August 18, 2003

FURMAN'S CLINT DEMPSEY CALLED UP TO US U-20 NATIONAL TEAM

Greenville, S.C. -- Furman University midfielder Clint Dempsey has been called up to the United States Under-20 National Team's 18-man roster. He left Sunday with the youth national team to participate in the L'Alcudia International Tournament in Spain from Aug. 19 to the 27.

Dempsey and his teammates will return to the United States on August 29, but will miss Furman's season opener against No. 1 Maryland in Omaha, Nebraska on that same day. He will participate for Furman in the second round of the Creighton Diadora Challenge against either Butler or Creighton on August 31.

"This is a great opportunity for Clint," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "It will give him great exposure on the international level and should help his game. It is unfortunate that he will miss our season opener, but that comes with the territory when you compete at the top levels."

This is the fourth time that Dempsey has played with the Under-20 squad. Dempsey is vying for a spot on Coach Thomas Rongen's final roster that will represent the United States in the World Youth Championships later this fall. Former Furman standout Ricardo Clark of the MetroStars is a member of U.S. Under-20 team, but will not be traveling to Spain to compete in this tournament.

The U.S. is in Group A of the eight-team tournament along with Egypt, Russia and Sovenia. Group B includes Gabon, Ukraine, Uruguay and Valencia, a regional team from Spain. The U.S. Schedule begins with Egypt on Aug. 21. Prior to the tournament, the U.S. will play a friendly match on Aug. 19 vs. Villareal. 

The team is in preparations for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships which will be held in the United Arab Emirates from November 27 to December 19. Originally scheduled for March 25 to April 16, the tournament change dates due to military conflict in the region.

Under-20 Men¹s National Team Roster
L'Alcudia International Tournament - Spain - August 17-29, 2003

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club/College
Alvarez, Arturo F 5'9" 145 06/28/85 Houston, Texas San Jose Earthquakes
Burch, Marc F 6'1" 190 05/07/84 Cincinnati, Ohio University of Evansville
Capano, Craig M 5'7" 140 07/07/85 Hyde Park, N.Y. Chicago Fire
Colon, Dimi F 5'6" 150 04/08/83Grossbottwar, Germany Freiburg (Germany)
Dempsey, Clint F 6'1" 170 03/09/83 Nacogdoches, Texas Furman University
Ianni, Patrick M 5'8" 150 06/15/85 Lodi, Calif. UCLA
Johnson, David M 5'11" 160 01/16/84 Riverside, Calif. Willem II (Netherlands)
Karbassiyoon, Danny F 5'9" 155 08/10/84 Roanoke, Va. Arsenal (England)
Marshall, Chad D 6'3" 185 08/22/84 Riverside, Calif. Stanford University
Moor, Drew M 6'0" 170 01/15/84 Dallas, Texas Indiana University
Pearce, Heath D 6'0" 170 08/13/84 Modesto, Calif. University of Portland
Phelan, Patrick D 5'11" 185 01/16/85 Enfield, Conn. Oakwood SC
Saavedra, Miguel M 5'11" 160 07/03/83 Milwaukee, Wis.
Schuerman, Adam GK 6'0" 180 06/04/84 Brookfield, Wis. University of Connecticut
Simek, Frank D 6'0" 175 10/13/84 Millstadt, Ill. Arsenal (England)
Videira, Mike M 5'11" 170 01/06/86 Milford, Mass. Boston Blast
Whitbread, Zak D 6'3" 180 01/10/84 Liverpool, England Liverpool (England)
Williams, Ford GK 6'3" 190 02/20/84 Raleigh, N.C. University of North Carolina

National Team Staff

Head Coach: Thomas Rongen (Potomac Falls, Va.) 
Assistant Coach: Cle Kooiman (Alta Loma, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Fernando Clavijo (Davie, Fla.)
Team Coordinator: Erik Carlson (Seal Beach, Calif.)
Doctor: Dwite Dahms (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Trainer: Matt Voltz (Claymont, Del.)
Equipment Manager: Bryan Rosenbaum (Tucson, Ariz.)

Under-20 Men's National Team Schedule
L'Alcudia International Tournament - Spain - August 17-29, 2003 

Group A  Schedule   
Egypt, Russia, Slovenia, United States                  

Aug. 21 USA vs. Egypt Slovenia vs. Russia
Aug. 23 Slovenia vs. Egypt Russia vs. USA
Aug. 25 Egypt vs. Russia USA vs. Slovenia

Group B Schedule
Gabon, Ukraine, Uruguay, Valencia (regional)

Aug. 22 Uruguay vs. Gabon Valencia vs. Ukraine
Aug. 24 Valencia vs. Gabon Ukraine vs. Uruguay
Aug. 26 Gabon vs. Ukraine Uruguay vs. Valencia Placement Matches

Aug. 27 1st Group A vs. 2nd Group B 1st Group B vs. 2nd Group A
Aug. 28 4th Group A vs. 4th Group B 3rd Group A vs. 3rd Group B 3rd place game Final