Brad Evans Gets Asked Back by USA

Sounders FC’s Brad Evans is among the 23 players called in by USA coach Bob Bradley to a 23 man training camp in Carson, CA on February 10th.

Evans, 24, will join the national team following the Sounders FC training game with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on February 11 in Casa Grande, Ariz. He has three international caps, and was last called in by the USMNT for the January 23 friendly with Honduras although he did not play. Each of Evans’ three appearances came during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Now entering his fourth MLS season, Evans scored three goals and added two assists for the Sounders FC in 2009. He started 25 matches and was a substitute in two others.

The gathering is the final domestic training camp before Bradley has to submit his roster in May of the players he intends to represent the Stars and Stripes in South Africa. The camp will lead up to the match against El Salvador on Feb. 24 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Following the El Salvador match, the United States will play FIFA third-ranked Netherlands on March 3 in Amsterdam, allowing the US to face one of the top teams in the world prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff at the Amsterdam ArenA is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (11.30 am PT), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

“These are important opportunities for these players as we continue to formulate our plans for the roster for the World Cup,” said Bradley. “This camp and the game against El Salvador provide a chance for the coaching staff to get one more long look at this group. El Salvador demonstrated during World Cup qualifying that they are a difficult team to beat, so we expect a good match. We had great fan support in our last visit to Raymond James Stadium, and we are looking forward to getting back to Tampa.”

The US Men’s National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

All MLS Squad Under Bradley Microscope

The group features 23 players from Major League Soccer, many of whom were a part of the training camp which opened 2010 last month. Twenty-one players return from that roster, including 10 of the starting 11 from the Jan. 23 match against Honduras. The match against El Salvador will be one of the last games before the 2010 FIFA World Cup roster is named in May and gives the group a chance to make an impression on Bradley’s coaching staff with an eye towards South Africa.

Brian Ching is the roster’s leading capwinner with 43 appearances and also its leading goalscorer with 10 goals. The Houston Dynamo veteran made 10 World Cup qualifying appearances during the USA’s run to South Africa, scoring four times and adding one assist. Heath Pearce is second in the squad with 29 caps, including nine starts during World Cup qualifying, while defender Jonathan Bornstein’s 26 appearances, including four at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, provide more experience at the back. Conversely, there are four uncapped players in Bradley’s squad. Kevin Alston, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez and Chris Pontius were all part of the January training camp but did not feature in the game against Honduras.

The roster boasts several year-end award winners, including MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (Zach Thornton), Visa Defender of the Year (Chad Marshall), Budweiser Golden Boot Winner (Jeff Cunningham) and Gatorade Rookie of the Year (Gonzalez). Marshall and Cunningham were both starters in the USA’s last outing.

Five sides from MLS contribute three players to the squad. MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA each send a trio of players to the camp in Carson. There is also a first call-up for a member of the expansion Philadelphia Union in defender Michael Orozco, who joins up with the USA having made one previous appearance for Bradley’s side.

Tampa, one of 18 cities that will be included in the USA’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, will be playing host to the U.S. team for the fifth time. In the USA’s last visit to Raymond James Stadium on March 25, 2007, Landon Donovan recorded the second hat trick of his career in front of a record-setting crowd for a friendly in the state of Florida as the U.S. cruised to a 3-1 victory against Ecuador.

Six members of the squad played in Raymond James Stadium during 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying. Robbie Findley, Eddie Gaven, Sacha Kljestan, Dax McCarty, Orozco and Marvell Wynne were all part of Peter Nowak’s U-23 team which played three games in Tampa in the successful qualifying run to the Beijing Olympics. McCarty hails from nearby Winter Park, Fla., part of the Orlando metropolitan area.

Five players featured in World Cup qualifying against El Salvador during 2009. Pearce and Kljestan took part in the March 28 match in San Salvador, which finished 2-2, while Marshall, Bornstein and Kyle Beckerman all featured in the Sept. 5 come-from-behind 2-1 win in Sandy, Utah.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)
DEFENDERS (7): Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (4): Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)