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Jorge Villafaña , Once Again, Called Up

January 6, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


Carson, CA. (Friday, January 6, 2012) - Chivas USA announced today that Jorge Villafaña has once again been called up to the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team by head coach Caleb Porter. Coach Porter has called in 22 players for a two-part training camp which will take place from Jan. 8-25 in Carson, CA, and San Jose, Costa Rica. The U-23s will conduct the first 11 days of camp training at The Home Depot Center, before traveling on Jan. 18 to Costa Rica, where they will play two matches against local club teams.

The January camp marks the third gathering of this group as the team prepares for the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in March.

Jorge Villafaña, winner of 'Sueño MLS: Chivas USA Wants You" in 2007, had a standout 2011, appearing in twenty-five matches, twenty-four as a starter; scoring one goal and one assist in a total of 1,793 minutes.

Porter's roster includes 18 players, including Villafaña, who were named to the Dec. 15-23 training session in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

"We are really looking to build as much continuity as possible and this will be reflected in our roster selections from this point forward," Porter said.

The U-23s, along with all men's youth National Teams, are incorporating continuity representative of the playing style and framework that is implemented under the U.S. Men's National Team and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The full U.S. Men's National Team will be training at The HDC at the same time, and the U-23s will face Klinsmann's group twice, with scrimmages on Jan. 13 and 17 in Carson, Calif.

Villafaña first joined up with the United States U-20 National Team late in November and December of 2007 for a training camp in Argentina, where he notched an assist against the River Plate reserves and a goal against the Argentina U-20s. He made the most appearances for the U-20's of any player in 2008, playing in several international tournaments, including the Copa Chivas (Mexico), the Campos Verdes International Tournament (Portugal), and the Milk Cup (Northern Ireland). In 2009, Flores first helped the U-20's qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, and played in all three games (two starts) in the U-20 World Cup in late September/October 2009.

The U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team was drawn into Group A of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament and will face Canada, Cuba and El Salvador. The teams will play their group matches from March 22-26 at LP Field in Nashville. The two finalists from the tournament will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London next summer. CONCACAF's Olympic qualifying schedule for the tournament is available by clicking here .

U.S. UNDER-23 ROSTER BY POSITION - Detailed Roster - Link to Villafaña's Career Stats

GOALKEEPERS (2): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasanton, Calif.), Zac MacMath (Philadelphia Union; St. Petersburg, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (7): Gale Agbossoumonde (G.D. Estoril Praia; Syracuse, N.Y.), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke; Missouri City, Texas), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo; Huber Heights, Ohio), Zarek Valentin (Montreal Impact; Lancaster, Pa.), Jorge Villafaña (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Andrew Wenger (Duke; Lititz, Pa.), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union; Boston, Mass.)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Isaac Acuña (CF Mérida; Calexico, Calif.), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabæk; Oslo, Norway), Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew; Montville, N.J.), Jared Jeffrey (FSV Mainz 05; Richardson, Texas), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham United F.C.; San Francisco, Calif.), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union; Sacramento, Calif.), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA; Federal Way, Wash.), Michael Stephens (Los Angeles Galaxy; Naperville, Ill.)

FORWARDS (4): Freddy Adu (Philadelphia Union; Potomac, Md.), Josh Gatt (Molde FK; Plymouth, Mich.), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union; Alpharetta, Ga.), Tony Taylor (G.D. Estoril Praia; Jacksonville, Fla.)



Major League Soccer Stories from January 6, 2012


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