Myernick Announces 25-player U23 MNT Training Camp Roster; Forwards A' Plenty To Chose From - STM Staff

CHICAGO - The U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team is gearing up for Olympic Qualification. Head coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick announced this week the 25-player roster for a two-week training camp at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. The U23s begin the final round of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament from Feb. 2-12, 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"I'm really looking forward to this camp because it's the very first time that we have what we believe is the pick of the pool together," said Myernick in a U.S. Soccer press release. "It's been two years since we first got together, so we're excited about this (full camp). I believe at one point the pool was 42 names, but now we're inviting 25 players, of which we can pick 20 for Mexico. The fastest way to build this team is just to play together."

The USA will field a very attack-oriented side, the results once again of MLS and player development stateside. U.S. Men's National Team and 2002 World Cup stars Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley lead the pack. Donovan played on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team that recorded a fourth-place finish in Sydney.

Fellow 2000 Under-23 squad member Conor Casey will join Donovan in the forward line. The German-based forward will be making his first appearance with the team since the 2000 Olympics. Casey has scored four goals for his club FC Karlsruher's final seven games before the winter break. He has six on the season.

Forwards David Testo (Richmond Kickers - USL), Edson Buddle (Columbus Crew) and Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United) will also be in the mix up front. Testo earned A-League Rookie of the Year honors with six goals and two assists, leading the team with eight points (3 g, 2 a), including two goals and an assist in the team's 4-0 win over St. Kitts & Nevis on Nov. 19. - Buddle, who finished 11th in MLS scoring with 10 goals and four assists, finished second on the U-23s with seven points (3 g, 1 a), including two goals in the team's 6-0 win over St. Kitts & Nevis on Nov. 15. Eskandarian, the 2003 MLS SuperDraft #1 pick, finished third on the team with six points (2 g, 2 a).

Midfielders Ricardo Clark (MetroStars) and Bobby Convey (D.C. United) and forward Ed Johnson (Dallas Burn) will join the team on the heels of a decent showing in the World Youth Championships. The USA U20s finished in fifth place finish at the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. Johnson led the U20s in scoring at UAE '03, becoming the first U.S. player to claim Golden Boot honors with his four goals and one assist. Convey has a brace of goals as the team's captain and playmaker. The MetroStars' Clark appeared in all five games as defensive midfielder. - Defender Jose Burciaga, Jr. should make his return after recovering from the second of two severe knee injuries that forced him to miss most of his third and all of his second season with the Kansas City Wizards.

Goalkeeper Steve Cronin will compete for the stating role after anchoring the USA in the WYC and Santa Clara University. He earned All-Tournament honors at UAE '03 by posting three wins (including two shutouts) and a 1.20 Goals Against Average. Cronin also led Santa Clara to the Final Four of the NCAA Men's College Cup in Columbus, Ohio, where they were edged 1-0 by eventual champion Indiana. - Belgium-based defenders and normal U-23 starters Oguchi Onyewu (R.A.A. Louviere) and Alexander Yi (Royal Antwerp F.C.), who will remain with their clubs.

U.S. Under-23 MNT Roster Olympic Qualifying
Training Camp Jan. 4-18 -- Carson, Calif.

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. DOB Hometown Club/College
Beasley, DaMarcus M 5'9" 140 05/24/82 Fort Wayne, Ind. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Beckerman, Kyle M 5'10" 155 04/03/82 Crofton, Md. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Borchers, Nat D 6'2" 175 04/13/81 Pueblo, Colo. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Buddle, Edson F 6'1" 170 05/02/81 New Rochelle, N.Y. Columbus Crew (MLS) Burciaga, Jr., Jose D 6'1" 165 11/16/81 Duncanville, Texas K.C. Wizards (MLS)
Carroll, Brian M 5'10" 155 07/20/81 Springfield, Va. D.C. United (MLS)
Casey, Conor F 6'2" 190 07/25/81 Gilpin, Colo. F.C. Karlsruher (Germany)
Clark, Ricardo M 5'10" 150 05/10/83 Jonesboro, Ga. NY/NJ MetroStars (MLS)
Convey, Bobby M 5'9" 155 05/27/83 Philadelphia, Pa. D.C. United (MLS)
Countess, D.J. GK 6'1" 185 01/09/82 Sacramento, Calif. Dallas Burn (MLS)
Cronin, Steve GK 6'2" 190 05/28/83 Fair Oaks, Calif. Santa Clara (NCAA)
Davis, Brad M 5'11" 165 11/08/81 St. Charles, Mo. Dallas Burn (MLS)
Donovan, Landon F 5'9" 155 03/04/82 Redlands, Calif. S.J. Earthquakes (MLS)
Eskandarian, Alecko F 5'9" 165 07/09/82 Montvale, N.J. D.C. United (MLS)
Gaven, Eddie M 6'0" 145 10/25/86 Hamilton, N.J. NY/NJ MetroStars (MLS) Gray, Kelly D 6'2" 170 04/07/81 San Jose, Calif. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Johnson, Ed M/F 6'0" 180 03/31/84 Palm Coast, Fla. Dallas Burn (MLS)
Lewis, Ricky D 6'0" 170 05/29/82 Spring, Texas Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Martino, Kyle M 5'10" 145 02/19/81 Westport, Conn. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Pause, Logan M 5'10" 155 08/22/81 Hillsborough, N.C. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Stokes, David D 6'3" 200 05/28/82 Dumfries, Va. D.C. United (MLS)
Testo, David F 5'10" 160 08/07/81 Arden, N.C. Richmond Kickers (A-League)
Thompson, Scot D 6'0" 180 02/11/81 Rancho S. Margarita, Calif. L.A. Galaxy (MLS)
Warren, Doug GK 6'0" 195 03/18/81 Hoffman Estates, Ill. D.C. United (MLS)
Wingert, Chris D 5'10" 160 06/16/82 Babylon, N.Y. St. John's University (NCAA)

Goalkeepers (3): D.J. Countess, Steve Cronin, Doug Warren; Defenders (7): Nat Borchers, Jose Burciaga, Jr., Kelly Gray, Ricky Lewis, David Stokes, Scot Thompson, Chris Wingert; Midfielders (9): DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Brian Carroll, Ricardo Clark, Bobby Convey, Brad Davis, Eddie Gaven, Kyle Martino, Logan Pause; Forwards (6): Edson Buddle, Conor Casey, Landon Donovan, Alecko Eskandarian, Eddie Johnson, David Testo.

U.S. U-23 MNT Staff
Head Coach: Glenn "Mooch" Myernick
Assistant Coach: Thomas Rongen
Assistant Coach: Ralph Perez
Goalkeeper Coach: Tim Mulqueen
Trainer: Dave Andrews
Equipment Manager: John McDonald

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