Courtesy:
www.sportsfeatures.comTozer Selects 12-Man Roster to Represent U.S. At 2004 CONCACAF Qualifying for Futsal World ChampionshipAll 12 Players Hail From Major Indoor Soccer League Teams;
U.S. To Face Cuba, Panama & Guyana in Group B Beginning July 24 in Costa Rica
CHICAGO (Tuesday, July 13, 2004) — United States Futsal National Team head coach Keith Tozer has announced the 12-player roster that will represent the U.S. at the 2004 CONCACAF Futsal Final Round Qualification Tournament from July 23 to August 1, 2004 in Heredia, Costa Rica.
The U.S. will open its qualifying campaign against Panama on July 24, and will also face Guyana on July 26 before finishing group play on July 28 against Cuba. The U.S. will hope to advance to the semifinals on July 30, where the winner of the two semifinal matches will qualify for the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship being played from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5 in Chinese Taipei. Both finalists will play for the CONCACAF crown on July 31.
“We are looking forward to this tournament,” said Tozer, who has a 17-8-4 record in his nine years leading the team. “In the past four years we have played many more international competitions than years past and hopefully our players garnered enough experience to advance.
“With the growth of futsal in the last four years, all of the teams will be tough. Panama has a Brazilian coach and has traveled to Brazil to gain international experience, which means we will open against a tactically and technically solid team. Guyana also has a Brazilian influence on their coaching staff, and Cuba, who we lost to in 2000, is one of the most experienced teams in the region.”
The roster features only two holdovers, defender Sean Bowers and midfielder Lee Tschantret, from the 2000 qualifying team that missed the FIFA Futsal World Championship with a third place finish. Bowers enters qualifying with 25 caps, 11 more than Tschantret, the second most experienced player on the team. In 2000, he scored a goal in each of the USA’s three group games vs. Puerto Rico, Netherlands Antilles and Mexico while picking up four assists as the U.S. finished third behind Cuba and Costa Rica. Tschantret tied for the team lead with 11 points in that tournament with four goals and three assists. Both Bowers and Tschantret lead the team with six international goals on their career record.
The U.S. earned a spot in the eight-team final round competition after sweeping Honduras 7-1 in a two game series (5-1, 2-0) in late May in Milwaukee, Wis. Eight of the 12 players on the final round roster appeared for the U.S. in that series, with Greg Howes, Joel Shanker and Danny Kelly each recording goals.
All 12 players on the U.S. roster played in the MISL last season, and one half of the roster – as well as head coach Keith Tozer – represented the Milwaukee Wave and Baltimore Blast in the MISL Championship Series this spring. Blast goalkeeper Scott Hileman was named the MVP of the series and Kelly scored the series-clinching goal. Tschantret and Kelly each had three goals in the series for the Blast, while Howes and Todd Dusosky had four and two, respectively, for the Wave. Pat White also suited up for the Wave in the series.
Futsal is a sport that is a derivative of soccer played with five-man teams on a basketball style court, with no walls and a low bouncing ball, unlike the traditional sport of U.S. indoor soccer played with a six-man squads and walls. Great soccer super stars such as Pele, Zico and Ronaldo grew up playing the game and credit futsal with developing their skills.
U.S. Futsal RosterCONCACAF Final Round Qualifying Tournament
Heredia, Costa Rica – July 23-Aug. 1, 2004
Name - Position - Club - Caps
Hileman, Scott - Goalkeeper - Baltimore Blast - 2/0
Phillips, Brett - Goalkeeper - St. Louis Steamers - 11/0
Bowers, Sean - Defender - San Diego Sockers - 25/6
Tschantret, Lee - Defender - Baltimore Blast - 14/6
White, Pat - Defender - Milwaukee Wave - 10/4
Ball, John - Midfield - Cleveland Force - 9/1
Kelly, Danny - Midfield - Baltimore Blast - 2/1
Shanker, Joel - Midfield - Philadelphia Kixx - 6/4
D’Ambra, Don - Forward - Philadelphia Kixx - 4/4
Dusosky, Todd - Forward - Milwaukee Wave - 5/1
Guastaferro, Andy - Forward - Chicago Storm - 2/0
Howes, Greg - Forward - Milwaukee Wave - 4/1
Team StaffHead Coach: Keith
Tozer Assistant Coach: Vilmar
Marques "Vavŕ"
Head of Delegation: Alex
ParaTeam Coordinator: Bryan
Koch Medical Trainer: Todd
DanielsTeam Physician: David
GarelickPress Officer: David
Applegate CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament SchedulePalacio de los Deportes, Heredia, Costa Rica – July 23-Aug. 1, 2004
Group A
Date - Teams - Kickoff (ET)
July 23 - Mexico vs. Trinidad - 7 p.m.
July 23 - Costa Rica vs. Surinam - 9 p.m.
July 25 - Surinam vs. Mexico - 7 p.m.
July 25 - Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago - 9 p.m.
July 27 - Trinidad & Tobago vs. Surinam - 7 p.m.
July 27 - Costa Rica vs. Mexico - 9 p.m.
Group B
Date - Teams - Kickoff (ET)
July 24 - USA vs. Panama - 7 p.m.
July 24 - Guyana vs. Cuba - 9 p.m.
July 26 - USA vs. Guyana - 7 p.m.
July 26 - Cuba vs. Panama - 9 p.m.
July 28 - Panama vs. Guyana - 7 p.m.
July 28 - Cuba vs. USA - 9 p.m.
Semifinals / FinalsDate - Teams - Kickoff (ET)
July 30 - B1 vs. A2 - 7 p.m.
July 30 - A1 vs. B2 - 9 p.m.
July 31 - Third Place Game - 7 p.m.
July 31 - Final - 9 p.m.
