will Yallop's yearning for Domestics have the fans yawning

at 3am, waiting for Sportsnet to come on?

It's Winter in The Soccer Wasteland!

Merry Christams Voyageurs!

Cheers!

PSs Somebody post something interesting while I'm gone.

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