Dec. 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF men' soccer player Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) has been selected to participate in an eight-day training camp for the United States Under-20 Men's National Team this week in Sunrise, Fla. The training camp, which lasts from Dec. 15-22, includes an intrasquad scrimmage and a pair of friendly scrimmages against Haiti and Canada.
"We are very excited that Sean has this opportunity to showcase his abilities at a high level while gaining experience against some of the nation's best talent," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "I congratulate Sean on this achievement and know that he will represent himself, UCF and our soccer program extremely well."
The roster includes a mix of professional, youth and college players and will be coached by U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team head coach Thomas Rongen. This week's training camp is another step in preparing and evaluating players in advance of the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.
Johnson, a sophomore who started every game in goal for UCF in 2008, also played on the international level this past summer while competing for the Jamaican National Team.
In two seasons with the Knights, Johnson has played in each of the team's 37 games and racked up 191 saves, good for fifth place on the program's all-time list. His 108 saves in 2008 are tied for the third-highest single-season total in UCF history and are the most by a Knight keeper since 1986. Johnson had a goals against average of 1.30.
Johnson is one of three goalkeepers on the men's national squad, which includes Josh Lambo of FC Dallas and Brian Perk of UCLA. The team plays an intrasquad scrimmage at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 in Plantation, Fla. The U.S. U-20 MNT then hosts Haiti in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. before concluding its camp on Dec. 22 in Sunrise, Fla., hosting Canada at 7:30 p.m.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.