MLS D.C. United

D.C. United Midfielder Kyle Porter Added to Canada's 23-Man Gold Cup Roster

Published on July 7, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
D.C. United News Release


Washington, D.C. (July 7 2013) - D.C. United today announced that midfielder Kyle Porter has been added to the Canada Men's National Team's 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster. Porter replaces an injured Nana Attakora on Canada's 23-man list, but will not report to training camp unless the coaching staff calls on him. Teammate Chris Pontius was also selected to the U.S. Men's National Team's (USMNT) 35-player pool, filling in for Brek Shea, who was promoted to the 23-man list in the place of Joshua Gatt. In addition to a change for an injury, Pontius could be recalled for the competition within the 24 hour window following the USMNT's final group match.

Porter, a 2013 addition to the Black-and-Red roster, has been capped twice for Canada. The 23-year-old made his international debut in a 4-0 loss to Denmark on Jan. 26, and also appeared in the squad's 0-0 draw with the U.S. on Jan. 30. Acquired from Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Feb. 28, Porter has appeared in 15 matches (11 starts) for United as an outside midfielder, notching one goal and also adding an assist.

Though he has yet to earn an official USMNT cap, Pontius has been selected for various training camps. The 26-year old was twice called upon in early 2010 - first for the team's January camp, and again in February when the U.S. was preparing for an El Salvador friendly. After a standout 2012 MLS campaign that saw the California native selected as the MLS All-Star MVP and to the MLS Best XI, Pontius was recalled for this year's January camp, but did not attend due to injury precaution . United's longest-tenured player, Pontius has appeared in 115 games (100 starts) since 2009, tallying 26 goals and adding 15 assists.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup will involve 12 teams and will be hosted in the United States across 13 venues from July 7-28, with the final to be held at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 28. Mexico is the defending champion, and has qualified automatically for this year's tournament alongside the United States and Canada. These three countries are joined by nine other nations from the 2012 Caribbean Cup and the 2013 Copa Centroamerica, including tournament debutants Belize. Teams are divided into three groups of four, with the top two from each group joined by the two best third-placed teams across the groups. The tournament will then be a straight knockout, culminating in the final in Chicago. The winner of the 2013 Gold Cup will compete in a playoff with the winner of the 2015 event for the right to represent CONCACAF at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

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