United's Olsen Expected To Be Named to U.S. Team
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen , whose international soccer career appeared over last year, will be named to the U.S. World Cup team tomorrow, sources close to the selection process confirmed yesterday.
Olsen, who will turn 29 on Wednesday, was told by U.S. Coach Bruce Arena over the weekend that he was among 23 players included on the squad. The former University of Virginia star will report to U.S. camp in Cary, N.C., early next week and will probably end up missing 10 MLS matches while he is away.
The United States will play three friendlies in late May and then depart for Germany on June 1. Its first World Cup match will be June 12 against the Czech Republic.
Arena will unveil the World Cup squad tomorrow evening on ESPN. United and U.S. Soccer Federation officials have declined to comment on the selection process, and players named to the team have been instructed not to comment.
Olsen reemerged on the national scene early this year with impressive play at U.S. training camp and in a few friendlies. On Saturday night, with Arena in attendance at RFK Stadium, Olsen scored his first goal of the MLS season during a 1-1 tie with FC Dallas. . . .
United's reserve team, which won the inaugural MLS title last year, opened its 12-game schedule yesterday with a 0-0 tie against Dallas at the RFK Stadium training grounds. . . .
England Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson would select Wayne Rooney for his World Cup roster if he thinks the forward can recover from a broken foot for the later rounds of the tournament.
The Manchester United striker broke a bone in his right foot during United's 3-0 loss at Chelsea on Saturday, and he is expected to be out for six weeks.
England faces Paraguay on June 10 in its first World Cup game, exactly six weeks after Rooney's injury. The 20-year-old forward may not be fit for first-round group games against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden, but Eriksson may take him to Germany in the hopes that England advances to the next round.
Eriksson did get some good news yesterday.
An X-ray revealed Rooney's regular striking partner Michael Owen did not aggravate his foot injury playing for Newcastle on Saturday. Owen had been in pain after a 30-minute appearance against Birmingham, his first game since breaking a foot bone Dec. 31.
