US-based players called up for World Cup tuneup

Forward Brian Ching and defender Michael Orozco are among the 23 home-based players called up by USA coach Bob Bradley for a training camp prior to this month’s World Cup tuneup against El Salvador.

The group features 21 players from the training camp that preceded a January 23 friendly against Honduras, and 10 of the 11 players that started that match – which Honduras won 3-1.

The February 24 match against El Salvador in Tampa, Florida, will be one of the last before the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad is named in May.

New additions to the training camp roster are Ching, who plays for the Houston Dynamo and was a member of the 2006 World Cup squad, and Orozco.

Ching is the veteran on the roster with 10 goals in 43 international appearances. Orozco was acquired by the Major League Soccer expansion club Philadelphia Union on January 29 from the Mexican club San Luis.

“These are important opportunities for these players as we continue to formulate our plans for the roster for the World Cup,” Bradley said. “This camp and the game against El Salvador provide a chance for the coaching staff to get one more long look at this group.

“El Salvador demonstrated during World Cup qualifying that they are a difficult team to beat, so we expect a good match. We had great fan support in our last visit to Raymond James Stadium, and we are looking forward to getting back to Tampa.”

The Americans, preparing for a sixth consecutive World Cup appearance, will face England on June 12 in their opener in South Africa and also face Slovenia and Algeria in the first round.