US seeks third-straight Gold Cup soccer crown

AFP - 4 July 2009 05:55

The head coach for the US National Soccer team Bob Bradley (3rd right) speaks to his team during a practice session in Bloemfontain, SAfrica, on June 23. The US, fresh off a runner-up showing in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, will take an expanded roster into their first game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.

SEATTLE, Washington (AFP) - The United States, fresh off a runner-up showing in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, will take an expanded roster into their first game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.

The US opens defence of the Gold Cup title begins with a game against Granada on Saturday at Qwest Field.

They will also face Honduras on July 8 and Haiti on July 11 in Washington, D.C. and Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Head coach Bob Bradley named his 23-man roster June 25 but that has since been expanded to 30 players.

The roster include a mix of Confederations Cup team members and players from North America's Major League Soccer.

Brian Ching and Michael Parkhurst are included this year and were also on the team that won the 2007 Gold Cup title.

The American are trying to become the second team to win three-straight Gold Cups. The last team to do it was Mexico which won three straight in the 1990s.

The US has won three of the last four events and four times since the tournament began in 1991.

Bradley is being permitted to carry an extra seven players this year because of the closeness of the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup tournaments.

The seven includes forwards Jozy Altidore and Conor Casey, midfielders Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan, defender Jonathan Bornstein and goalkeeper Brad Guzan.