July 17, 2008

CHICAGO – Former South Carolina goalkeeper Brad Guzan will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The 18-man team was announced today via conference call from head coach Peter Nowak and USA Soccer. Guzan, a member of Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, is one of 12 players who have experience at the full national team level for the U.S. that will compete with the Olympic squad.

The U.S. will begin its final preparation for the Beijing Olympics on Sunday, July 20, with six days of domestic training in San Jose, Calif. The team will then depart for Hong Kong, where it will participate in the ING Cup, facing fellow Olympic participants Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on Aug. 2.

Guzan and goalkeeper Chris Seitz hope to continue the U.S. tradition of stellar goalkeepers. The 24-year-old Guzan – honored as the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year – recently earned a pair of shutouts in the second round of 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying as the U.S. defeated Barbados by a 9-0 aggregate margin over two matches. Seitz was one of the stars of the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and earned two shutouts in three games during the 2008 Olympic Qualifying campaign.

The U.S. has drawn a difficult Group B and will open against Japan on August 7 before facing the Netherlands on Aug. 10, with both games taking place at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Tianjin. The team will then travel to Worker’s Stadium in Beijing to conclude group play against 1996 gold medalist and 2005 Under-20 World Cup champion Nigeria on Aug. 13.