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Soccer
Crowd way down from last U.S. appearance in Tampa
By BRANDON WRIGHT, Times Correspondent
Published March 12, 2008
TAMPA - The draw for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament might have been disappointing, but not nearly as much as the attendance.
An announced crowd of 4,359 was on hand Tuesday at Raymond James Stadium, which holds nearly 66,000. The full U.S. men's national team's 3-1 win against Ecuador in May drew 31,547.
SPECTOR ABSENT: The U.S. team will likely be a man down for the tournament as defender Jonathan Spector remained in England with his club team, West Ham United of the English Premier League. Spector is expected to join the squad should the Americans advance to the knockout stage in Nashville.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: Eleven players on the U.S. roster have earned appearances with the full national team, led by Spector's 11. Sacha Kljestan and Eddie Gaven have five apiece and Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu have four each. Kamani Hill, Marvell Wynne, Sal Zizzo, Charlie Davies, Robbie Findley and Jozy Altidore have earned fewer than four caps apiece.
PRO TIES: Nineteen of the 20 players on the U.S. roster play professionally. Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Spector (West Ham United), Adu (SL Benfica), Zizzo (Hannover 96) and Davies (Hammarby IF) play outside the States; the others play for Major League Soccer. Goalkeeper Dominic Cervi is the only U.S. player not under contract.
EDU WEARS ARMBAND: Coach Peter Nowak named Edu captain for the Cuba match. Edu, who plays professionally for Toronto FC, is the reigning MLS rookie of the year.
IMPRESSIVE RESUME: In addition to his duties as coach, Nowak has a wealth of experience on the field. The 43-year-old captained the Polish national team and his professional career spanned 23 years and five countries. In 2005 he was named a member of the MLS All-Time XI.
BANGED UP: Altidore, involved in a number of collisions in the first half, was substituted at halftime in favor of Kljestan. Nowak said Altidore's substitution was "precautionary."
[Last modified March 12, 2008, 01:07:28]
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by Tony
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03/12/08 09:21 AM
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Well, vs. Equador US came with their best players, even though it was a friendly. Under-23 national team isn't exactly the best every country can offer. Still, I expect a higher turnout on both Thursday and Saturday.
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by Mike
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03/12/08 08:43 AM
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Memo to the Times. This is not shocking. What is the Yankee's minor league attendance on a Tuesday night compared to the major league team on a Sunday afternoon? This olympic team compared to the full National team is essentially the same thing.
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