Rongen Finalizes 20-Man Copa Chivas Roster

Three Kendall and Two IMG players make team


CHICAGO (Jan. 22, 2008) - U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Thomas Rongen has finalized his 20-player roster that will travel to the Copa Chivas Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico from Jan. 24-Feb. 2.

After naming 16 players to his initial roster, Rongen reconfigured his roster following the Major League Soccer draft. He also allowed midfielder Bryan Arguez to continue finalizing his transfer to Hertha Berlin in Germany. In all, eight new players were chosen to make the trip to Mexico.

The U.S. will kick off the tournament against America on Saturday, Jan. 26. The following matches in group play will be against Tecos (Jan. 27), Locomotiv de Moscu (Jan. 28), Estudiantes de la Plata (Jan. 29) and Santos (Jan. 30). If the U.S. advances they could move on to the quarterfinals (Jan. 31), semifinals (Feb. 1) or even the final (Feb. 2).

U.S. U-20 MNT Roster

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birth Date Hometown Club
Altamirano, Jose M 5'4'' 140 07/17/91 San Diego, Calif. Del Mar Sharks
Agbossoumonde, Gale D 6'2" 185 11/17/91 Syracuse, N.Y. IMG Soccer Academy
Bimbaum, Steven M 6'5" 165 01/23/91 Irvine, Calif. Pateadores
Blaise, Franklin D 5' 9" 180 04/12/90 Miami, Fla. Kendall Soccer Coalition
Bowen, Tristan F 5'11" 165 1/30/91 Van Nuys, Calif. LA Galaxy
DelPiccolo, Paolo D 6'0" 160 05/28/91 Lakewood, Colo. Colorado Rush
Flores, Jorge F 5' 11" 150 09/16/89 Anaheim, Calif. Chivas USA (MLS)

Garcia, Felix F 6' 1" 160 07/30/90 Laredo, Texas Laredo Heat
Gonzalez, Cristian F 5' 10" 165 12/11/90 Miami, Fla. Kendall Soccer Coalition
Hamid, Abdul GK 6' 3" 225 11/25/90 Annandale, Va. Mclean FC
Lambo, Joshua GK 6' 0" 205 11/19/90 Middleton, Wisc. Chicago Fire (MLS)

Lubahn, Andrew M 5'11" 160 09/10/91 Erie, Pa. Freidel Academy
McLoughlin, Ellis F 5' 10" 170 07/08/90 Seattle, Wash. University of Washington
Millington, Nicholas D 5' 8" 150 08/09/91 Raleigh, N.C. CASL
Nimo, Alex F 5'6" 140 03/21/90 Portland, Ore. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Okugo, Amobi M 5' 11" 165 03/13/91 Sacramento, Calif. San Juan Lightning Crew
Punyed, Pablo M 5' 8" 155 04/18/90 Miami, Fla. Kendall Soccer Coalition
Williams, Sheanon D 5' 11" 165 03/17/90 Boston, Mass. University of North Carolina
Uy, Matthew D 5' 9" 150 08/09/91 New Hyde Park, N.Y. BW Gottschee
Valentin, Zarek D 5'9" 145 08/06/91 Lancaster, Pa. IMG Soccer Academy

U.S. U-20 MNT Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Thomas Rongen Swealls Point, Fla.
Assistant Coach: Raul Diaz Arce Tampa, Fla.
Assistant Coach: Marco Etcheverry Purcellville, Va.
Goalkeeper Coach: Russell Payne Washington, D.C.
Team Coordinator: Jon Fleishman Pittsburgh, Pa.
Team Doctor: Travis Hanson Houston, Texas
Equipment Manager: Rigoberto Cuevas Sacramento, Calif.
Athletic Trainer: Payton Haynes Atlanta, Ga.