June 1, 2005
Greg Dalby, who will be a junior midfielder for the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team in the fall of 2005, is one of the key players for the United States Under-20 National Team which will take part in the FIFA World Youth Championship from June 10-July 2 in Holland. Dalby and his teammates are traveling to Europe today, June 1, to train for a week-and-a-half before their first game against Argentina on June 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Dalby has been a stalwart in the United States Olympic Development program from a young age. The captain of the Under-18 National Team, the Poway, Calif., native has started nearly every game of his career with the Irish and led the U-20s through a great qualifying run at the CONCAF tournament.
In consideration for the captain’s honor of the Under-20 team for the World Youth Championship, Dalby helped the team qualify with an unprecedented run through the CONCACAF tournament at the Home Depot Center in January. The team dispatched Trinidad & Tabago 6-1 before blanking Panama and Costa Rica by identical 2-0 scores. The three-game sweep marked the first time the U-20s had finished undefeated in their qualifying group.
Dalby is one of 10 college players on the Under-20 team, which also features a formidable mix of professional and high school standouts. One name easily recognizable to all soccer fans is DC United’s Freddy Adu, but the Under-20 team also will feature Eddie Gaven (N.J. Metrostars), Jonathan Spector (Manchester United) and attacking players Jacob Peterson (Indiana) and Lee Nguyen (the lone high school player out of Texas).
The road through the team’s qualifying group will not be easy. Deemed “the Group of Death” by ussoccer.com, the United States was assigned to Group D – which includes soccer powers Argentina, Germany and Egypt.
All three first round games will be played at the 13,500-seat Arke Stadium in Enschede, Holland. Every U.S. match at the World Youth Championship can be followed live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics.
The upcoming World Youth Championship will mark the fifth straight appearance for the Untied States at the world championship and its 10th overall. The best finish ever for the U.S. came in Saudi Arabia ’89 when the U-20s, led by goalkeeper Kasey Keller, advanced to the semifinals before falling to Brazil in the Third Place match to finish in fourth. In the last tournament in the United Arab Emirates (’03), the U.S. had a remarkable run to the quarterfinals and eventually finished in fifth place. The 2003 team won its respective group for the first time ever.
For more information on the U.S. Under-20 National Team, go to www.ussoccer.com.
U.S. Under-20 National Team Schedule
June 11, vs. Argentina, 5:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. Notre Dame time)
June 14, vs. Germany, 8:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. Notre Dame time)
June 18, vs. Egypt, 1:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Notre Dame time)
Round of 16, June 21-22
Quarterfinals, June 24
Semifinals, June 28
Third Place Match, July 2
Final, July 2