MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Goalkeeper Nick Rimando Called into U.S. National Team's January Camp

Published on December 21, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, December 21, 2010) - U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has included Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando among the 24 players that will take part in the squad's training camp that will begin Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The group will prepare for the USA's first match of 2011, a friendly against fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Chile on Saturday, Jan. 22 at The HDC (tickets). Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. MT, with broadcast information to be announced at a later date. Fans can follow the game live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker or on twitter @ussoccer.

The annual camp held in January for players in their offseason is a largely domestic-based group that includes 20 players who ply their trade in the United States, and the coaching staff is taking full advantage of the opportunity to assess new talent. The 31-year-old Rimando will serve as the camp's elder statesman - the 24 invitees will average 23 years of age, with half of them in search of their first cap for the full team - and is the only one of the four goalkeepers with previous experience at the senior international level, having earned four caps since his debut in 2002.

Rimando enjoyed the best season of his illustrious 11-year MLS career in 2010, a campaign that included his first ever MLS All-Star Game appearance, a career- and League-high 14 shutouts and a career-high goals against average of 0.67, a mark that was the second lowest in League annals. The UCLA product was a key cog in RSL's record-setting defense, as he posted the two longest shutout streaks for a goalkeeper in MLS this season, the 568-minute (3rd all-time) and 511-minute (6th all-time) stretches contributing to the 3rd and 4th longest shutout runs for a team in MLS history. Rimando's 2010 campaign marked a continuation of his stellar form in 2009, when his remarkable play and clutch shot-stopping led Real Salt Lake to its first MLS Cup crown, in which he earned the MLS Cup MVP award and his second League championship ring in the process.

This marks the second straight invite to Bradley's annual January camp for Rimando, whose time in the U.S. National Team system began back in the mid-1990's when he was a stalwart for the U.S. Under-17 side. Rimando did not see any action in the USA's camp-breaking friendly against Honduras in Carson last January (1-3 L), but he did suit up for the Red, White & Blue a month later on February 24 against El Salvador, when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 friendly victory at Raymond James Stadium.

That match marked Rimando's first appearance for the USA since the Bruce Arena era, when he notched his first complete-game shutout in a 2-0 friendly victory over Wales on May 26, 2003, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. Rimando began his senior international career by notching second half shutouts on the heels of starter Tim Howard on two occasions - a 2-0 win over El Salvador at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17, 2002; and a 4-0 trouncing of Canada two months later on Jan. 18, 2003, at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. In all, Rimando now has a 2-0-0 record and 0.33 GAA in his four caps for the full U.S. side.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION Detailed Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): Dominic Cervi (Celtic), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Matt Pickens (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (9): A.J. DeLaGarza (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Ugo Ihemelu (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Ryan Miller (Halmstads BK), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Anthony Wallace (Colorado Rapids), Marvell Wynne (Colorado Rapids)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Eric Alexander (FC Dallas), Alejandro Bedoya (=D6rebro), Sam Cronin (San Jose Earthquakes), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Dax McCarty (D.C. United), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)

FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

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Major League Soccer Stories from December 21, 2010


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