U.S. Soccer expands residency program

ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- The U.S. Soccer Federation 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.

The 30 U.S. players 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 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 is intended to increase the development opportunities for players and the success of youth national teams. In three years, 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, it 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 senior national team 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 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. trains daily under Ellinger and Hackworth and has access to the IMG Academy's state-of-the-art 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
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	DOB	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
Head Coach: John Ellinger, Bradenton, Fla.