Arena Adds Vanney, Mathis
One day after U.S. national team Coach Bruce Arena named his 18-player roster for World Cup 2002 qualifying games against Guatemala on July 16 and Costa Rica on July 23, injury robbed him of two potential starters.
Defender Jeff Agoos and midfielder Ben Olsen, both of Major League Soccer’s Washington D.C. United, were dropped Thursday and replaced by defender Greg Vanney of the Galaxy and former Galaxy and now New York/New Jersey MetroStar forward Clint Mathis.
“He’s extremely versatile, and can fill in at either midfield or forward for us,” Arena said of Mathis, who has scored five goals and recorded five assists since joining the MetroStars in mid-May in the deal that brought Luis Hernandez to Los Angeles.
Agoos, 32, will be sidelined for two to six weeks after undergoing surgery today to remove a bone chip in his right knee. He is one of only five men to have played in 100 or more games for the United States. The knee problem was discovered Wednesday during an MRI exam.
“It’s a potential time bomb waiting to go off,” D.C. United trainer Rick Guter said. “It’s better to do it now than to wait before it becomes a bigger problem.”
Said Agoos: “It was certainly unexpected [but] it’s something that I needed to take care of now. I’m disappointed . . . but I should be fine for the rest of the qualifiers. In the long run, it’s for the best.”
Olsen, 23, a U.S. Olympic team starter, is sidelined by a left ankle injury that has not responded to treatment as fast as expected.
Mathis, 23, and Vanney, 26, are relative rookies at the international level, with Vanney having played only seven games and Mathis four for the U.S. team.
