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MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Duo Headed To U.S. National Team Camp

December 22, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution teammates Kevin Alston and Jeff Larentowicz have been invited to the U.S. Men's National Team's first training camp of 2010, which will begin Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. This marks the first-ever call-up to the senior national team for both Alston and Larentowicz, who are among the 30 players called into camp by head coach Bob Bradley in advance of the team's first match of 2010, which will be played against Honduras on Jan. 23 at The Home Depot Center.

All 30 players called into camp will remain with the national team through the Honduras match, which is the United States' first game in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will kick off the 2010 FIFA World Cup against England on June 12, followed by games against Slovenia (June 18) and Algeria (June 23).

"This is the start of six months of preparations for the World Cup, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction," said Bradley, who led the U.S. to first place in CONCACAF qualifying. "We have had the chance to work with many of these players through their time with the national team, while others performed well for their clubs throughout last season and have earned this opportunity. We are continuing to evaluate the player pool as we move towards finalizing our roster for this summer."

Alston, 21, recently completed his rookie year with the Revolution after he was the club's top selection in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft (first round, 10th overall) out of Indiana. A speedy defender with the ability to get forward down the wing, Alston locked up the starting right back role from the beginning of the season, missing just four games because of injury. Overall, Alston made 26 starts in the regular season - recording one assist - and also played every minute of the Revolution's postseason series against the Chicago Fire.

While this is Alston's first call-up to the senior national team, he does have prior experience in the U.S. youth national team system. A former member of the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., Alston earned 17 caps as a member of the U-17 National Team, including three starts at the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Youth Championship in Peru.

Larentowicz, 26 and a graduate of Brown University, had a standout year in 2009, his fifth with the Revolution. With fellow central midfield stalwart Shalrie Joseph often forced to play as an emergency forward, Larentowicz was the driving force in the middle of the field. In 28 regular-season appearances, Larentowicz notched two goals and one assist, while he also put his name on the score-sheetin the MLS Cup Playoffs, SuperLiga 2009 and the U.S. Open Cup. With three goals and three assists in 35 appearances in all competitions, Larentowicz was the only member of the Revs to record a goal or assist in every competition in which the Revolution played in 2009.

The U.S. will face fellow 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier Honduras at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 23, at The Home Depot Center. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision, while fans can also follow the game live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

Goalkeepers (4) - Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

Defenders (8) - Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

Midfielders (12) - Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (=D6rebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

Forwards (6) - Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes), Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

The 2010 MLS SuperDraft is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14, in Philadelphia, while the Revolution is scheduled to open the 2010 season on the road against the LA Galaxy on Saturday, March 27, at The Home Depot Center.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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