By Mike Takeuchi
Reprinted Article
Despite currently residing at the bottom of the American League West standings, the Seattle Mariners may just be ahead of the game.
Just like sabermetrics has revolutionized the sport in terms of analyzing baseball statistics and turning them into plausible outcomes, modern physiological science is replacing long-held and often incorrect tenets in how ballplayers are trained. And Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik is counting on local resident Dr. Marcus Elliott to be at the forefront of this movement in the sport.
After years of research and practical training while working with elite athletes individually as well as the NFL's New England Patriots and the NBA's Utah Jazz, the Harvard trained-Elliott is now the Director of Sport Science and Performance for MLB's Seattle franchise. Hired at the start of spring training this year, the owner of Santa Barbara's Peak Performance Project or P3 is currently working with the organization's entire minor league roster while making plans to work with the Big League club next year.
"We are just trying to do things that work for us, things that are necessary as you look at ways to improve players' performance by embracing sabermetrics and helping them achieve their maximum physical potential," Zduriencik said. "And Marcus' cutting-edge approach is what we were looking for."
In addition to his long resume', that included doing research with South African running guru Tim Noakes (his "The Lore of Running" is the definitive book on the sport), the 44-year-old has worked extensively with baseball players for several years-including local Major Leaguers Ryan Spillborghs and Virgil Vasquez, as well as the White Sox Carlos Quentin, Twins outfielder Delmon Young, and Detroit Tigers and American League Rookie of the Year candidate Brennan Boesch.
While working in other sports, the amiable sports scientist has long held a fascination with baseball players. While watching their moments, he believed that the first key was recognizing the need for different training programs for athletes of different sports, knowing the tools the athlete possesses, and then bringing to them a sophisticated, higher level of training.
"Some trainers insist there are no differences in training athletes in different sports," Elliott said on Wednesday. "That couldn't be farther from the truth. In basketball, players like (Jazz guard) Deron Williams work on their athleticism. In baseball, the main thing is hip rotation-something that trainers who have been around for 20 years still haven't grasped."
The Santa Barbaran cringes when discussing other training techniques such as "three sets of ten reps" weight training and flush runs", three to five-mile training runs pitchers are bound to do the day after they throw to "flush out" lactic acid supposedly incurred while on the mound [In several online publications, such as the Harvard Medical Review and Scientific American, lactic acid buildup is caused by anaerobic glycolisis, or the breaking down of energy that is caused by anaerobic activity (such as sprinting) for a period of around one to three minutes without rest or recovery. It takes a pitcher about three seconds to throw a pitch that is followed by a 30 second recovery].
"A pitcher would have to sprint down from the top of the stadium to the mound, throw the pitch, and do it again without complete recovery to build lactic acid," Elliott said. "When I was up in Seattle, I asked (former Seattle and current Rangers pitcher) Cliff Lee if he still ran after starts, and he admitted that he hadn't in years."
Elliott added that players in the same sports who even play the same position can have completely different needs and points to left fielders Young and Boesch as the perfect examples. While Boesch is in his first year in the Majors, the fifth-year veteran Young is coming off a sub-par year by his standards.
"I saw a strong kid, who hadn't been exposed to the intricacies of how his body worked," Elliot said on April 5. "In addition to flexibility and core strengthening, we worked on his right ankle mobility. Being a right-handed batter, Delmon generates all his power from that leg. Also, it would definitely help in his speed on the bases and in the outfield."
"Coming in, my body was naturally tight," Young said on. "Once I started getting into the routine, it began to open up and I was able to increase my strength and improve my speed while having better form. I haven't felt this good since 2005."
It seems to be working-the 24-year-old is currently batting .308, 24 points higher than in 2009, has already exceeded his RBI totals, and is one home run shy of the previous year.
Elliot said that Boesch's situation was much different in that he only needed a refinement in his training.
"Brennan had all the intangibles that make up a decent ball player, good eye-hand coordination, heart, and the ability to deal with failure over and over-plus he was just a beast," Elliott said. "But the one thing he was lacking was the rotational power from his hips that prevented him from hitting home runs."
Boesch, who began coming to Santa Barbara three winters ago and now makes his off-season home here, began to notice the difference in 2008 while in the minor leagues.
"After my first off-season with Marcus, I felt like I had some more power, but I also noticed that I was able to increase my speed and become more flexible," Boesch said on May 23. "I was pretty greedy in wanting myself to become a better baseball player, and he's helped me satisfy my thirst."
The numbers don't lie, his personal hitting coach Craig Wallenbrock said. While pointing out his Boesch's first season in the Majors (.329 average with 12 home runs, and 50 RBI), the longtime coach, who tutors or has worked with Ryan Braun, Chase Utley, and Travis Ishikawa as well, said that Elliott was the type of specialist he had been looking for in a long while.
"I was skeptical of most of the trainers I've met, because they were into the cookie cutting mode of building strength," Wallenbrock said. "And it wasn't functional for a baseball player. Marcus was the first guy I came across that really understood the movements of the sport. And after working together for a few years, he is someone I could trust anyone with and because of his positive attitude, someone I enjoy working with."
While flattered by the praise, Elliott took great pains in saying that contemporaries Glenn Fleisig and Alan Jaeger as well as a few others were doing equally important work in the evolving science. However, the Harvard Medical School graduate was the first to be hired by the team. After several talks with general managers as well as the Angels Mike Scioscia, someone Elliott greatly admires, after meetings with Zduriencik and Carmen Fusco, the Mariners were the first team to commit to him.
"The Mariners were committed from top to bottom to commit to a program by hiring two full time staffers and agreeing to add one more a year until all levels are staffed," Elliot said. "They recognized that you can't pay a young kid fresh out of college with limited experience $10,000 a year to handle multi-million dollar ballplayers."
Although he has yet to work with the Big League team, Elliott already recognized he is taking on a larger challenge than he was used to. On his first day on the job in February, he met the entire minor league program, a group that more than covered the infield of the team's main spring training practice field in Peoria, Arizona. Since then, he has traveled several times to Seattle to meet with team officials and players on their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma.
He is high on several players including pitcher Michael Pineda, a right-hander whose velocity jumped from the low 90's to 97 on the gun and infielder Dustin Ackley. While Pineda was in single A, Ackley was drafter out of the University of North Carolina last year. After performing "off the charts" in their first exposure to the program in spring training, both are currently in Triple A-one step from the Major Leagues.
"We are still early in the process, the timing was not ideal, right before spring training," Elliott said. "It will be better in the off season so the players will have time to get a full winter of training and instruction and gives us the opportunity to for us to monitor everyone's progress. It's heartening to hear these kids getting excited about this even though their current season isn't over yet."
At a bumping P3 on Saturday, while his wife Nadine played coach to their very energetic son Keean (31/2), and fed strawberries to the fruit-stained mouth of daughter Kira (10 months), Elliott went over progress graphs on the big screen with Mariners scout Dennis Gonsalves. Gonsalves thought so much of the program, he and his wife Rose drove up from Torrance to have their son Gabriel assessed. With youth, high school, college, and professional athletes working out around them, the message was clear. They knew what Seattle may soon know-that the future is now.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
What's next U.S. Soccer and South Africa?
Mike Takeuchi
Reprinted Article.
Now what?
While Spain's victory over the Netherlands in the final brought a mostly satisfying conclusion to the World Cup, questions within these borders and beyond won't be answered until 2014 and possibly even further in the future.
The bleating of vuvuzelas, questionable officiating, and some dastardly deeds (Luis Suarez comes to mind) aside, this was an exciting Cup to watch. It was punctuated by a final that was not exactly one for the ages, but was exciting enough and at the very least provided a winner that was decided before the dreaded penalty kicks.
The Final between Spain and the Netherlands reminded this writer of the battles between the Lakers and the Pistons in the late1980's, not an epic one of historic proportions like Lakers/Celtics, but serviceable and exciting enough to provide good drama. While La Furia Roja provided the flowing passing and stars like Iniesta and David Villa akin to the Magic/Kareem Lakers, Le Oranje had the wonderful talents of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben that paralleled the Isaiah Thomas/Bill Laimbeer teams that were often overshadowed by claims of the team's rough play and thespian acumen that pulled the Lakers then, and to a degree Spain on Sunday, down with them.
And while it gave this writer the excitement of watching his favorite player, Andres Iniesta, score the winning goal in the Final after 32 years of enviously watching others enjoy the same thing, the final goal had me wondering if that hero would ever be wearing the red, white and blue.
While Landon Donovan and company provided American fans with thrills, their round of 16 exit was probably a couple of games too early to make any lasting impact to carry over to Brazil in 2014, and here in 2018, or more likely 2022.
A USA Today poll shortly after the US was eliminated said that 44 per cent of American fans would stop watching the World Cup-turning their attention to the LeBron reality show, the Major League All Star Game, and even Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France until he fell out of contention on Sunday. This has followed a well-worn pattern of no Americans, no interest. It will be interesting to see in the near future how the governing body will move ahead despite not getting the momentum they were hoping for.
But the above concerns are nitpicky compared to wonder about the future of the host country, South Africa. With the 25 per cent unemployment rate only slightly and temporarily abated by the jobs created by the arrival of the Cup. The $5 billion spent to construct and operate may put the country deep in the red like post 2004 Athens. While Greece's economic downturn wasn't directly attributed to the Olympics, it did have a significant impact while also leaving many former sporting arenas abandoned and neglected, which was later repeated in Beijing following the 2008 Games.
During the matches, there were a lot of things viewers weren't exposed to, including the story about a stadium in the city of Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit) that hosted five matches. Here, they relocated several thousands of residents out of what was considered a shanty or slum to an area a few kilometers away outside of ABC or ESPN camera eyes. Of course, stories like these have been relegated to asides on television or to the inner pages of other publications.
But that aside, there were no major problems of crime or other major issues reported and the host country showed its graciousness and exposed South Africa's true beauty to the rest of the world. One day after celebrating a unifying event, residents were hopeful that they could sustain the good will and raise the status of their country and people that merely 16 years ago, was under apartheid rule. Here's hoping they will.
All Whites All Right
By Mike Takeuchi
Reprinted Article.
For Tony Lochhead, home may be where the heart is, but South Africa is where his passion still lies.
Following the most successful World Cup run in New Zealand National Team history, the former UCSB soccer player returned to his home in Wellington, New Zealand, on Monday filled with mixed emotions. After making the World Cup group for the first time since their inaugural trip in 1982, the All Whites exceeded their country's expectations and world media predictions by earning three points in Group F and staying unbeaten. Despite this, the team's third-place finish in the group eliminated them from reaching the knockout round.
"Its a great feeling of pride to go there and be undefeated," the 28-year-old said. "We read a lot of stuff written about our team some saying that we shouldn't even be there. So we were quietly looking to prove all those people wrong"
And they did.
On June 15, the team opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Slovakia. On June 20, a Shane Smeltz goal early in the match helped the world's 78th-ranked team finish even with No. 5 and defending Cup champion Italy, to put them in position to get into the 16-team knockout round with a win against Paraguay on June 24.
But Paraguay, which merely needed a tie to advance to the next round, played possession soccer and didn't give New Zealand's offense a chance to score in a 0-0 tie.
"It was a funny game," Lochhead said. "We went into it with the same mind set as the previous two. But I guess with Paraguay really only needing a draw, they weren't really coming as forward as much which made it harder for us to create anything. I felt in the second half we had a few more opportunities but not as many as the previous games."
As the team walked off the pitch, Lochhead felt sadness first, but also satisfaction.
"It was a disappointing feeling," he said. "You get a taste of being close to that next round and you really wanted to be there. But on the other hand, if someone had said that you would be undefeated in the tournament before we started, we would have been happy with that as well."
New Zealand was the fifth team in World Cup history to make it through the group stage without dropping a match, a fact that gives New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert - who has led the team since 2005 and was a member of the only other New Zealand team to qualify for the quadrennial tournament - great satisfaction.
"It's quite emotional for us," Herbert told the Associated Press. "It was our second time at the World Cup and to completely reverse what we've done before is quite amazing. The future looks bright for the team."
Lochhead said he will look back at this World Cup with great joy.
"It was an amazing time away," he said. "It was just overall an awesome experience that I will probably look back on many years from now and still be proud of what our team has done."
During the Cup, all of New Zealand was reveling in the team's success according to UCSB student Nishika Kumble. Kumble, who went to high school in Auckland where her parents Sarita and Anand, and her sister Leyla still reside, was in New Zealand during the team's run.
"The country was going crazy for the team," Kumble said. "You can't even get an All Whites jersey anywhere. (This popularity is good) because I think it gives New Zealand more athletic credibility and recognition on the world stage."
Lochhead hopes that will in turn grow the program even more.
"I just hope that the people in charge of Football NZ are going to build on this and make sure we are in a position to do even better the next time round," he said.
Reprinted Article.
For Tony Lochhead, home may be where the heart is, but South Africa is where his passion still lies.
Following the most successful World Cup run in New Zealand National Team history, the former UCSB soccer player returned to his home in Wellington, New Zealand, on Monday filled with mixed emotions. After making the World Cup group for the first time since their inaugural trip in 1982, the All Whites exceeded their country's expectations and world media predictions by earning three points in Group F and staying unbeaten. Despite this, the team's third-place finish in the group eliminated them from reaching the knockout round.
"Its a great feeling of pride to go there and be undefeated," the 28-year-old said. "We read a lot of stuff written about our team some saying that we shouldn't even be there. So we were quietly looking to prove all those people wrong"
And they did.
On June 15, the team opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Slovakia. On June 20, a Shane Smeltz goal early in the match helped the world's 78th-ranked team finish even with No. 5 and defending Cup champion Italy, to put them in position to get into the 16-team knockout round with a win against Paraguay on June 24.
But Paraguay, which merely needed a tie to advance to the next round, played possession soccer and didn't give New Zealand's offense a chance to score in a 0-0 tie.
"It was a funny game," Lochhead said. "We went into it with the same mind set as the previous two. But I guess with Paraguay really only needing a draw, they weren't really coming as forward as much which made it harder for us to create anything. I felt in the second half we had a few more opportunities but not as many as the previous games."
As the team walked off the pitch, Lochhead felt sadness first, but also satisfaction.
"It was a disappointing feeling," he said. "You get a taste of being close to that next round and you really wanted to be there. But on the other hand, if someone had said that you would be undefeated in the tournament before we started, we would have been happy with that as well."
New Zealand was the fifth team in World Cup history to make it through the group stage without dropping a match, a fact that gives New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert - who has led the team since 2005 and was a member of the only other New Zealand team to qualify for the quadrennial tournament - great satisfaction.
"It's quite emotional for us," Herbert told the Associated Press. "It was our second time at the World Cup and to completely reverse what we've done before is quite amazing. The future looks bright for the team."
Lochhead said he will look back at this World Cup with great joy.
"It was an amazing time away," he said. "It was just overall an awesome experience that I will probably look back on many years from now and still be proud of what our team has done."
During the Cup, all of New Zealand was reveling in the team's success according to UCSB student Nishika Kumble. Kumble, who went to high school in Auckland where her parents Sarita and Anand, and her sister Leyla still reside, was in New Zealand during the team's run.
"The country was going crazy for the team," Kumble said. "You can't even get an All Whites jersey anywhere. (This popularity is good) because I think it gives New Zealand more athletic credibility and recognition on the world stage."
Lochhead hopes that will in turn grow the program even more.
"I just hope that the people in charge of Football NZ are going to build on this and make sure we are in a position to do even better the next time round," he said.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Lochhead on Drawing with Italy
By Mike Takeuchi
New Zealand's Tie with Paraguay, didn't allow UCSB's Tony Lochhead and the All Whites to Advance. But it did give them three points in the World Cup Final, which is unprecedented for the country of merely four-million people. They also tied defending champion Italy. Tony talks about that big upset.
When the final whistle sounded Sunday confirming New Zealand's shocking 1-1 tie with defending champion Italy on Sunday, along with several local fans, most of the four million people in defender Tony Lochhead's country celebrated like there was no tomorrow.
The win, prompted the normally understated New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert to say that the result “stopped the nation.” Lochhead concurred with Herbert, who not only coaches the former UCSB standout on the national team, but also on the Wellington Phoenix of the Australian League, the only professional soccer team based in New Zealand. Shortly after the match, the 28-year-old took the time to express his thoughts to the News-Press.
“People are buzzing right now about football,” Lochhead said. “That is all everyone is talking about (at home) right now.”
He then went on to describe key moments in the match.
The All Whites stunned the Azzuri seven minutes into the game when a long free kick from Simon Elliot glanced off a falling Fabio Cannavaro to Shane Smelts, who pushed the ball into the net for the match's first score. It would be New Zealand's only shot on goal all day, but it gave his countrymen hope for an upset. But Lochhead said his teammates didn't share that thought.
“It was still so early into the game and Italy is such a good side that I don’t think you could ever get too far ahead (of ourselves into thinking about winning),” he said. “It was an amazing feeling when that ball went into the back of the net, though.”
Italy, took advantage of a slight tug from Tommy Smith on Daniele De Rossi inside the penalty area to gain a disputed penalty shot. Vincenzo Iaquinta converted to tie the score in the 27th minute and left the two teams knotted at halftime.
“Obviously we were disappointed to let them get a goal even thought it was a little suspect,” Lochhead said. “But if you had said to us we would be 1-1 at half time with the World Champs in the World Cup, we would have taken it. So it was more about focusing on the next 45 minutes.”
While the All Whites could not organize a run at Italy's goal, the Azzuri threw everything they had in a desperate attempt to get the three points for the win. The All Whites proved game as the defense turned away several chances, while New Zealand goalkeeper, who is Lochhead's teammate on Wellington, stopped three shots-including a diving right handed deflection in the 70th minute off the foot of Riccardo Montolivo that seemed destined for a goal.
“It was a busy day in the office for us tonight but I felt like we did well to contain them,” Lochhead said.” They have some pretty talented players who play in the top leagues in the world. I thought Pasty had a great game and he came up with some great saves especially in the second half.”
With time winding down and a tie a possibility, New Zealand closed ranks tighter.
“At this point of the game we were just trying to come away with the draw,” Lochhead said. “(They) were pushing to get that winning goal. We were just making sure our shape was solid and trying to make it as difficult as possible for them to play through us.”
The plan worked and as the whistle blew, the 78th ranked team in the world stunned the defending champions.
(This is) Such an amazing feeling- a huge result for our country!” Lochhead said. “People were going crazy after the first result that we got. They are now going absolutely nuts now. Hopefully we can capitalize on all of this and lift football onto another level.”
Monday, June 21, 2010
UCSB's Tony Lochhead before he makes his WC Debut
As he walks through the darkened tunnel into the bright lights, the question will soon become known and the wonderment will cease-only to be replaced by a level of play he and many others have never seen before.
Just as Landon Donovan, Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, and a few dozen others did in the days before him, former UCSB men's soccer player Tony Lochhead will find out the answer if he and his team are as good as the worlds best soccer teams in the World Cup.
The 28-year-old and his teammates will represent New Zealand in the Cup for the first time since 1982 when they play Slovakia early this morning in their opening match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. A few days before the first day of the tournament, he said he was very excited.
"I want to do well on the field, but I also want to enjoy the moment of being apart of the worlds biggest sporting event because it's not everyday you get to go to the World Cup," Lochhead said.
"Overall the team is feeling pretty good fitness wise because we have had a good training camp (in Austria). We have worked hard to make sure we are all on the same page."
The former Gaucho, who played from 2001 through 2004's College Cup finals reaching season, is back at full strength, after having surgery to repair an injured groin muscle following his Wellington Phoenix (Australian League) season. He said that he was good to go.
"My fitness is pretty good since I have played the last two (exhibition) games which has been a good test," Lochhead said. I feel like I (got) better with every game in terms of fitness. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on the job at hand we have three tough games against three quality teams"
In a group that includes defending champion Italy, as well as tough teams Paraguay and Slovakia, the 83rd ranked team (only host South Africa and North Korea are lower) is not considered a contender to make it to the knock-out round.
"It is always going to be tough for us but we have the belief," Lochhead said. "Playing against quality teams means you have to be switched on that much more or you can get punished. Which also means you have to work that much harder. But the team is quietly confident. We have three guys up front that are dangerous and can score for us."
The team will be particularly be relying on defender Lochhead and his defensive mates to hold the line to help give strikers Chris Killen, Tim Brown, and Shane Smeltz a chance to score. His team had mixed reviews of the four exhibition matches against Cup qualified teams, the All Whites won one, a 1-0 victory over Serbia near their training grounds in Austria. The three games were losses- a 2-0 decision against Mexico on March 3, a 2-1 game to rival Australia on May 24 in Melbourne, and a 3-1 loss to Slovenia, a team that is in Group C along with the United States.
The team's first opponent resembles the last of these and it is all on him and his defensive teammates, he said.
"They are a very similar team," Lochhead said." They play with a 4-4-2(formation) and are good on the ball, and the outside fullbacks like to bomb, so they can be dangerous if they are given too much time and space. So we will make sure we are solid defensively and we feel like we are creating enough chances in the games to score."
Lochhead said that his country has shifted their attention away from their popular rugby counterparts, the All Blacks, and onto them.
"The interest in football has definitely increased and we are the top story at the moment-which is great," he said. "With a good showing, hopefully we can build on this even after the World Cup."
The team's foundation begins to build today.
Just as Landon Donovan, Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, and a few dozen others did in the days before him, former UCSB men's soccer player Tony Lochhead will find out the answer if he and his team are as good as the worlds best soccer teams in the World Cup.
The 28-year-old and his teammates will represent New Zealand in the Cup for the first time since 1982 when they play Slovakia early this morning in their opening match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. A few days before the first day of the tournament, he said he was very excited.
"I want to do well on the field, but I also want to enjoy the moment of being apart of the worlds biggest sporting event because it's not everyday you get to go to the World Cup," Lochhead said.
"Overall the team is feeling pretty good fitness wise because we have had a good training camp (in Austria). We have worked hard to make sure we are all on the same page."
The former Gaucho, who played from 2001 through 2004's College Cup finals reaching season, is back at full strength, after having surgery to repair an injured groin muscle following his Wellington Phoenix (Australian League) season. He said that he was good to go.
"My fitness is pretty good since I have played the last two (exhibition) games which has been a good test," Lochhead said. I feel like I (got) better with every game in terms of fitness. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on the job at hand we have three tough games against three quality teams"
In a group that includes defending champion Italy, as well as tough teams Paraguay and Slovakia, the 83rd ranked team (only host South Africa and North Korea are lower) is not considered a contender to make it to the knock-out round.
"It is always going to be tough for us but we have the belief," Lochhead said. "Playing against quality teams means you have to be switched on that much more or you can get punished. Which also means you have to work that much harder. But the team is quietly confident. We have three guys up front that are dangerous and can score for us."
The team will be particularly be relying on defender Lochhead and his defensive mates to hold the line to help give strikers Chris Killen, Tim Brown, and Shane Smeltz a chance to score. His team had mixed reviews of the four exhibition matches against Cup qualified teams, the All Whites won one, a 1-0 victory over Serbia near their training grounds in Austria. The three games were losses- a 2-0 decision against Mexico on March 3, a 2-1 game to rival Australia on May 24 in Melbourne, and a 3-1 loss to Slovenia, a team that is in Group C along with the United States.
The team's first opponent resembles the last of these and it is all on him and his defensive teammates, he said.
"They are a very similar team," Lochhead said." They play with a 4-4-2(formation) and are good on the ball, and the outside fullbacks like to bomb, so they can be dangerous if they are given too much time and space. So we will make sure we are solid defensively and we feel like we are creating enough chances in the games to score."
Lochhead said that his country has shifted their attention away from their popular rugby counterparts, the All Blacks, and onto them.
"The interest in football has definitely increased and we are the top story at the moment-which is great," he said. "With a good showing, hopefully we can build on this even after the World Cup."
The team's foundation begins to build today.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
US Soccer Team Announced
U.S. HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY NAMES 23 PLAYERS TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES AT THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA
U.S. Opens World Cup Against England Live on ABC on June 12 at 2 p.m. ET
CHICAGO (May 26, 2010) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 23-man roster that will travel to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team departs for South Africa on May 30, and will play their opening match of the tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg live on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (All-Time World Cup Roster Appearances)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (2010), Marcus Hahnemann (2006, 2010), Tim Howard (2006, 2010)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (2006, 2010), Jonathan Bornstein (2010), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006, 2010), Jay DeMerit (2010), Clarence Goodson (2010), Oguchi Onyewu (2006, 2010), Jonathan Spector (2010)
MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006, 2010), Michael Bradley (2010), Ricardo Clark (2010), Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006, 2010), Maurice Edu (2010), Benny Feilhaber (2010), Stuart Holden (2010), José Torres (2010)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (2010), Edson Buddle (2010), Robbie Findley (2010), Herculez Gomez (2010)
Detailed Roster
“We have been working for almost four years to reach this point, and we are grateful to all the players who have been part of the process. There is a tremendous amount of respect for the efforts and professionalism that everyone has put into building this team,” said Bradley. “It’s important in any team building process to get to the final 23, and clearly there were some tough decisions to make. We are confident that this is a group of players that will work together and be committed to doing whatever it takes to be successful. We feel the roster has a good balance of players who have been a part of previous World Cups, those who have gained great experience in qualifying and Confederations Cup and some newer faces that have proved they belong. We are extremely excited to play the final Send-Off match in Philadelphia and then begin the great challenge of playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.”
The U.S. squad carries a variety of World Cup experience into South Africa, as fifteen players have been named to their first World Cup roster. Meantime, six players have played in a World Cup game, with midfielder Landon Donovan leading the team with eight appearances – all as a starter – while DaMarcus Beasley has six World Cup caps to his credit. That duo and Steve Cherundolo are earning a place in their third World Cup.
A total of 92 players received at least one cap under Bradley during the four-year cycle as the team compiled a 35-19-6 record. Additionally, 43 players were used during the 2010 qualifying campaign, 19 of whom made the final roster. Those players accounted for 29 of 42 goals scored in qualifying, including Jozy Altidore’s team-leading six goals.
Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 121 international appearances. The USA’s all-time leader in goals (42) and assists (42) is one of two players with a World Cup goal in the books, along with Clint Dempsey. The Bronze Ball winner from the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is coming off a banner year, having become the first American player to reach the final of a European cup competition.
The defense is backstopped by goalkeeper Tim Howard, the Golden Glove winner from the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup who allowed less than a goal per game in 13 appearances in 2010 World Cup qualifying. Team captain Carlos Bocanegra – whose 12 career goals give him second place on the all-time scoring chart for U.S. defenders – is the third most capped player on the roster with 77 appearances. Oguchi Onyewu has made his return to action following a seven-month recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon suffered last October in the team’s final qualifier, a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica. Jonathan Bornstein, whose stoppage-time goal in that game gave the U.S. first place in CONCACAF qualifying, along with Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Jonathan Spector, have the chance to appear in their first World Cup.
In the midfield, Donovan’s dominance shone in the final round of qualifying, where he contributed to 12 of the 19 goals scored. His five goals overall tied for second place along with Dempsey and Michael Bradley, who also shared the most appearances in qualifying with Donovan (15). Bradley is joined in the center of the park by fellow 2008 Olympians Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden. Edu and Beasley earned a Scottish Premier League title with Rangers in 2010, while Feilhaber earned his place in U.S. Soccer lore by scoring the goal in the 2007 Gold Cup final against Mexico that gave the U.S. a chance to shine in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Holden made his first appearance for the national team less than a year ago, scoring a goal in his debut against Grenada in the opening match of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Ricardo Clark scored the lone goal in the 1-0 win away to Trinidad & Tobago in qualifying, while José Torres is one of two players on the roster to ply his trade in Mexico.
The strike force is led by Altidore, who has eight career goals in 24 appearances and is the youngest U.S. player in modern history to score a hat trick. A trio of forwards – Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley and Herculez Gomez – did not appear in World Cup qualifying for the United States. Buddle, who had not appeared for the national team since 2003, became the 92nd player to collect a cap under Bradley when he assisted on the first goal against the Czech Republic on May 25 in East Hartford. Gomez, who entered camp after becoming the first American player to lead a foreign league in scoring when he scored 10 goals for Puebla in Mexico, recorded his first goal for the full team against the Czechs.
Overall, players representing clubs from 10 different countries will be heading to South Africa. A record 19 players on the roster play professionally for clubs outside the United States. The average number of caps earned is 34, compared to 44 in 2006. Likewise, the team is slightly younger than four years earlier, the average age slightly under 27 years old while in 2006 that number was closer to 28.5 years of age.
The U.S. will play their final home match before departing for South Africa when they face Turkey on May 29 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (tickets), where more than 45,000 tickets have already been sold. ESPN2 and Galavision will broadcast the match live beginning at 2 p.m. ET. ESPN will have a 30-minute pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The United States will play one final friendly before the tournament begins, this time on South African soil when they face Australia on June 5 at Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
U.S. Opens World Cup Against England Live on ABC on June 12 at 2 p.m. ET
CHICAGO (May 26, 2010) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 23-man roster that will travel to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team departs for South Africa on May 30, and will play their opening match of the tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg live on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (All-Time World Cup Roster Appearances)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (2010), Marcus Hahnemann (2006, 2010), Tim Howard (2006, 2010)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (2006, 2010), Jonathan Bornstein (2010), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006, 2010), Jay DeMerit (2010), Clarence Goodson (2010), Oguchi Onyewu (2006, 2010), Jonathan Spector (2010)
MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006, 2010), Michael Bradley (2010), Ricardo Clark (2010), Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006, 2010), Maurice Edu (2010), Benny Feilhaber (2010), Stuart Holden (2010), José Torres (2010)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (2010), Edson Buddle (2010), Robbie Findley (2010), Herculez Gomez (2010)
Detailed Roster
“We have been working for almost four years to reach this point, and we are grateful to all the players who have been part of the process. There is a tremendous amount of respect for the efforts and professionalism that everyone has put into building this team,” said Bradley. “It’s important in any team building process to get to the final 23, and clearly there were some tough decisions to make. We are confident that this is a group of players that will work together and be committed to doing whatever it takes to be successful. We feel the roster has a good balance of players who have been a part of previous World Cups, those who have gained great experience in qualifying and Confederations Cup and some newer faces that have proved they belong. We are extremely excited to play the final Send-Off match in Philadelphia and then begin the great challenge of playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.”
The U.S. squad carries a variety of World Cup experience into South Africa, as fifteen players have been named to their first World Cup roster. Meantime, six players have played in a World Cup game, with midfielder Landon Donovan leading the team with eight appearances – all as a starter – while DaMarcus Beasley has six World Cup caps to his credit. That duo and Steve Cherundolo are earning a place in their third World Cup.
A total of 92 players received at least one cap under Bradley during the four-year cycle as the team compiled a 35-19-6 record. Additionally, 43 players were used during the 2010 qualifying campaign, 19 of whom made the final roster. Those players accounted for 29 of 42 goals scored in qualifying, including Jozy Altidore’s team-leading six goals.
Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 121 international appearances. The USA’s all-time leader in goals (42) and assists (42) is one of two players with a World Cup goal in the books, along with Clint Dempsey. The Bronze Ball winner from the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is coming off a banner year, having become the first American player to reach the final of a European cup competition.
The defense is backstopped by goalkeeper Tim Howard, the Golden Glove winner from the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup who allowed less than a goal per game in 13 appearances in 2010 World Cup qualifying. Team captain Carlos Bocanegra – whose 12 career goals give him second place on the all-time scoring chart for U.S. defenders – is the third most capped player on the roster with 77 appearances. Oguchi Onyewu has made his return to action following a seven-month recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon suffered last October in the team’s final qualifier, a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica. Jonathan Bornstein, whose stoppage-time goal in that game gave the U.S. first place in CONCACAF qualifying, along with Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Jonathan Spector, have the chance to appear in their first World Cup.
In the midfield, Donovan’s dominance shone in the final round of qualifying, where he contributed to 12 of the 19 goals scored. His five goals overall tied for second place along with Dempsey and Michael Bradley, who also shared the most appearances in qualifying with Donovan (15). Bradley is joined in the center of the park by fellow 2008 Olympians Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden. Edu and Beasley earned a Scottish Premier League title with Rangers in 2010, while Feilhaber earned his place in U.S. Soccer lore by scoring the goal in the 2007 Gold Cup final against Mexico that gave the U.S. a chance to shine in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Holden made his first appearance for the national team less than a year ago, scoring a goal in his debut against Grenada in the opening match of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Ricardo Clark scored the lone goal in the 1-0 win away to Trinidad & Tobago in qualifying, while José Torres is one of two players on the roster to ply his trade in Mexico.
The strike force is led by Altidore, who has eight career goals in 24 appearances and is the youngest U.S. player in modern history to score a hat trick. A trio of forwards – Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley and Herculez Gomez – did not appear in World Cup qualifying for the United States. Buddle, who had not appeared for the national team since 2003, became the 92nd player to collect a cap under Bradley when he assisted on the first goal against the Czech Republic on May 25 in East Hartford. Gomez, who entered camp after becoming the first American player to lead a foreign league in scoring when he scored 10 goals for Puebla in Mexico, recorded his first goal for the full team against the Czechs.
Overall, players representing clubs from 10 different countries will be heading to South Africa. A record 19 players on the roster play professionally for clubs outside the United States. The average number of caps earned is 34, compared to 44 in 2006. Likewise, the team is slightly younger than four years earlier, the average age slightly under 27 years old while in 2006 that number was closer to 28.5 years of age.
The U.S. will play their final home match before departing for South Africa when they face Turkey on May 29 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (tickets), where more than 45,000 tickets have already been sold. ESPN2 and Galavision will broadcast the match live beginning at 2 p.m. ET. ESPN will have a 30-minute pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The United States will play one final friendly before the tournament begins, this time on South African soil when they face Australia on June 5 at Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Kevin Brown Summits the Ultimate Mountain
By Mike Takeuchi
(Note-Due to Kevin's wishes for privacy during his final days, I could not explain the exact nature of his illness. Unfortunately he passed away today November 13, 2009. He was a great guy and will be missed terribly by myself and many in the community.) MT
Dear Kevin,
I know your son Ryan and your dad Larry just picked up an award from the Athletic Round Table Luncheon last Monday for being their Sportsperson of the Month. But while they appreciated the gesture, some people you know (myself included) think that you deserve so much more.
First, your son Ryan thinks you are the greatest and bravest not so much for climbing the seemingly impossible big walls of El Capitan , but just for being a wonderful dad to him and his sister Rachel and a great husband to his mom Lori. Your dad said that over the years, you have touched a lot of lives in your years on this earth and that he is very proud of you.
Your family isn’t the only one who recognizes the gift that you have given to people. As a healer and athletic trainer, you were par excellence, bar none, Dr. Bill Gallivan said. Bill said that from the San Francisco 49ers, to the Olympic athletes, the golfers from pros like Fred Couples and Don Parsons, you were nothing short of an amazing teammate. But he added that you seemed to do your best work with the high school and youth athletes of the community.
Bill said that you were a pleasure to work with and a fabulous guy to share the sidelines with. He added that patients loved you because you always went beyond healing just their physical injuries and that he wished more caregivers used your approach.
One of those athletes you trained, Gavin Feuer, may just make that jump to the pros some day. Gavin, a senior pitcher for the Santa Barbara High baseball team was thankful for the safe haven you provided for him. He also noticed that you would often treat those who couldn’t afford it. Because of this and many other things, he unfailingly trusted you to do the right thing.
The biggest lesson he learned was how you taught him to turn weaknesses into strengths was not just for the gym, but equated to life on the outside. He will be forever grateful of that.
Other than your family, your good friend and climbing partner Kevin Steele probably knew you best. Perhaps it was bivouacking thousands of feet above the ground, along the walls of El Cap, or maybe it was discovering new routes on the Full Moon Dihedral as a world-class climber, or teaching him something you were great at, surfing or maybe it was even standing beside him at his wedding, Kevin Steele knew he could trust you with his life. That says a lot about a man.
I’ll always appreciate the warm treatment and assistance you provided without charge in whatever ailed me. You were a one-man welcoming committee that was always eager to share your experiences or a good story.
I’ll never forget the time you walked across the dining room at Petrinis to say hello to my family and then went back to yours. With eyes bright, you shared a secret with your kids with a look of pure happiness on your face.
We all just wanted to congratulate you Kevin. By virtue of your love for your family, earnestness and passion while pursuing your profession with the truest of hearts, you have become dear to us all. And in the process, you have summitted a mountain that is as high as 100 Mt. Everests stacked up one on top of the other. And we are all looking up and proudly watching as you plant your flag in triumph.
Note, there is a nice “appreciation thread” for Kevin Brown filled with spectacular photographs by Kevin Steele on Supertopo.com.
(Note-Due to Kevin's wishes for privacy during his final days, I could not explain the exact nature of his illness. Unfortunately he passed away today November 13, 2009. He was a great guy and will be missed terribly by myself and many in the community.) MT
Dear Kevin,
I know your son Ryan and your dad Larry just picked up an award from the Athletic Round Table Luncheon last Monday for being their Sportsperson of the Month. But while they appreciated the gesture, some people you know (myself included) think that you deserve so much more.
First, your son Ryan thinks you are the greatest and bravest not so much for climbing the seemingly impossible big walls of El Capitan , but just for being a wonderful dad to him and his sister Rachel and a great husband to his mom Lori. Your dad said that over the years, you have touched a lot of lives in your years on this earth and that he is very proud of you.
Your family isn’t the only one who recognizes the gift that you have given to people. As a healer and athletic trainer, you were par excellence, bar none, Dr. Bill Gallivan said. Bill said that from the San Francisco 49ers, to the Olympic athletes, the golfers from pros like Fred Couples and Don Parsons, you were nothing short of an amazing teammate. But he added that you seemed to do your best work with the high school and youth athletes of the community.
Bill said that you were a pleasure to work with and a fabulous guy to share the sidelines with. He added that patients loved you because you always went beyond healing just their physical injuries and that he wished more caregivers used your approach.
One of those athletes you trained, Gavin Feuer, may just make that jump to the pros some day. Gavin, a senior pitcher for the Santa Barbara High baseball team was thankful for the safe haven you provided for him. He also noticed that you would often treat those who couldn’t afford it. Because of this and many other things, he unfailingly trusted you to do the right thing.
The biggest lesson he learned was how you taught him to turn weaknesses into strengths was not just for the gym, but equated to life on the outside. He will be forever grateful of that.
Other than your family, your good friend and climbing partner Kevin Steele probably knew you best. Perhaps it was bivouacking thousands of feet above the ground, along the walls of El Cap, or maybe it was discovering new routes on the Full Moon Dihedral as a world-class climber, or teaching him something you were great at, surfing or maybe it was even standing beside him at his wedding, Kevin Steele knew he could trust you with his life. That says a lot about a man.
I’ll always appreciate the warm treatment and assistance you provided without charge in whatever ailed me. You were a one-man welcoming committee that was always eager to share your experiences or a good story.
I’ll never forget the time you walked across the dining room at Petrinis to say hello to my family and then went back to yours. With eyes bright, you shared a secret with your kids with a look of pure happiness on your face.
We all just wanted to congratulate you Kevin. By virtue of your love for your family, earnestness and passion while pursuing your profession with the truest of hearts, you have become dear to us all. And in the process, you have summitted a mountain that is as high as 100 Mt. Everests stacked up one on top of the other. And we are all looking up and proudly watching as you plant your flag in triumph.
Note, there is a nice “appreciation thread” for Kevin Brown filled with spectacular photographs by Kevin Steele on Supertopo.com.
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