SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC forwards Clint Dempsey and Nelson Valdez have been called into the United States and Paraguay National Teams, respectively, for the 2016 Copa América Centenario. Additionally, injured defender Román Torres has been called into Panama’s squad as an honorary captain. The 2016 Copa América Centenario begins on June 3 at 10 venues across the United States.
Dempsey, 33, is sixth all-time with 122 career caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team, including appearances in each of the last three FIFA World Cups. His 49 career goals rank second all-time in USMNT history, eight shy of Landon Donovan’s record of 57 strikes. The Nacogdoches, Texas native most recently scored in a 4-0 win over Guatemala on March 16 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying fixture.
Valdez, 32, has 68 career caps and 12 international goals for Paraguay. He participated in both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, where he appeared in all eight matches. The Caaguazú, Paraguay native has two goals in 11 career Copa América appearances, leading Paraguay to a runner-up finish in 2011 and a fourth-place result in 2015.
Torres, 30, has 79 appearances and 12 goals for the Panamanian National Team. He captained Panama to a third-place finish at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and scored in a 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Semifinals. The Panama City native also led his international squad to a second-place finish at the 2013 Gold Cup, as well as the Copa Centroamericana championship in 2009. Torres previously served as an honorary captain for a pair of 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches earlier in 2016.
Defender Brad Evans and forward Jordan Morris were both included on Jurgen Klinsmann’s 40-man preliminary roster, and remain as alternates that could potentially be added to the active U.S. Men’s National Team roster at a later date. Defender Oniel Fisher is also an alternate for Jamaica after being named to the Reggae Boyz preliminary roster, but was not selected for the final squad.
Seattle is one of 10 metropolitan areas selected to host matches during the Copa América Centenario, which honors 100 years of the Copa América tournament and runs from June 3-26 throughout the United States. CenturyLink Field is set to host two Group Stage matchups, beginning with Haiti vs. Peru on June 4 and Argentina vs. Bolivia on June 14. CenturyLink Field is also hosting a Quarterfinal match on June 16, with participants to be determined after the Group Stage.
The U.S. and Paraguay are both participating in Group A, alongside Colombia and Costa Rica, while Torres' Panama squad is in Group D and is set to compete with Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. The top two sides in each group advance to the Knockout Round.
Tickets to the Copa América Centenario are available by visiting CA2016.com, and fans are encouraged to purchase their Venue Passes early to ensure the best seats. The full 2016 Copa América Centenario tournament schedule can be found via the following link: http://sndrs.com/zxbb.
