Adu captains U.S. roster for 2012 Olympic qualifying
United States players including forward Juan Agudelo (9) and Kofi Sarkodie (3) celebrate a goal by Mix Diskerud with an assist from Freddy Adu (7) in the first half against Mexico at FC Dallas Stadium. (Feb. 29, 2012) Credit: AP
United States U-23 Men's National Team head coach Caleb Porter officially announced the 20 players that will compete in the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying tournament ahead of the Summer Games in London this July.
Fans of the senior team will notice some familiar names on Porter's list. Midfielder Freddy Adu will captain the squad while forwards Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury and Brek Shea will lead the attack. Both goalies, Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson, have USMNT experience as well.
The United States will play in Group A with Canada, Cuba and El Salvador and will open play against Cuba Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. Group B includes Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage on March 31 (A1 vs. B2, B1 vs. A2). The two teams that win their semifinal matches and advance to the final -- on April 2 -- both qualify for the Olympics.
The full roster:
Goalkeepers (2): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)
Defenders (6): Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Ike Opara (San Jose Earthquakes), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo), Zarek Valentin (Montreal Impact), Jorge Villafaña (Chivas USA), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union)
Midfielders (6): Freddy Adu (Philadelphia Union), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Gent), Jared Jeffrey (Mainz), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union), Michael Stephens (LA Galaxy)
Forwards (6): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Tony Taylor (Estoril Praia)
