U.S. national team interim head coach Bob Bradley on Tuesday called in 29 players - all but one from Major League Soccer - to take part in his first camp in charge of the side, which is set to begin on Jan. 4.
The camp will take place at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., as the U.S. begins preparations for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa America. The first test for the Red, White and Blue in the New Year is against Denmark on Jan. 20 at The Home Depot Center (4:50 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
"This is a great opportunity to get a first-hand look at a wide variety of domestic-based players as we begin a new World Cup cycle," said Bradley, who was named interim head coach on Dec. 8. "Along with some experienced players, we have quite a few players who will be getting their first exposure to the national team. Obviously, the goal for developing our team is to be ready for World Cup qualifying in 2008, and this is where we start. At the same time, we want to be prepared to compete against Denmark, and many of these players have recently had a long break from soccer. With only a short period of time to prepare, we will have to work very hard to get our players both physically and mentally ready to play."
Supporters' Shield winners D.C. United and MLS Cup runner-up New England Revolution lead the way, providing six and five players respectively. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins, defenders Bobby Boswell and Bryan Namoff, midfielders Brian Carroll and Josh Gros and forward Alecko Eskandarian have all been summoned from the Black-and-Red, while Matt Reis, Michael Parkhurst, Clint Dempsey, Taylor Twellman and Pat Noonan will make the cross-country journey.
Providing four players are the Los Angeles Galaxy. Newly-acquired goalkeeper Joe Cannon will accompany his Galaxy teammates Chris Albright, Landon Donovan and Nate Jaqua. MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo will contribute three players, as defender Eddie Robinson will be joined by midfielders Ricardo Clark and Brian Mullan from the Bayou City.
Two of the top rookies in MLS last season, Jonathan Bornstein (winner of the Rookie of the Year honor) and Sacha Kljestan each have received his first call-up to the senior squad, and they are joined by their Chivas USA teammate goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Bradley coached all three of them while in charge of Chivas USA last season.
Dasan Robinson of the Chicago Fire also received a call-up following a superb rookie campaign, and two additional young Men in Red, Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp, will make the trek. Midfielders Pablo Mastroeni and Kyle Beckerman will represent the Colorado Rapids on the U.S. side, with Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards) and Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas) completing the MLS representation. The lone foreign-based player on the squad is defender Heath Pearce, who plies his trade in Denmark for FC Nordsjælland.
For Bradley, January's camp will be his first action in charge of the U.S. team since being handed the reins by U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati. Bradley is looking to get the American side prepared for the continental championships of both North and South America next summer.
On the heels of the game against the Danes, Bradley and the U.S. side will then take on arch-rivals Mexico on Feb. 7 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. It will be a stiff test for the young U.S. side, which includes 10 players who have yet to make an appearance for the senior national team. Twenty-three players on the 29-man roster have five caps or less.
Donovan is the most capped player on the roster with 84 career appearances. At just 24 years of age, he already is the all-time leader in assists for the U.S. team with 22 and is third all-time in goals with 25. The U.S. team's top scorers from 2006 - Dempsey and Twellman - are both included on the roster as well.
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup is set for June 6-24 in cities across the U.S., while the 2007 Copa America will take place from June 26 to July 15 in Venezuela.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
