July 17, 2008

CHICAGO - Three University of Maryland alumni - Maurice Edu, Robbie Rogers and Chris Seitz - were named by head coach Peter Nowak Thursday to the 18-player United States men's soccer squad for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

All three were part of the Terrapins' run to the NCAA Championship in 2005.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic for Maurice, Chris and Robbie," said Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski. "Playing in the Olympics is the dream of every young athlete. I vividly remember telling all three during summer workouts that they had the ability to be on the Olympic team, and I'm delighted they've had those dreams come true.

"For these three young men to follow their national championship with budding pro careers and now the opportunity to play in the Olympics, it's something the entire Terrapin soccer family and the entire University of Maryland community can take tremendous pride in."

Edu and Seitz were part of 11 players named to the team who earned the Olympic berth for the U.S. by finishing second in the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament. Edu was named to the Best XI team in that event. Seitz, one of the stars of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, earned two shutouts in three games for the U.S. as part of the pre-Olympics schedule.

Rogers missed part of the Olympic-qualifying process due to injury. When he was cut initially, Cirovski said Rogers visited with the Maryland team, which was in Florida on a training trip. Cirovski remembered that Rogers vowed then to return to be part of the Olympic team.

"In addition to their soccer ability, they are three of the finest young men I've ever coached," said Cirovski, who next month will begin his 16th season as head coach at Maryland. "It's easy to see great things happening for them because of their great character."

Edu was the Gatorade Rookie of the Year in Major League Soccer for 2007. This season, playing with Toronto FC, he has started 12 games and has recorded one goal and one assist, posting 17 shots. He was a first team All-American and a Hermann Trophy semifinalist for the Terrapins in 2006.

Seitz, a member of MLS Real Salt Lake, has seen the bulk of his action this season with the U.S. National Team. He participated with the U.S. U-23 team in a two-game tour of China in December 2007, earning a shutout in one of those contests. As a Terrapin, he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and was the first freshman goalkeeper in 15 years to lead his team to the NCAA title in 2005.

Rogers is also in his second season in MLS, playing with Columbus. He is second on the Crew in scoring with five goals and is one of five Crew players to have started all 16 games. He had seven goals and five assists while making 20 starts during Maryland's national-championship run in 2005.

The U.S. team will begin final preparation for the Beijing Olympics on July 20, with six days of domestic training in San Jose, Calif. The team will depart for Hong Kong, where it will participate in the ING Cup, facing fellow Olympic participants Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on Aug. 2.

For the Beijing Games, the U.S. will play in Group B and will open against Japan on Aug. 7 before facing the Netherlands on Aug. 10, with both games being played in Tianjin. The U.S. team will finish group play in Beijing against Nigeria on Aug. 13.

The bulk of the Olympic team is made up of players under 23 years old, with three roster spots allotted for players older than 23. The U.S. did not participate in the Olympic tournament in 2004.