US soccer expands full-time U17 residency program

CHICAGO (September 3, 2002) — U.S. Soccer has increased the number of players in their Under-17 Full-Time Residency Program to 30 players, all of whom began the fall semester today at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. An additional 10 spaces in the residency program were added for the fall semester, as U.S. Soccer continues to increase its player development opportunities in this country.

The 30 U.S. players have been placed in a setting where they attend classes at nearby Edison Academy and then return to the IMG campus to train daily under the guidance of U.S. Under-17 head coach John Ellinger and assistant coach John Hackworth. On the weekends the team usually participates in a mixture of games and training sessions.

“The full-time residency program continues to be a key element in our player development initiatives,” said Ellinger. “Being able to increase the size of the program to 30 players is a very positive step for the game in this country. I think we saw in the World Cup with Landon (Donovan) and DaMarcus (Beasley) that this program is already helping to produce world-class players, and to see 12 players graduate from this program into Major League Soccer in just three years is a strong statement about the direction of the program.”

Fourteen of the 30 players are beginning their first semester in the full-time program and nine are beginning their third semester after joining the full-time residency program in September 2001.

Among those returning for a third semester in the program are co-captain and central defender Brandon Owens, midfield standout Eddie Gaven and the attacking duo of Guillermo Gonzalez (14 goals, 7 assists in 2002) and Corey Ashe (8 goals, 6 assists in 2002).

Started in 1999, the U.S. Soccer full-time residency program has become a symbol of U.S. Soccer’s dedication to increasing the development opportunities for players and the success of the Youth National Teams. In three years of the full-time residency program, the U.S. Under-17 teams in residency have posted a combined 34-15-12 record in international matches.

This group of Under-17s is looking towards to the 2003 FIFA Under-17 World Championship that will be held in Finland in the summer of 2003. When the U.S. heads to Guatemala for qualifying in March, the team will attempt to continue the streak of being the only nation to qualify for each FIFA Under-17 World Championship.

“The residency program gives our elite players the opportunity to train in a professional environment and to develop in a way they would not otherwise be able to develop,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena. “I think that increasing the size of the program is extremely important, and it allows us to look at more players over a wider range of ages. I think that in the future you will continue to see the positive results of this program on the soccer field.”

The 2000-01 U.S. Under-17s were the first team to spend two years in the Full-Time Residency Program, and the squad played a U.S. Soccer record 98 matches from January ’00 to September ‘01. Two members of the team – Santino Quaranta and Eddie Johnson – had successful debuts in MLS in 2001, and three of their U-17 teammates (Justin Mapp, Jordan Stone and Craig Capano) joined them in MLS in 2002.

While in the full-time residency program, the U.S. not only trains daily under Ellinger and Hackworth, but also has access to the IMG Academy’s spacious facilities. The team regularly uses IMG’s state-of-the-art strength-training facilities, as well as some of the nation’s best sports psychologists that work at the Academy. The IMG Academy includes top-of-the-line soccer equipment, three Bermuda grass fields, an indoor dome with artificial turf, two swimming pools, newly renovated student housing and dining facilities.

The following players began each year in the U.S. Soccer Residency Program:

1999 Under-17 Residency Roster (20 players): Nelson Akwari*, DaMarcus Beasley*, Kyle Beckerman*, Danny Bolin, Filippo Chillemi, Jordan Cila*, Bobby Convey*, D.J. Countess*, Steve Cronin*, Kenny Cutler*, Landon Donovan*, Adolfo Gregorio*, Bryan Jackson*, Kellen Kalso*, Greg Martin*, Oguchi Onyewu*, Raul Rivera, Matt Roberts, Seth Trembly*, Alexander Yi*

2000 Under-17 Residency Roster (18 players): Craig Capano*, David Chun*, Daniel Fiore, Gray Griffin*, Jordan Harvey*, Edward Johnson*, Paul Johnson*, Chris Lancos*, Justin Mapp*, Heath Pearce, Santino Quaranta*, Zachary Riffett, Marco Rodriguez, Mario Rodriguez, Adam Schuerman*, Chefik Simo*, Jordan Stone*, Josh Villalobos

2001 Under-17 Residency Roster (20 players): Craig Capano*, David Chun*, Hunter Freeman, Gray Griffin*, Jordan Harvey*, David Johnson*, Ed Johnson*, Paul Johnson*, Chris Lancos*, Justin Mapp*, Chad Marshall*, Mike Magee*, Heath Pearce, Santino Quaranta*, Adam Schuerman*, Chefik Simo*, Jordan Stone*, Josh Villalobos, Tyson Wahl*, Ford Williams*

*-FIFA Under-17 World Championship team member

U.S. Under 17 Men’s National Team 
Residency – Fall 2002 
Bradenton, Florida 

No.  Name                     Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club/School 
1  Marfuggi, Phil             GK 5’11” 165 01/15/86 West Windsor, N.J. PDA United/West Windsor HS 
18  Rein, Marcus            GK 6’1” 185 01/27/87 Modesto, Calif. Ajax United/Johansen HS 
28  Sandbo, Stephen       GK 6’1” 175 02/23/87 Columbus, Ohio Ohio Thunder/Upper Arlington HS 
16  Chevannes, Adrian     D 5’11” 175 06/17/86 Ft. Worth, Texas Club Dallas/Fossil Ridge HS 
6  Harrison, Drew            D 5’’8” 160 02/17/86 Roanoke, Va. Roanoke Premier/Cave Spring HS 
19  Helton, Kyle              D 5’7”  155 05/20/86 Alpharetta, Ga. Atlanta Fire/Milton HS 
12  Oot, Brandon             D 6’0” 165 04/18/86 Lafayette, N.Y. Blitz Samba Beat/Manlius Pebble Hill 
5  Owens, Brandon         D 5’11” 160 01/23/86 Murrieta, Calif. La Jolla Nomads/Murrieta Valley HS 
3  Spector, Jonathan         D 6’0” 165 03/01/86 Arlington, Heights, Ill. Sockers FC/St. Viator HS 
13   Vogl, Eric                 D 5’8” 140 03/12/86 Fayetteville, Ga. AFC Lightning/Fayette Co. HS 
26  Germani, Chris         D/M 5’6’ 140 07/10/86 Yardley, Pa. FC Delco/Pennsbury 
2  Ogunsola, Tomiwa     D/M 5’7” 145 03/18/86 Woodbridge, Va. Potomac Cougars/CD Hylton HS 
17   Wileman, Chase     D/M 5’6”  140 06/25/86 Dallas, Texas Solar FC/Grand Prairie HS 
20  Bradley, Michael      M 5’8” 130 07/31/87 Palatine, Ill. Chicago Sockers/St. Viator 
27  Curfman, Steven      M 5’11” 155 10/08/86 Raleigh, N.C. CASL Elite/Athens Drive HS 
8  DiRaimondo, John       M 5’6” 140 04/23/86 St Louis, Mo. Busch SC/St. Louis University HS 
14  Gomez, Jose             M 5’8” 150 01/02/86 Inglewood, Calif. Irvine Strikers/Crossroads HS 
7   Grazier, Brian             M 5’11” 145 03/17/86 Edwardsville, Ill. Metro FC/Edwardsville HS 
25  Jimenez, Christian     M 5’9” 150 11/03/86 San Dimas, Calif. Irvine Strikers/San Dimas HS 
21  Mascarenhas, Brian M 5’9” 150 03/04/87 Marietta, Ga. Concorde/Marist HS 
24  Szetela, Daniel         M 5’9” 160 06/17/87 Clifton, N.J. World Class Olympic/Clifton HS 
29  Ward, Tim               M 5’11” 150 02/28/87 Waukesha, Wisc. Parkland SC/Kettle Moraine HS 
22  Valentin, Julian         M 5’10” 155 02/23/87 Lancaster, Pa. Leeds United/Manheim Township 
4  Gaven, Eddie             M/F 6’0” 145 10/25/86 Hamilton, N.J. Hibernians FC/Steinert HS 
10  Gonzalez, Guillermo M/F 5’11” 145 01/04/86 Paramount, Calif. Irvine Strikers/Materdei HS 
11  Adu, Freddy             F 5’8’ 140 06/02/89 Potomac, Md. Bethesda Int’l/Heights HS 
15  Ashe, Corey             F 5’5  135 03/14/86 Virginia Beach, Va. Beach FC Impact/Kellam HS 
9  Harrington, Michael    F 5’11 155 01/24/86 Greenville, N.C. CASL Elite/JH Rose HS 
23  Peterson, Jacob        F 5’10” 160 01/27/86 Portage, Mich. Michigan Wolves/Portage Northern 
30  Watson, Jamie          F 5’8” 145 04/10/86 Coppell, Texas Dallas Comets/Coppell HS 

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team Staff 
Head Coach: John Ellinger Bradenton, Fla. 
Assistant Coach: John Hackworth Bradenton, Fla. 
Manager: Jeff McRaney Palmetto, Fla. 
Trainer: Jacob Joachim St. Petersburg, Fla. 
Team Coordinator/Equipment Manager: RJ Noto  St. Petersburg, Fla.

Please help keep mysoccer.com kickin'. Visit our sponsors' websites.