U.S. Beach Soccer National Team Opens Group A Play on Sept. 19, 2013 Against Spain; All 32 Beach Soccer World Cup games will be streamed live on ESPN3, and the Sept. 28 championship will also be broadcast on delay on ESPN2.

The USA is playing in its fourth FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, having previously advanced to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tournaments. U.S. defenders Anthony Chimienti and Francis Farberoff were part of that 2007 World Cup squad. Farberoff is the captain of the 2013 U.S. team.

The U.S. has never advanced past the group stage, but this year’s group has proved its scoring prowess en route to the 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship crown. The U.S. beat El Salvador 5-4 in the final on May 12 in Nassau, Bahamas, and the USA officially clinched a spot in the World Cup with a 4-3 semifinal victory against Costa Rica on May 11.

All eyes will be on USA forward Nick Perera, who was the leading scorer of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship with a whopping 11 goals. Perera had hat tricks against Guatemala and the host Bahamas.

The U.S. outscored its opposition 28-11 during qualifying, with Chimienti and fellow defenders Brendon Taguinod and Lewie Valentine scoring three goals apiece.

The USA was drawn Group A in the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, and all games are played at Tahua To’ata Stadium. Following the USA’s opener against Spain, the U.S. faces host Tahiti on Saturday, Sept. 21 (7 p.m. local; 1 a.m. ET on Sept. 22), and United Arab Emirates on Monday, Sept. 23 (4 p.m. local, 10 p.m. ET).

The top two teams of the four groups qualify for the quarterfinal stage on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The semifinals are held on Friday, Sept. 27, and the championship and third-place games take place one day later.

U.S. Beach Soccer Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2):1-Chris Toth (San Diego Sockers; Fallbrook, Calif.), 12-Michael McAndrews (BS Team Zurich; Long Beach, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (5):4-Michael Enfield (UCLA; Ventura, Calif.), 5-Lewie Valentine (US Sand Soccer; Oceanside, Calif.), 9-Anthony Chimienti (Sacramento Gold FC; Folson, Calif.), 10-Francis Farberoff (Florida Beach Soccer; Hollywood, Fla.), 11-Brendon Taguinod (Santa Cruz Beach SC; Santa Cruz, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5):2-Jason Leopoldo (UCLA; Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 3-Ryan Futagaki (Chicago Fire; Fountain Valley, Calif.), 6-Tomas Canale (UC San Diego; Venice Beach, Calif.), 7-Nick Perera (Milwaukee Wave; Milwaukee, Wis.), 8-Andrew Feld (University of San Diego; Carlsbad, Calif.)

U.S. BEACH SOCCER NATIONAL TEAM
2013 FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

2013 FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP GROUPS:

• Group A: Spain, Tahiti, United Arab Emirates, USA
• Group B: Argentina, El Salvador, Netherlands, Solomon Islands
• Group C: Brazil, Iran, Senegal, Ukraine
• Group D: Ivory Coast, Japan, Paraguay, Russia

Additional Notes:

• Goalkeeper Chris Toth plays professionally for the Professional Arena Soccer League’s San Diego Sockers, where his father Zoltan Toth also played indoor when San Diego was part of the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Zoltan earned a cap for Hungary’s national team in 1979 before moving to the U.S., and he was inducted earlier this year to the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame with a class that included Preki.
• Nick Perera plays professionally for the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Milwaukee Wave, which is headed by longtime coach Keith Tozer, the U.S. Futsal National Team head coach. Perera was born in Madrid, Spain (his father is Spanish), but he moved to San Diego at a young age.
• Forward Ryan Futagaki has ties to Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, where he played in six matches during the 2003 season. Futagaki is a former player with the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team.
• Goalkeeper Michael McAndrews plays professionally in the Swiss Beach League in Switzerland.
• Forward Jason Leopoldo formerly played at UCLA, where U.S. Beach Soccer head coach Eddie Soto has served as an assistant for eight years.
• Soto previously was the LA Galaxy U-17/18 Development Academy head coach.

Related Topics : Beach, Eddie Soto

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