November 4, 2002

FURMAN'S CLARK AMONG TEN COLLEGIANS TO COMPETE WITH US UNDER-20 NATIONAL TEAM

CHARLESTON, SC -- Furman men's soccer standout Ricardo Clark is one of 18 members of the United States Under-20 National Team that reported to Charleston, SC on Sunday to begin training for the CONCACAF Group B qualifying tournament.

The tournament will take place at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C., with doubleheaders on Nov. 13, 15 and 17. The U.S. will be joined by Haiti, El Salvador and Canada in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the FIFA World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates from March 25-April 16, 2003.

The U.S. will take on Haiti on November 13 at 7:30, El Salvador on November 15 at 7:30 and Canada on November 17 at 2:30.

Interestingly, the CONCACAF qualifying tournament is occurring in Charleston at the same time as the Southern Confernence Men's Soccer Championships at Patriots Point. Furman will open the tournament as the No. 1 seed on November 14, with the semifinals on November 16 and finals on November 17. It is unsure if Clark will also participate with Furman during that time, though he does plan to return to Grenville for Furman's November 10 match vs. Davidson.

"This is an unbelievable opportunity for Ricardo," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "It's a chance for Ricardo to showcase his talents on the international stage and I am excited about the chance for our guys to see him play with the National Team while we are down there. If it works out that he can play with us during part of the SoCon Tournament that would be great because he is a crucial part of our team, but we will wait and see what happens. We realize, though, how important it is for Ricardo and his future in soccer to play on that kind of a stage with the national team."

Ten collegians, six MLS players, and two international soccer professionals make up Coach Thomas Rongen's squad, which has posted a 14-7-9 record in 2002, scoring more than twice as many goals as its opposition (55 to 27). In addition to Furman, Michigan, Indiana, Washington, UCLA, Maryland, Stanford, North Carolina and Santa Clara are represented.

"I have really enjoyed playing with this team," said Clark, who is in his fourth year with a United States Youth National Team. "Playing with those guys motivates you to become a better player because everyone is playing at such a high level."

Clark is a sophomore for the Paladins. He has three goals and two assists this season, including the game-winner in Furman's 1-0 victory over then-No. 9 South Carolina on October 27. He was named Southern Conference player-of-the-week after that performance and was named to the Soccer America and College Soccer News National Teams-of-the-Week.

Furman freshman Chefik Simo was originally slated to be on this roster before suffering serious injuries in the automobile accident on October 11 that claimed the life of Furman freshman Gray Griffin. Simo remains hospitalized at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Griffin was captain of the U.S. Under-17 National Team and played with most the members of this team for several years. A broken arm in the spring of 2002 kept Griffin from participating in training camps for this Under-20 squad. The U.S. Under-20 squad will wear Gray's No. 12 on its jerseys throughout the rest of this season and has dedicated its run to the FIFA World Youth Championships to Gray.

"The outpouring of support after the accident has been overwhelming nationwide," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "US Soccer has been so supportive through this whole time. Gray was one their guys and I know they feel the loss just like we do."

"I feel bad for Chefik because he can't compete next week with the National Team, which I know he wanted to do so badly," added Allison. "He continues to fight hard and we are just praying that he eventually makes a full recovery."

Allison added that he hopes to attend the first two rounds of CONCACAF qualifying with the rest of the Furman men's soccer team.

Tickets for the qualifying tournament are available at all Ticketmaster outlets throughout the Carolinas.

U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team

CONCACAF Group B Qualifying

November 13-17, 2002

Head Coach: Thomas Rongen

Assistant Coach: Cle Kooiman