US roster has distinct MLS flavor

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley has called in a squad made up largely of Major League Soccer players for a training camp to prepare for a Jan. 24 friendly against Sweden at The Home Depot Center.

The group, which features 20 MLS players, will assemble in Carson, Calif. on Jan. 4.

"This is the beginning of a big year for the national team, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction," Bradley said in a statement. "This is another great opportunity to reinforce the principles of how this team operates both on and off the field, as well as getting players ready for the match against Sweden and the first World Cup qualifier this year against Mexico in February."

Ten of the 15 MLS clubs are represented, including five players from the MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew -- goalkeeper William Hesmer, MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall and midfielders Eddie Gaven, Brian Carroll and Robbie Rogers.

Marshall is one of four players on Bradley's squad to earn major MLS postseason hardware. Bradley's roster also includes Chicago's Jon Busch, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year; LA Galaxy defender Sean Franklin, the MLS Rookie of the Year; and FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper, the MLS Comeback Player of the Year.

Brian Ching, who scored all four of his national team goals in 2008 in World Cup qualifying matches, is the leading capwinner on the young squad with 32 appearances. The forward is one of four players selected from the Houston Dynamo, joining midfielders Geoff Cameron, Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden.

Midfielder Sacha Kljestan played in eight matches last year for the US -- the most of any player on this squad -- and is one of two Chivas USA players, joining defender Jonathan Bornstein. Fullback Chris Wingert, who enjoyed a stellar 2008 MLS season with Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC's Marvell Wynne and Cory Gibbs from the Colorado Rapids round out the MLS-based defenders.

Jack Jewsbury is the lone player from the Kansas City Wizards selected. He and Chicago's John Thorrington are the final two players in a midfield exclusively comprised of MLS talent.

Joining Cooper and Ching up front is Chicago's Chris Rolfe, one of three Fire players on the roster.

The four Scandinavian-based players, all currently on winter break, are goalkeeper Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), defenders Clarence Goodson (IK Start) and Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland) and forward Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF). Goalkeeper Matt Pickens is out of contract.

After the friendly against Sweden, the U.S. will prepare for a showdown with rival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in the opening game of the final hexagonal round of qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa.

A busy 2009 will also include the FIFA Confederations Cup in June, where the U.S. has been drawn into Group B with five-time World Cup winners Brazil, current World Champion Italy, and Egypt, as well as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and additional World Cup qualifying matches.

Shea likely to return by start of season

FRISCO, Texas -- Brek Shea experienced just about everything in his first season of professional soccer. He was an early draft pick by FC Dallas, worked his way through the reserves and played a number of different positions, made a couple of appearances with the first team -- and now is spending the offseason in rehabilitation after undergoing a pair of knee surgeries late in the year.

"It (my knee) is feeling good," Shea said. "Every morning, I'm meeting with our trainers here. Yeah, I usually never have injuries and now I've had two back-to-back. Hopefully now I'm done with them for a while, knock on wood."

FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has no concern about Shea's most recent surgery being his second in a matter of just a few months.

"He had that meniscus tear and they sewed it up," Hyndman said. "He's been working like crazy. We were all excited and were going to send him to the (U.S. national) under-20 camp because the doctors were going to release him and then we took him into a few more tests out here and he felt a pop. So, the doctor looked at him again and they did a surgery on him ..."

"This time, they removed the part of the meniscus that did not heal. It didn't connect well, so they thought the best thing to do was to go ahead and remove it. This is going to be a quick recovery, three to four weeks. So, I'm not concerned about the number. I'm more concerned that the first time, it didn't take, so the second time we're going to make it better."

Shea's rookie season began in January when the 6-foot-3 native Texan was taken second overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by FCD. The rangy 18-year-old showed his versatility for the Hoops' reserves, making starts at forward, left midfield and finally at center back.

Shea also played in two contests with the FCD first team. He played the final four minutes of a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on April 20 and then the final 13 minutes of a 2-1 loss at Colorado on June 1.

For the FCD reserves, Shea made eight starts and performed solidly. He also earned call-ups from the full, under-20 and under-23 national teams.

"It was a good learning experience," Shea said. "I learned a lot of things and hopefully next year, I can do a lot more than what I did this year."

Shea credits one recently retired FCD veteran for helping ease his transition into MLS.

"Bobby Rhine, he helped a lot," he said. "When things were going bad or whatever, he would pull me aside and tell me stuff. I guess he thought that (to retire) was the best decision, so I support it."

In early December, Shea was one of a number of FCD players taking in the NCAA Men's College Cup at Pizza Hut Park. That experience brought mixed feelings for Shea -- who could have been a freshman competing for the national championship had things gone differently.

"I had committed to Wake Forest and when I was watching (the College Cup), I thought that I could have been there (playing with them)," he said. "But I never really wanted to go to college. It was never my first option. That was more my parents' thing."

FCD is set to begin preseason in mid-January. But before then, Shea plans to head to his old stomping grounds for some training, where FCD teammate Anthony Wallace, who lives in the area, could join him.

"I'm going to head to Bradenton for the U-17 program, train there for two weeks," he said. "Then I will have a couple of U-20 camps before we start preseason. I think I'm going to Bradenton on the 7th of January. (Wallace) lives 40 minutes away and will probably come up and train with us but I haven't really talked to him about it since November."

Shea should be ready to train at the start of preseason and that means he could also be getting called in for camps with the U-20s.

"The first one that I know about is on the 18th (of January) when we go to Trinidad," he said. "Then, I think we're having a camp all of February. I have talked to them but haven't gotten an e-mail or anything. They just said that they're bringing me in but I don't know if it's official or anything."

Red Devils, Monarcas to kick off InterLiga

FRISCO, Texas -- The sixth edition of InterLiga kicks off on Friday when Toluca and Morelia meet at Pizza Hut Park. Between them, the two clubs have six InterLiga appearances.

Toluca enters 2009 just a few weeks removed from winning their ninth championship in team history. On December 14, Los Diablos Rojos won the Apertura title by defeating Cruz Azul on penalty kicks for their first piece of hardware since 2005.

Chilean-born striker Hector Mancilla, who came over from Veracruz in July 2008, had a big impact for his new side, leading the team with seven goals. Defender Diego De La Torre was second with three tallies.

There will also be a few new faces in this event for Toluca. Defender Jose Olvera, who scored a controversial game-tying goal in a 2007 SuperLiga match against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, is on loan from Chivas de Guadalajara.

Also new is striker Sergio Santana, also formerly with Chivas. He will now don the shirt for Toluca, the same side he faced in May 2000 when he made his Mexican Primera Division debut with Pachuca FC. Santana has made seven appearances for the Mexican national team.

With these two entering the team, midfielder Sergio Ponce heads to Chivas. He had played for Toluca since 2001 and was front and center for three championship teams.

However, the star of the club's title run has been 39-year-old Argentine-born goalkeeper Hernan Cristante, who didn't allow a goal in a league-record 762 straight minutes. Cristante has more games than any other active foreign-born player in the Primera Division.

As for Morelia, they enter InterLiga 2009 after finishing sixth in the 2008 Apertura with a 4-5-3 record, but the club played in many close matches as Las Monarcas' goal differential was a solid +7.

Another important contributor was Peruvian-born newcomer Andres Mendoza, who led Apertura with 10 goals. "El Condor" was a transfer from Romanian club Steaua FC who also has made 36 appearances with the Peruvian national team.

This year marks Las Monarcas' fourth trip to InterLiga, an event that they have not fared well in thus far. Morelia's all-time record is just 1-7-1, with their lone win coming on January 10, 2007 when they handed Tecos a 3-1 defeat at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Morelia has met Toluca twice in the event, in 2004 and in 2008 with both matches ending in defeat. On January 9, Los Diablos Rojos prevailed 3-1 at the Home Depot Center and on January 4, 2004, in the first-ever Interliga, Toluca won 1-0 in a match played in Stockton, California.

Las Monarcas have also struggled mightily at Pizza Hut Park, where they are 0-3-0 all-time and have been outscored by their opposition 6-1. Morelia's lone goal in Frisco came on January 8, 2006 when they fell 2-1 to CF Pachuca.

Toluca has also struggled in Frisco, losing their only match at PHP on January 6, 2008, when they fell 1-0 to Club America. Los Diablos Rojos have never won an InterLiga match played in Dallas as they are also 0-2-0 at the Cotton Bowl, losing 2-1 to Jaguares in 2005 and 2-1 to Santos in 2004.

In 2008, Los Diablos Rojos got two goals in InterLiga from Vicente Sanchez, who has since moved on to Germany. Christian Giminez, now with CF Pachuca, also found the back of the net for Toluca. However, Brazilian-born midfielder Zinha, who had a goal in Toluca's 3-1 win over Morelia last January, does return.

As for Las Monarcas, they scored just one goal in last year's event and it came in that aforementioned 3-1 loss to Toluca. Morelia's lone tally came from forward Ever Guzman, who has been with the side since 2004.

Tecos meet Pachuca in InterLiga opener

FRISCO, Texas -- Throughout their respective histories in the Mexican Primera Division, Tecos de la UAG and CF Pachuca have met on numerous occasions. However, these two sides have never faced each other in InterLiga, something that will change on January 2 at Pizza Hut Park.

This will be each team's second InterLiga appearance. Tecos last played in the event in 2007 when they went 0-1-2. In their first InterLiga match, they played Club America to a 1-1 draw in Houston on January 4. Then, three days later, came a draw to Jaguares in Frisco. Tecos' run ended with a 3-1 loss to Morelia at the Home Depot Center on January 10, 2007.

It was a solid debut for Argentine midfielder Jorge Zamogilny in the recently-concluded Apertura, as he finished with five goals after an offseason transfer from Puebla. Vice-captain Joel "El Tiburon" Sanchez added three goals, while midfielder Rafael Medina had three goals and two assists for Tecos.

Chilean-born striker Rodrigo Ruiz, who returned to the team after a stint on loan at Veracruz, added four goals. Speaking of Medina, he is one player who could step up. During InterLiga 2007, he assisted on two goals and could again be a focal point of the Tecos' attack.

A big concern during the 2008 Apertura was UAG's porous defending. Tecos finished the season with 28 goals allowed, second-worst in the first division, clearly an issue that Pachuca will look to exploit in Frisco.

Despite their issues in the back, Tecos still managed to qualify for the Apertura playoffs. In the opening leg against the club that would later be crowned Apertura champs, UAG played Toluca to a scoreless draw at 3 De Marzo Stadium on November 23, 2008. However, the return leg played a week later at Nemesio Diaz Stadium belonged to Los Diablos Rojos as they prevailed 2-0 and advanced to the league semifinals, where they would face Santos Laguna.

On the other side of the equation sits the Tuzos, the two-time defending CONCACAF Champions League titleholders. They finished 5-6-6 with 25 points and were third in Group One during the 2008 Apertura. Christian Giminez's team-leading eight goals tied him for third among league goal scorers.

The Tuzos' only previous trip to InterLiga came in 2006 when they went 1-1-1. Ironically, Pachuca's match at PHP, on January 8, 2006 against Morelia, was their only win as the Tuzos prevailed 2-1 thanks to goals from Luis Angel Landin and Richard Nunez.

Other key contributors for Pachuca during the Apertura were Argentine midfielder Damian "La Chillindra" Alvarez, who had three assists and veteran goalkeeper Miguel "El Condor" Calero, who also wears the captain's armband.

A player of interest to American soccer fans is 21-year-old midfielder Jose Torres, who is a Texas native. Torres has been with the Tuzos since 2006 and hails from Longview, which is about 2.5 hours from the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. He made his US national team debut on October 11, 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cuba, and made his first international start four days later against Trinidad and Tobago.

Torres has appeared in Frisco twice with the Tuzos. On July 28, 2007, he was on the bench for Pachuca's 1-1 draw with FC Dallas in SuperLiga 2007 but did not play. However, last July in a SuperLiga 2008 match with Santos Laguna, he started for his side.

This will mark the third time that Pachuca have played in Frisco. On July 28, 2007, they played FC Dallas to a 1-1 draw in SuperLiga 2007, an event the Tuzos ended up winning. A penalty kick by Giminez in the 87th minute denied a win by the home side from MLS.

And on July 20, 2008, Pachuca and Santos Laguna played to a 1-1 draw in SuperLiga '08. A goal by Alvarez in the fourth minute gave them an early lead but a late equalizer by Santos forced them to settle for a tie, which still allowed them to advance.

During the 2008 Apertura, Tecos and Pachuca met just once. That came on November 5, 2008, when the sides met on the Tuzos' home grounds, Hidalgo Stadium, a match that finished in a 2-2 draw. Unlike Tecos, Pachuca failed to qualify for the Apertura playoffs.

Crew fans get late present as Marshall re-signs

COLUMBUS -- Columbus Crew management gave their fans a late Christmas present when it announced Friday that 2008 MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall had agreed to a new contract.

Marshall, 24, was out of contract and had been on a trial with Mainz of the German second division as negotiations continued.

"The base salary we offered was probably comparable to over there," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said. "I'm sure their bonuses were significantly higher, especially if the team is promoted, but he felt comfortable here with our offer and where he's at in this point of his career."

With the signing of Marshall, the Crew is assured of having 10 of 11 starters under contract from the 3-1 win over New York on Nov. 23 in MLS Cup 2008. The lone absentee is central midfielder Brad Evans, who was claimed by Seattle Sounders FC in the expansion draft.

"We as a club went out on a limb, committed significant resources, in order to get Chad done. It shows the level of commitment we have as a team to try and take another run at it," Bliss said. "We knew we were going to lose somebody but the goal was to retain, within the salary cap obviously, as many guys as we could. We were able to retain 10 of 11 and a few others that were vital parts."

The Crew also forged new deals in the offseason with league and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and defender Danny O'Rourke.

"Chad was an anchor of our defense. I am a believer, although we scored a lot of goals this year, that defense wins championship and we were very good defensively in large part due to Chad," Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers said. "It's great we're going to keep our backline together. We're going to keep the spine of our team together with the exception of Evans. I feel awfully good about it in terms of keeping this team together and giving us the best chance to repeat."

Of course, the other big transaction in the offseason was 2008 MLS Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid leaving the team for Seattle.

Marshall had a breakout year after missing the final two months of the 2007 season due to a series of concussions that put his career in jeopardy. Rather than risk further injury it was decided that he needed the extra rest if he were to have a chance to return to the Crew.

The time off did wonders, as did goading from Schmid to become a more vocal and active leader on the field. Marshall became a force in the middle of the defense despite having to break in a pair of partners in central defense -- rookie Andy Iro and O'Rourke, a converted midfielder.

Marshall played all but one regular season match and scored four goals, matching his total from the previous four seasons combined. All four scores came on headers off set pieces -- three from Schelotto and another off a service from Robbie Rogers. "Air" Marshall continued his dominance in the box with two critical goals in the playoffs to help the Crew to its first league championship.

His header via a free kick by Schelotto tied the Eastern Conference Championship against Chicago at 1-1 early in the second half and the Crew went onto a 2-1 victory.

In the title game, Marshall's run down the middle and header off Schelotto's corner kick in the 53rd minute proved to be the winner and nullified a score two minutes earlier by John Wolyniec that tied the match at 1-1.

With a new deal in hand, Marshall's next goal is getting back on the U.S. national team. He had a goal in his first career cap on March 9, 2005, vs. Colombia. He made three other appearances but the last was Oct. 12, 2005.

The Riverside, Calif., native played two seasons for Stanford before being the second overall pick (behind Freddy Adu) in the 2004 SuperDraft.

While McCullers is pleased to have Marshall back, he doesn't expect him to be in a Crew uniform down the road.

"He's expressed a desire to go to Europe and at the right time and right situation he will go," said McCullers. "Chad has the ability to continue to develop in this league and probably will have a better offer in a year or two years than he was offered right now."

Defender of the Year Marshall to return to Crew

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew on Friday announced that 2008 MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall has signed a new contract with the club.

The 24-year-old center back was out of contract and had been on a trial with Mainz of the German second division as negotiations continued with Crew.

"We have made a significant commitment to ensure that Chad remains a member of the Crew and we are very pleased to have gotten that priority accomplished," said Crew technical director Brian Bliss. "It goes without saying that he played a vital role in our championship season and re-signing him allows us to retain our core group of key contributors."

Marshall had four goals in the regular season and two more in the playoffs, including the winner against New York on Nov. 23 in the MLS Cup that gave Columbus its first title.

Bliss said last week the team had made a fair offer and the decision was up to Marshall.

"Does he want more money? If that's the case he should go to Europe," Bliss said. "If he wants significant pay and wants to stay at a club he's done well at and won a championship with then he'd stay here. It comes down to his choice."

With Marshall in place, the Crew is assured of having 10 of 11 starters under contract from the 3-1 win against the Red Bulls in the championship match. The lone absentee is central midfielder Brad Evans, who was claimed by Seattle Sounders FC in the expansion draft.

The Crew also forged new deals in the offseason with league and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and defender Danny O'Rourke.

In the title game, Marshall's run down the middle and header off Schelotto's corner kick in the 53rd minute proved to be the winner and nullified a score two minutes earlier by John Wolyniec that tied the match at 1-1.

Marshall had a breakout year after missing 17 games last season because of post-concussion syndrome.

With a new deal in hand, Marshall's next goal is getting back on the U.S. national team. He had a goal in his first career cap on March 9, 2005, vs. Colombia. He made three other appearances but the last was Oct. 12, 2005.

The Riverside, Calif., native played two seasons for Stanford before being the second overall pick (behind Freddy Adu) in the 2004 SuperDraft.

Avila looks to build upon rookie season in 2009

FRISCO, Texas -- As SuperDraft day dawned almost exactly one year ago, Cal-Santa Barbara midfielder Eric Avila was projected by many to be selected in the opening round of the 2008 entry draft. However, as events played out that day in Baltimore, Avila slipped to the second round, where he was taken 19th overall by FC Dallas.

Much of the first half of the rookie campaign for the member of the Generation adidas program was spent on the bench, but on June 26 at Houston, Avila made his full professional debut, coming on for the final five minutes of a 1-1 draw with the Dynamo. His first start came on July 4 against Kansas City and he made it count, delivering a great ball to Abe Thompson for a stoppage-time goal that allowed the Hoops to salvage a draw with the Wizards.

In all, Avila appeared in 14 games, three of those starts and logged a pair of assists. It is an experience he is looking to build upon heading into his second season with FCD.

"I think it was good," the southern California native said about his rookie season. "It was an eye-opener for me, I think. I experienced the way the whole system works. I played a couple of games and know how the games go now and all that. I know what to expect and what not to expect. Coming into this year, I got all those little things out of the way. Now I can go out there, work hard, play and do what I can to help the team."

It has been a somewhat busy offseason for Avila. In early December, he was one of four FCD players who ventured across the pond as part of a Generation adidas tour to London, where they played friendlies against the reserve teams from various Premiership sides.

"I thought it was an experience I will never forget," Avila said of his time abroad. "It was cold but it was really nice. We got to play against top teams and top players. Just going out there, playing against them and seeing where we were at was something that was good for me."

Just after the end of the season, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said he would like to see Avila become a better defender heading into 2009. The native of San Diego clearly has taken those words to heart, especially while in London.

"I was playing attacking center mid in all three games and it was really good," he said. "I attacked a lot more and my defense was great because we were playing against great teams and they kept moving the ball. I was trying to defend one of their best players, which I think I did really well. I did think about that while I was over there on that trip."

Making the adjustment from college to the professional ranks can be a tough transition for any player. However, Avila's transition was eased a bit by veteran midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, who several weeks ago expressed his displeasure with his contract situation and rumors have even surfaced about his possible departure, something Avila does not want to see happen.

"I love Pablo (Ricchetti) and would hate to see him go if he does," Avila said. "He taught me a lot of things. For him to leave, I would have to find a lot of things out on my own. I would have to find my credentials out there and motivation to keep myself going. Pablo was always reminding me to keep going and keep going."

Early next year, Avila will be on the move again as he and two FCD teammates will be heading to Brazil for a two-week training stint with Clube Atletico Paranaense, the Hoops' South American partner.

"I think it's something that will be great for me," he said of the trip to Brazil. "We're not doing anything in the off-season and I have no plans to go and play. So when this came up, it was perfect. I will be training with the CAP first team twice a day and getting ready for the season. After that, I think I will be ready to go."

With the 2009 season set to start nearly two weeks earlier than was the case in 2008 that means a compressed winter, something that is fine with Avila, who wants to prove to Hyndman that he can be an effective two-way attacking midfielder.

"I'm excited," he said. "I want it to start now. I'm really hoping that things go well and then we'll see where it takes me with the preseason because you never know. I'm ready to go in there and show him (Hyndman) that I have been working on it (my defense) and hopefully he gives me a chance."