Bobby's Update: Current and Former Irish Players Competing On International Level
Previous Updates from Irish Head Coach Bobby Clark
All photos courtesy of the University of Notre Dame Sports Information Department, except where otherwise noted.
01/08
Lads:
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Kyle Dagan (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake), a
junior defender on the Notre Dame men's soccer team, recently won a gold
medal for the United States at the 2007 Pan American Maccabi Games in
Buenes Aires, Argentina. Team USA defeated Argentina, 2-0, in the gold-medal
match on Jan. 2.
The USA Open Men's squad, which Dagan was a part of, went 4-0-1 during
its five-game stretch at the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games. Team USA
defeated Colombia (4-0), Argentina (3-0) and Chile (5-0) during group
play. In the semifinals, the United States played Mexico to a 2-2 draw
before advancing in penalty kicks, 4-2.
Dagan competed in the first contest before falling ill and he missed the
next two matches. He returned for the semifinals and finals to help the
squad capture the gold medal. During the 2007 campaign, Dagan played in
16 games, including 10 starts, for the Fighting Irish.
The Pan American Maccabi Games are held every four years in a country
in the Americas. Participants include athletes representing North, Central
and South America, Israel and other countries throughout the Diaspora.
The games provide a unique opportunity to qualified Jewish American athletes
of all ages to compete against the best Jewish athletes in the world.
In other international soccer news, former Fighting Irish standout Greg
Dalby ('07) has been called into camp with the U.S. Under-23 National
Team in preparation for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. Peter Nowak,
the U.S. U-23 head coach, has selected 24 players to compete in a two-week
training camp from January 6-20 at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
The camp is part of the team's preparation for the final round of the
2008 CONCACAF Men's Under-23 Championship to be held from March 11-23,
2008, in Los Angeles, Tampa and Nashville. The U.S. will play its three
games of the group stage in Tampa against Cuba on March 11, Panama on
March 13 and Honduras on March 15. The eight-team tournament will send
its two finalists to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
"With Olympic qualifying only two months away, this camp gives us
a great opportunity to continue the work we began last month in China
(during a December tour of the 2008 Olympic host country)," said
Nowak. "There is a tremendous amount of competition for spots on
the roster, and we will continue to evaluate players as we focus on developing
a team that can qualify for the Olympic Games."
Dalby, a two-time first-team All-American at Notre Dame, currently plays
for SC Charleroi in Belgium. During his collegiate days, Dalby set a then
program record by playing in 88 consecutive matches in addition to notching
10 points on four goals and two assists.
Following the two weeks of training, the Under-23s will reconvene for
a weeklong camp before gathering in March for the Olympic Qualifying tournament.
The U.S. plays in the late game in each of the three doubleheaders at
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. On March 11, the team faces Cuba at 8
p.m. ET before playing Panama on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET. They will finish
the round-robin tournament against Guatemala on Saturday, March 15 at
7 p.m. ET.
Group B, which will begin on March 12, features Canada, Guatemala, Haiti
and Mexico and will be played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
After group play, the top two teams will advance to the semifinals which
will be played on March 20 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. LP Field will
also be the location for the third-place game and championship match on
Sunday, March 23. The two finalists will advance to the 2008 Olympic Games
in Beijing.
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