Dec. 21, 2005

U.S. Men's National Team manager Bruce Arena named 30 players, including former UD soccer player Chris Rolfe, to the training camp roster that will begin workouts Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Rolfe earned his first international cap with the MNT on November 12, in a 1-1 draw against Scotland.

The U.S. will open 2006 action against Canada on Jan. 22 in San Diego (7:00 p.m. CT) before hosting Norway on Jan. 29 at The Home Depot Center (4:00 p.m. CT, ESPN2). The U.S. will play Japan for only the second time in history when they meet at SBC Park on Feb. 10 in San Francisco. The USA's first match in the city in 26 years kicks off at 10:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

"We eagerly look forward to seeing our domestic players," said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. "We want to do the best job we can of making the roster as competitive as possible over the next six months so we can position our team to be successful in the World Cup. We view this camp and the games in January and February as critical towards our preparation for Germany."

Rolfe finished second in the running for the Gatorade Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year Award. In his first season with the Chicago Fire of the MLS, Rolfe lead the Fire in numerous categories, including goals (8), shots (61), shots on goal (32) and games played (29). Rolfe's eight goals made him the first rookie in club history to lead the Fire in scoring, earning him the 2005 Fire/Budweiser Golden Boot award, while also placing him second among the League's rookies in the category.

Two of Rolfe's Fire teammates, forward Nate Jaqua and midfielder Justin Mapp, are also among the 30 invited to camp. Rolfe and Jaqua will vie for forward spots with Brian Ching (Houston MLS), Eddie Johnson (FC Dallas), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution) and Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards) with the ultimate goal of the 2006 World Cup this summer in Germany.

Rolfe played UD from 2001-2004 and is UD's all-time assist leader. He was a Second Team All-America selection in 2004.