Wake Forest Athletics
Former Deacon Makes Debut With National Team
6/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 11, 2007
Former Wake Forest All-American Michael Parkhurst, a rising star in the MLS, made his debut last weekend with the victorious U.S.A. National Team in the Gold Cup.
Parkhurst was called up to the national team last week and made an immediate impact in the USA's 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday. The win moved the United States into first place in Group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, guaranteeing the United States a spot in the tournament quarterfinals.
"Throughout the year we have brought some new players into the team," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said Saturday. "Today was the first game for Michael Parkhurst, and I thought that he had a good solid match and that is important. It shows that going forward, we have the ability to create some pretty good combinations in all parts of the field, in our defense, in our midfield and with our forwards, and hopefully gives us not only the depth, but a little bit of flexibility, in terms of the way we play."
Parkhust, an All-American for the Deacons in 2003 and 2004, is a rising star in soccer. A first-round draft pick by the New England Revolution in 2005, Parkhust has anchored the MLS' best defense that allowed just 35 goals in 32 games in 2006.
Parkhurst and the USA team will play El Salvador Wednesday night in Boston (7 p.m.). The quarterfinals will be held June 16 in Boston and June 17 in Houston.
