Courtesy: Potomac Soccer Wire


U.S. Futsal team kicks of World Cup in Rio Wednesday

29 Sep, 2008

The U.S. Futsal National Team kicks off the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup against Paraguay on Sept. 30 at the Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kickoff for the Group B clash is slated for 11:30 a.m. ET, and the match can be followed live on the MNT Blog. Galavision will be airing the game on tape delay, with coverage starting at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT on Sept. 31.

QUICK HITS:

- Twelve players are eligible to dress for the United States in the game against Paraguay, meaning two players of the 14-man roster will be inactive.
- Midfielder Andy Rosenband is ineligible for the first FIFA Futsal World Cup game against Paraguay, having been red carded in the USA's last competitive international game against Panama in the CONCACAF Championship's third-place match.
- In its four previous visits to the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the U.S. has played 25 matches all-time, going 12-9-4. See below for more U.S. FIFA Futsal World Cup history.
- The U.S. has averaged 1.6 points per game in the FIFA Futsal World Cup, good for fifth best all time. Brazil, with 2.58 points per game, earns the highest return every match.
- The U.S. is 4-1-2 in 2008, with its only loss coming against Guatemala in the CONCACAF Futsal Championship semifinals in June.
- The U.S. has scored 25 goals this year, while conceding 16.
- Defender Matt Stewart is the USA's leading scorer with six goals to his credit.
- Defender Pat Morris and midfielder Jamar Beasley have each had two goal games in 2008, with Beasley netting twice against Japan on Sept. 14. Morris' brace came against Panama in the third place game of CONCACAF qualifying, but the feat was slightly upstaged by Matt Stewart's hat trick in the match.
- Stewart's three goals in the match marked the 11th time that a U.S. player has notched a hat trick in international play.
- Two players on the U.S. roster, Beasley and Morris, have prior FIFA Futsal World Cup experience as members of the team that competed in Chinese Taipei in 2004.
- Unsurprisingly, both Beasley and Morris are far and away the cap leaders on the FIFA Futsal World Cup squad. Morris has 25 caps while Beasley is just behind him with 23. Sean Bowers is the U.S. Futsal National Team's all-time cap leader, having played 35 times for the national team between 1996 and 2004.
- Morris has the most international goals of any player on the U.S. team. His 12 tallies are good for second all-time behind Jim Gabarra's 17 goals.
- The Philadelphia KiXX, Chicago Storm and Milwaukee Wave each have three representatives on the U.S. World Cup team, while the Detroit Ignition sends two players to Brazil. Denison Cabral, who was MVP of the 2008 MISL Championship Match, is the sole representative from the MISL Champion Baltimore Blast.
- One player on the U.S. team, Andrew Jacobsen, joins up with the squad from abroad. Jacobsen is currently part of Ligue 1 side FCLorient in the French top flight. Jacobsen is also the only United States player without an international cap to his credit.
- Head coach Keith Tozer has helmed the U.S. Futsal National Team for more than thirteen years, the longest streak of any current U.S. Soccer head coach.
- In the history of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, only two nations have ever won the title: Brazil in 1989, 1992 and 1996, and Spain in2000 and 2004.
- Despite the sport's popularity in Brazil, the samba nation has never hosted the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The previous hosts: The Netherlands (1989), Hong Kong (1992), Spain (1996), Guatemala (2000), Chinese Taipei (2004).
- The average number of goals scored in each match at the FIFA Futsal World Cup is 6.78,more than twice as high than the average at the FIFA World Cup between 1930 and 2006.
- The 2008 tournament will mark head coach Keith Tozer's second FIFA Futsal World Cup. His predecessor, John Kowalski, coached in the 1989, 1992, and 1996 World Cup. Javier Lozano, the former coach of Spain, has coached in a record four tournaments.
To date, 35 teams have participated in the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
- The 2008 edition of the tournament features two newcomers: Libya and Solomon Islands.
- Exactly 200 matches have been played in the FIFA Futsal World Cup, with the 2004 Final between Spain and Brazil providing the bicentennial mark. The U.S. played the 100th match of the FIFA Futsal World Cup when it took on Malaysia in 1996.

U.S. FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION:
Goalkeepers (2): Jeff Richey (Fort Wayne, Ind., 5/0), Nick Vorberg (Grants Pass, Ore., 9/0);

Defenders (2): Joe Hammes (Cedarburg, Wis., 11/3), Pat Morris (Philadelphia, Pa. 25/12);

Midfielders (6): Denison Cabral (Baltimore, Md., 13/5), Andrew Jacobsen (Palo Alto, Calif., 0/0), Ptah Myers (Columbus, Ohio, 9/0), Sandre Naumoski (Philadelphia, Pa., 7/3), Andy Rosenband (Hammond, Ind., 8/1), Matthew Stewart (El Paso, Texas, 15/9);

Forwards (4): Mike Apple (Akron, Ohio, 7/1), Jamar Beasley (Fort Wayne, Ind. 23/7), Chile Farias (Los Angeles, Calif., 7/2), Brett Wiesner (Brookfield, Wis., 2/0).
*numbers indicate all-time caps/goals

GROUP B - SOME FAMILIAR FOES: After facing Paraguay, the U.S. turns around to face Italy on Oct. 2. Coincidentally, the U.S. faced both those teams in its opening two games of the 2004 World Cup, albeit in the reverse order. After its opening victory over the U.S. four years ago, the Italians went on to finish second in the tournament. The U.S. meanwhile, rebounded to beat Paraguay en route to its qualification for the second round. In Thailand, the U.S. finds an opponent that is on the rise in the world of Futsal. The War Elephants, as they are known, finished second in this year's AFC Championship and will be participating in their third FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil. Portugal, since qualifying for its first FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2000, has vaulted itself into the upper echelons of world Futsal. After finishing fourth in the UEFA Futsal Championship in 2007 and breezing through qualifying earlier this year, the Portuguese arrive at the FIFA Futsal World Cup as a side with high hopes for the tournament.

Group B - Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Paraguay, USA

Sept. 30
Paraguay vs. USA
Rio de Janeiro
11:30 a.m.

Oct. 2
USA vs. Italy
Rio de Janeiro
11:30 a.m.

Oct. 4
Thailand vs. USA
Rio de Janeiro
9:30 a.m.

Oct. 6
Portugal vs. USA
Rio de Janeiro
9:30 a.m.

U.S. FIFA FUTSAL WORLD CUP HISTORY: The U.S. is competing in its fifth FIFA Futsal World Cup, with its first appearance coming at the inaugural tournament in 1989 where the Americans finished third. In 1992, the U.S. returned to the world stage, besting its performance from three years ago to finish second. Losing 4-1 in the final to Brazil, the 1992 team posted the best finish of any U.S. men's team at a FIFA competition a record which still stands.

EXPANDING THE POOL: For the first time ever, 20 nations will contest the FIFA Futsal World Cup and the participants have been split up into four groups of five teams. That means the U.S. will play four first round games, a slight difference from the traditional four-team groups of most major tournaments. The top two teams in each group advance to the second round, where an additional group phase commences. From there, the top two teams in groups E and F are placed into the semifinals, with the winners contesting the FIFA Futsal World Cup Final in Rio de Janeiro on October 19.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The experienced Paraguay side qualified for its fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup by virtue of a fourth place finish at the 2008 Copa Aerica. Paraguay's best ever finish in the FIFA Futsal World Cup came when they advanced to the second round in 1989, while their only major international trophy came at the inaugural CONEMBOL Futsal Championship in 1964. Yet the Albirroja are not a side to be taken lightly, and they have proved their credentials by qualifying for their second consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup. Coach Adolfo Ruiz has a squad of veterans, like defender Carlos Chilavert, and young talent at his disposal in Brazil.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com