UNITED STATES 2006 WORLD CUP ROSTER
Goalkeepers (3): Marcus Hahnemann; Reading (England), Tim Howard; Manchester United (England), Kasey Keller; Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany)
Defenders (8): Carlos Bocanegra; Fulham (England), Steve Cherundolo; Hannover (Germany), Jimmy Conrad; Kansas City Wizards, Cory Gibbs; ADO Den Haag (Netherlands), Frankie Hejduk; Columbus Crew, Eddie Lewis; Leeds United (England), Oguchi Onyewu; Standard Liege (Belgium), Eddie Pope; Real Salt Lake
Midfielders (8): DaMarcus Beasley; PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Bobby Convey; Reading (England), Clint Dempsey; New England Revolution, Landon Donovan; Los Angeles Galaxy, Pablo Mastroeni; Colorado Rapids, John O’Brien; CD Chivas USA, Ben Olsen; D.C. United, Claudio Reyna; Manchester City (England)
Forwards (4): Brian Ching; Houston Dynamo, Eddie Johnson; Kansas City Wizards, Brian McBride; Fulham (England), Josh Wolff; Kansas City Wizards
The U.S. soccer team will begin their pre-World Cup training camp May 10 in Cary, N.C. They will play tune up matches (friendlies) on May 23 vs Morocco in Nashville TN, May 26 vs Venezuela in Cleveland, OH and May 28 vs Latvia in East Hartford, CT. They are scheduled to depart for Germany on June 1.
The team is nearly evenly balanced between those playing professionally abroad and those playing in Major League Soccer. 12 players play in Europe while 11 play in MLS, the same ratio as the 2002 team.
The U.S. is solid in goal with Kasey Keller being the USA’s all-time leader in wins (51), shutouts (44) and World Cup qualifying appearances (31).
The Defense has a pair of players appearing in their third World Cup. Eddie Pope is the veteran with 78 appearances and Frankie Hejduk follows with 72 appearances. Steve Cherundolo goes to his second straight World Cup after being unable to participate in games during the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan because of an injury suffered the day before the USA’s first match against Portugal. Eddie Lewis played in 11 of 18 World Cup qualifiers, scoring two goals and delivering two assists. Carlos Bocanegra, Jimmy Conrad, Cory Gibbs and Oguchi Onyewu are all making their World Cup debuts.
Four time World Cup veteran Claudio Reyna leads a midfield that includes Landon Donovan, who at age 24 is already the leading assist man in U.S history with 23, and has led the US in points the past three years. DaMarcus Beasley 24, is playing in his 2nd World Cup. Both Pablo Mastroeni and John O’Brien are also returning vets. O’Brien having recorded the USA’s first goal in Korea just four minutes into their first game, a 3-2 victory against Portugal and one of only three players to play every minute of every match. Ben Olsen battled back from various injuries and has shown coach Bruce Arena that he was worthy of his selection by scoring a goal in the USA's 4-0 victory over Guatemala on February 19th and in the team's 1-1 draw with Jamaica on April 11th. Personally, I’m happy for Ben as he’s been a hard worker on the field for D.C. United and a class act off the field as well, having been named the US Soccer Federation’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2004. Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey are making their World Cup debuts.
Brian McBride is the only player in U.S. history to score goals in multiple World Cups and he has a pair of big ones in World Cup play, scoring the game-winners in the 3-2 opening match victory against Portugal in the 2002 World Cup and the 2-0 win against Mexico in the Round of 16. He has 29 international goals. Josh Wolff makes his second World Cup appearance. He setup McBride for the game-winner against Mexico four years ago. Eddie Johnson is the only US player to score a goal in his first four matches, all of which were in 2006 World Cup qualifiers. In Brian Ching's World Cup qualifying debut, he scored the equalizer in the 88th minute to give the U.S. a huge road point in a 1-1 draw against Jamaica on August 18, 2004 in Kingston, Jamaica
Arena has also named 13 alternates who will be available should any injuries occur. After the official 23-man roster is submitted on May 15 to FIFA, a player may only be replaced on the roster as a result of an injury.
U.S. Men’s National Team Alternate List
Goalkeepers (2): Tony Meola (New York Red Bulls), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders (3): Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Midfielders (5): Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)
Forwards (3): Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
The USA is in a tough group (Group E) along with the Czech Republic, Ghana, and Italy. The U.S. schedule: Czech Republic on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen, Italy on June 17 in Kaiserslautern and Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Reunion
BC started it a month ago by sending an e-mail out announcing plans to reunite a bunch of us Walt Whitman HS grads together to go see Nils Lofgren in Baltimore MD. We would meet in The Neighb aka Wood Acres in the afternoon. Those headed to the show would take off from there. Bear was coming up from NC. AP was coming up from Florida. We got a lot of the guys who still lived in the DC Metro area together for this. BC's brother DC was fired up too. Weess and I drove over from our houses in Northern VA.
BC, Weess, AP and I were together again for the first time since our friend Elwood's wedding in '92. We swapping stories, laughed and talked about the old days. We took a walk around the neighborhood, we saw Wood Acres Elementary School, the baseball fields and we also went to the place where we (as teenagers) used to enjoy beer back in the day. It was all so different as the school was rebuilt. The four of us just picked up where we left off though as we told story after story. It was great. While things in life change, our friendships had not.
We then went to grab something to eat in Bethesda and after we got back, decided to go meet BC's brother and other friends at the basketball court. We ended up playing in a full court basketball game. All we really wanted to do was shoot some hoops and joke around, but no, we ended up turning back the clock for one more hoops game.
Some in our group play recreation hoops. Others, well, we were older, slower and for me, whatever basketball game I had back in the day, left me a long, long time ago. I basically forgot how to play in an actual game, despite watching hundreds of games over the years. No one can stop me when it comes to shooting wads of paper into the office trash can, but today I was shooting air.
We all had a good time though. Sure, a few of us got knocked around. I twisted my ankle on a play and while it's still a little sore. No regrets at all, but I really, really stunk (I did have a couple assists though) on the court. It didn't matter. The amount of fun we all had was incredible. Just getting this crew back together for an afternoon was a treat. Something I won't forget.
I couldn't make it to Baltimore for the show but I know those guys who went had a blast. All I can say is thanks to BC for making today happen. While neighbors will come and go in Wood Acres, bonds like our friendships last forever. This will always be our neighborhood.
BC, Weess, AP and I were together again for the first time since our friend Elwood's wedding in '92. We swapping stories, laughed and talked about the old days. We took a walk around the neighborhood, we saw Wood Acres Elementary School, the baseball fields and we also went to the place where we (as teenagers) used to enjoy beer back in the day. It was all so different as the school was rebuilt. The four of us just picked up where we left off though as we told story after story. It was great. While things in life change, our friendships had not.
We then went to grab something to eat in Bethesda and after we got back, decided to go meet BC's brother and other friends at the basketball court. We ended up playing in a full court basketball game. All we really wanted to do was shoot some hoops and joke around, but no, we ended up turning back the clock for one more hoops game.
Some in our group play recreation hoops. Others, well, we were older, slower and for me, whatever basketball game I had back in the day, left me a long, long time ago. I basically forgot how to play in an actual game, despite watching hundreds of games over the years. No one can stop me when it comes to shooting wads of paper into the office trash can, but today I was shooting air.
We all had a good time though. Sure, a few of us got knocked around. I twisted my ankle on a play and while it's still a little sore. No regrets at all, but I really, really stunk (I did have a couple assists though) on the court. It didn't matter. The amount of fun we all had was incredible. Just getting this crew back together for an afternoon was a treat. Something I won't forget.
I couldn't make it to Baltimore for the show but I know those guys who went had a blast. All I can say is thanks to BC for making today happen. While neighbors will come and go in Wood Acres, bonds like our friendships last forever. This will always be our neighborhood.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Benjamin is six months old!
Big week for Benjamin. First, his Christening was held this past Sunday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Herndon VA. We had close to sixty people witness this blessed event and he was very good throughout the entire Mass and ceremony. He even tried grabbing the candle that Father Chris gave me. Afterward, we were posing for pictures and we had at least ten family members shooting pictures and Father Chris commented on our "paparazzi". We later had a nice reception at Pacific Restaurant in Sterling. Pictures will be posted later as I receive them from family as I wasn't able to take a lot. I am very, very proud of my little guy.
Yesterday Benjamin turned six months old! In thinking about what to write for this, I decided to describe the day he was born. Benjamin was scheduled to be delivered by Caesarean section and we had our appointment set for Tuesday, October 25 2005.
We got up at 4:30 AM October 25th to a downpour. We got everything we needed together and packed it in the car. I couldn't eat due to nerves and Weena, her Mom and I left around 5:15 AM. It was miserable driving to the hospital. We got there around 6:00 AM. Thank goodness I had my iPod because that relaxed me after we filled out all the paperwork. Finally around 8:30 Weena was wheeled to the birthing room and they fetched me around 9:00 AM, with the surgery scheduled for 9:15 AM. I was a basket case. I had a million thoughts going on and tears coming on because I wanted things to go well for Weena. It is hard seeing your wife get cut up. I had to tell myself these were the best professionals, so I just sat there and prayed. Finally at 9:51 I heard some screaming and I saw Benjamin for the first time. I was an emotional mess, but it was the greatest feeling I ever had seeing that little guy for the first time. I was in tears of joy seeing this miracle and once I was told I could start taking pictures, I couldn't for a couple minutes because I was still shaking. Once I got composed and saw that Benjamin was fine I was snapping pics four minutes after his birth.
Here is Benjamin and I in the birthing room
One of my favorite pictures, taken after he was cleaned up
Both Weena and I are extremely fortunate and grateful for our little miracle. These first six months just blew by quick. I'm learning more and more each day with this little guy. I haven't always been perfect, I've made mistakes along the way, but that's part of the challenge of being a parent. It's been a very exciting journey so far. The absolute greatest feeling I get is when I see Benjamin smiling at me. He's got a lot of loving family members and friends. For that we are blessed.
Yesterday Benjamin turned six months old! In thinking about what to write for this, I decided to describe the day he was born. Benjamin was scheduled to be delivered by Caesarean section and we had our appointment set for Tuesday, October 25 2005.
We got up at 4:30 AM October 25th to a downpour. We got everything we needed together and packed it in the car. I couldn't eat due to nerves and Weena, her Mom and I left around 5:15 AM. It was miserable driving to the hospital. We got there around 6:00 AM. Thank goodness I had my iPod because that relaxed me after we filled out all the paperwork. Finally around 8:30 Weena was wheeled to the birthing room and they fetched me around 9:00 AM, with the surgery scheduled for 9:15 AM. I was a basket case. I had a million thoughts going on and tears coming on because I wanted things to go well for Weena. It is hard seeing your wife get cut up. I had to tell myself these were the best professionals, so I just sat there and prayed. Finally at 9:51 I heard some screaming and I saw Benjamin for the first time. I was an emotional mess, but it was the greatest feeling I ever had seeing that little guy for the first time. I was in tears of joy seeing this miracle and once I was told I could start taking pictures, I couldn't for a couple minutes because I was still shaking. Once I got composed and saw that Benjamin was fine I was snapping pics four minutes after his birth.
Here is Benjamin and I in the birthing room
One of my favorite pictures, taken after he was cleaned up
Both Weena and I are extremely fortunate and grateful for our little miracle. These first six months just blew by quick. I'm learning more and more each day with this little guy. I haven't always been perfect, I've made mistakes along the way, but that's part of the challenge of being a parent. It's been a very exciting journey so far. The absolute greatest feeling I get is when I see Benjamin smiling at me. He's got a lot of loving family members and friends. For that we are blessed.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Nils Lofgren Interview
Local Musician Hits High Note with Rock LegendsDC area guitar legend Nils Lofgren sat down this week with WTOP Radio Investigative Reporter Mark Segraves and talked about his career, his new CD Sacred Weapon and his upcoming concert schedule, which can be found here.
A summary of the interview can be found here at WTOP's home page. You can access the entire interview there, just go to the Audio link. Nils has some great stories to tell and he plays a few songs in studio. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment for Mark so he can do more of these.
Nils has always been a favorite of mine. One of the first posts of this blog was about a concert I went to at the XM Radio Performance Theater last year.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Weekend Sports Summary
Not a glamourous sports weekend like the past two but during the weekend the Wizards clinched a playoff spot, D.C. United is off to their best start since 1999 and the Nationals won their first series of the year, taking two of three from the Marlins.
The Wizards blew a lead vs Chicago Friday night and lost a gut wrencher. They bounced back to beat the Cavaliers yesterday and at 40-40, are in fifth place in the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Wizards have now clinched back to back playoff spots for the first time since the '86-87 and '87-88 seasons. A nice accomplishment since this team had been to the post season once (1997) before Eddie Jordan took over as coach of the Wizards.
Josh Gros and Christian Gomez scored as D.C. United (2-0-1) beat Houston 2-0 Saturday night. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins, starting in place of the injured Nick Rimando, now has back to back shutouts. United's next match is Saturday at New York (4:00 PM ESPN2)
Ryan Church blasted a pair of homers, including the game-winning two-run shot in the ninth as the Nationals (4-9) beat Florida 7-5 to take two of three from the Marlins. Saturday night John Patterson tied a career high by striking out 13 as the Nats ended its six-game skid 2-1 at Dolphins Stadium. Yeah, the Nats are 4-9 but Patterson is turning out to be the ace of this team and each game was very entertaining. Right now I'll take it as this team continues to get screwed by Major League Baseball, who now says new owners of the Nats will be named in mid May.
I've pretty much stopped caring about the Caps and hockey in general since the lock out. I went to one game this year thanks to free tickets. The desire to go back to other games or watch them on TV just wasn't there. Caps Rookie Alex Ovechkin does have 51 goals and over 100 points. He has been the lone bright spot in what has been a dismal season for the Caps.
Started reading this book
March 2, 1962, Hershey, PA. Philadelphia Warriors Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks.
The author, is former Washington Post sportswriter Gary Pomerantz. An excerpt follows:
He came with a body and an ego perfectly sculpted for dominating his game. The ego was essential: For a player to score one hundred points in an NBA game, he must not only want to do it, he must, on a deeper level, need to do it--to take an opponent, an entire sport, and bend it to his will--to show that it could be done and only by him. In one hundred there was hubris but also a symbolic magic. In our culture the number connotes a century, a ripe old age, a perfect score on a test. Scoring one hundred points meant infinitely more than scoring, say, ninety-seven. One hundred was a monument.
Writers and players and coaches prophesied such a night for the young Wilt Chamberlain. He was a one-man revolution. He entered what was still largely a white man's game, took it above the rim, and made it his. The game's traditionalists, seeing the future, blanched. He was, at the core, an individualist, the ultimate alpha male. He loved his sport, he loved his women, and he loved himself. He was averaging fifty points per game during that 1961-62 season, and as his scoring numbers grew so did the prophecy.
The Wizards blew a lead vs Chicago Friday night and lost a gut wrencher. They bounced back to beat the Cavaliers yesterday and at 40-40, are in fifth place in the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Wizards have now clinched back to back playoff spots for the first time since the '86-87 and '87-88 seasons. A nice accomplishment since this team had been to the post season once (1997) before Eddie Jordan took over as coach of the Wizards.
Josh Gros and Christian Gomez scored as D.C. United (2-0-1) beat Houston 2-0 Saturday night. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins, starting in place of the injured Nick Rimando, now has back to back shutouts. United's next match is Saturday at New York (4:00 PM ESPN2)
Ryan Church blasted a pair of homers, including the game-winning two-run shot in the ninth as the Nationals (4-9) beat Florida 7-5 to take two of three from the Marlins. Saturday night John Patterson tied a career high by striking out 13 as the Nats ended its six-game skid 2-1 at Dolphins Stadium. Yeah, the Nats are 4-9 but Patterson is turning out to be the ace of this team and each game was very entertaining. Right now I'll take it as this team continues to get screwed by Major League Baseball, who now says new owners of the Nats will be named in mid May.
I've pretty much stopped caring about the Caps and hockey in general since the lock out. I went to one game this year thanks to free tickets. The desire to go back to other games or watch them on TV just wasn't there. Caps Rookie Alex Ovechkin does have 51 goals and over 100 points. He has been the lone bright spot in what has been a dismal season for the Caps.
Started reading this book
March 2, 1962, Hershey, PA. Philadelphia Warriors Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks.The author, is former Washington Post sportswriter Gary Pomerantz. An excerpt follows:
He came with a body and an ego perfectly sculpted for dominating his game. The ego was essential: For a player to score one hundred points in an NBA game, he must not only want to do it, he must, on a deeper level, need to do it--to take an opponent, an entire sport, and bend it to his will--to show that it could be done and only by him. In one hundred there was hubris but also a symbolic magic. In our culture the number connotes a century, a ripe old age, a perfect score on a test. Scoring one hundred points meant infinitely more than scoring, say, ninety-seven. One hundred was a monument.
Writers and players and coaches prophesied such a night for the young Wilt Chamberlain. He was a one-man revolution. He entered what was still largely a white man's game, took it above the rim, and made it his. The game's traditionalists, seeing the future, blanched. He was, at the core, an individualist, the ultimate alpha male. He loved his sport, he loved his women, and he loved himself. He was averaging fifty points per game during that 1961-62 season, and as his scoring numbers grew so did the prophecy.
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