Join Now  | 
Home About Contact Us Privacy & Security Advertise
Soccer America Daily Special Edition Around The Net Soccer Business Insider College Soccer Reporter Youth Soccer Reporter Soccer on TV Soccer America Classifieds
Paul Gardner: SoccerTalk Soccer America Confidential Youth Soccer Insider World Cup Watch
RSS Feeds Archives Manage Subscriptions Subscribe
Order Current Issue Subscribe Manage My Subscription Renew My Subscription Gift Subscription
My Account Join Now
Tournament Calendar Camps & Academies Soccer Glossary Classifieds
Barca youngster Pedro gets the call
May 21st, 2010 12:21AM
Subscribe to Soccer America Daily


MOST READ
TAGS:  spain, world cup


[SPAIN] Pedro unseated Thierry Henry from the starting lineup at Barcelona. Now can he make his way into the starting lineup for World Cup favorite Spain? Pedro, 22, was one of three uncapped Spaniards picked for the trip to South Africa.

Pedro, who scored 22 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season, will be in familiar company. He was one of nine Barca players picked by Vicente del Bosque. Another player, David Villa, will join Barca from Valencia this summer in a $49 million transfer.

Born on the island of Tenerife, Pedro joined Barcelona's youth system at the age of 17. He split time between Barca and its "B" team the last two seasons but was instrumental in its run to six titles in 2009.

Pedro, the first player to score in six different club competitions during a single season, had perhaps his biggest goal of the year in April when his second goal sealed Barca's 2-0 win at Real Madrid -- which proved to be the difference in the 2010 La Liga race.

Besides Pedro, goalie Victor Valdes, his Barca teammate, and 21-year-old Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao were the other uncapped players to be picked.

Spain heads into the final stages of preparations for the World Cup with concerns about the fitness of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

"We have a very vigilant recovery program for them," said Del Bosque. "All the information we've received has been positive and they should be 100 percent for the tournament."

Also injured has been Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta.

One player who didn't make the cut was Brazilian-born midfielder Marcos Senna, a stalwart in Spain's Euro 2008 campaign. He, too, struggled because of injuries and saw only limited action at Villarreal.

SPAIN ROSTER:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).
Defenders: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona).
Forwards: Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Pedro (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia).



No comments yet.

Sign in to leave a comment. Don't have an account? Join Now


AUTHORS

ARCHIVES
FOLLOW SOCCERAMERICA

Recent Soccer America Daily
Rogers-for-Magee, hometown boys return home    
[MLS SPOTLIGHT] Three months after announcing he was gay and retiring from soccer at the age ...
Tampa Bay and Atlanta eye outright lead    
[NASL SCHEDULE: Week 8] After winning their 2012 Soccer Bowl rematch with Minnesota United FC last ...
Timbers put unbeaten road record on line    
[MLS SCHEDULE: Week 13] The Portland Timbers sit third in the Western Conference with one loss ...
What They're Saying    
"I seriously felt like a coward. These kids are standing up for themselves and changing the ...
Seaton scores in Richmond win    
[USL PRO REWIND: Week 10] D.C. United's latest homegrown signing, Jamaican U-17 Michael Seaton, and midfielder ...
Charlotte remains unbeaten with 2-2 tie    
[USL PRO REWIND: Week 10] The Charlotte Eagles (3-0-4) remained unbeaten with a 2-2 tie against ...
Tijuana concedes late tie; Hoffenheim coasts    
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Americans Edgar Castillo and Joe Corona will have to head back to Brazil in ...
Busch Stadium friendly draws standing-room crowd    
[CHELSEA-MANCHESTER CITY] Manchester City kicked off the international summer friendly season with a bang, rallying from ...
Soumare deal is win-win for all parties    
[MLS TRANSACTIONS] Few deals seem to work out for all parties, but the Bakary Soumare trade ...
New York and FC Dallas look to solidify leads    
[MLS SCHEDULE: Week 13] MLS finishes its third month Memorial Day weekend with six games Saturday ...
>> Soccer America Daily Archives