Soto Names 12-Player Roster For 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World
Five Players Return from 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Team; Team to Hold Pre-Camp in Argentina Prior to Departure to Paraguay
CHICAGO (Nov. 8, 2019) – U.S. Men’s Beach Soccer National Team head coach Eddie Soto has selected a 12-player roster that will represent the USA at the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Asuncion, Paraguay from Nov. 21 to Dec. 1.
The team includes five players who return from the USA’s last FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup appearance in 2013 in Tahiti, including captain Nick Perera and goalkeeper Chris Toth, who were recently named among the Top 50 Beach Soccer players in the world for a third consecutive year. Also returning are Alessandro Canale, Jason Leopoldo, and veteran Ryan Futagaki, who has the unique distinction of having also played for the USA at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria.
2019 U.S. Men’s Beach Soccer National Team World Cup Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Juan Cervantes (Los Angeles, Calif.), Chris Toth (Fallbrook, Calif.),
DEFENDERS (4): Adriano Dos Santos (Baltimore, Md.), Ryan Futagaki (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Oscar Reyes (Santa Ana, Calif.), Jason Santos (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Alessandro Canale (Venice, Calif.), Jason Leopoldo (Scottsdale, Ariz.), David Mondragon (Santa Cruz, Calif.) Nick Perera (Carlsbad, Calif.), Lucas Roque (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Gabriel Silveira (San Francisco, Cali.)
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of events and training camps, so we were able to evaluate our guys in game situations,” said Soto, who also coached the USA’s 2013 Beach Soccer World Cup team. “We’re going to be looking to these veterans. They’re experienced; they've been in a lot of World Cup qualifiers and in the last World Cup in Tahiti, so we’re going to be leaning on them to come up big for us in games. And the young guys, they’ve shown really well this year. It’s a good mix, and I’m excited for the group to come together, compete and focus on getting three points in our first match against Switzerland.”
The team will hold a pre-camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Nov. 7-17 before departing for Asuncion, Paraguay. The USA was drawn into Group A at the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and will face Switzerland on Nov. 21, Japan on Nov. 23 and Paraguay on Nov. 25.
Fans can follow the team on Instagram at @ussoccer_beach and twitter at @ussoccer.
Additional Notes:
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Canale (2 goals), Futagaki (1 goal), Leopoldo (1 goal) and Perera (5 goals) played in all three games for the USA at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti, combining to score nine of the USA’s 13 goals. Toth appeared in two matches in goal.
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Perera’s five goals in 2013 were the most for American in any single FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, surpassing the four Raphael Xexeo scored in the 2006 tournament.
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Perera is also the USA’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with 37 (Concacaf Beach Soccer Championships: 11 in 2013, 10 in 2015, 4 in 2017, and 13 in 2019).
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The roster also includes 10 of the 12 players who helped the USA qualify for the World Cup by finishing second in the 2019 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Canale, Cervantes, Dos Santos, Futagaki, Leopoldo, Mondragon, Reyes, Santos, Perera and Toth.
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Futagaki who began playing with the BSNT in 2007, Leopoldo (2009) and Reyes (2010) are the most tenured members of the team.
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In addition to Futagaki, who played in the 1999 FIFA World Youth World Championship (Under-20) and U-23 MNT at the 1999 Pan American Games, Leopoldo was part of the U.S. Youth National Team program from U-15 to U-23 and was on the 2005 Milk Cup winning team. Reyes and Cervantes were also called in to U-17 YNT camps.
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Eight players played collegiately and earned degrees, led by four former UCLA Bruins: Futagaki, Leopoldo, Oscar Reyes and Juan Cervantes. Canale (UC-San Diego), Jason Santos (UC-Davis), Gabe Silveira (San Francisco State) and Perera (UC-Santa Barbara) are the other graduates.
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Lucas Roque, who made his BSNT debut at the 2017 Puerto Vallarta Cup, returned to the sand for the first time since that tournament in September after recovering from a second ACL surgery in 2018.
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Adriano dos Santos, Roque and Perera have also played for the U.S. Men’s Futsal NT.
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Toth and Perera have been nominated among the Top 50 Beach Soccer players in 2017, 2018 and 2019 by Beach Soccer Worldwide, the sports organizing body.
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Four players also played club soccer on current Development Academy sides: Reyes (Strikers FC Irvine), Cervantes (Pateadores – 2010/11 DA U18 Champions; LA Galaxy), David Mondragon (De Anza Force) and Silveira (Marin FC). Leopoldo played for SoCal United, which later merged to form Real SoCal.
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Three players play in the Major Arena Soccer League: Perera (Tacoma Stars), Toth (Ontario Fury), Dos Santos (Baltimore Blast)
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Cervantes, Reyes and Santos have participated in all seven camps in 2019.
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Head coach Eddie Soto leads the team to his second FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, having also been at the helm in 2013. He is assisted by former BSNT captain Francis Farberoff, the only player to play in each of the USA’s first four Beach Soccer World Cup appearances (2005, 2006, 2007, 2013).