Pearce has plenty to be proud of
This week U.S. Men's National Team head
coach Bob Bradley announced the final 23 men he will take to South Africa to
represent the United States in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Although FC Dallas defender Heath Pearce wasn’t one of the chosen 23,
the journey that got him onto the preliminary 30-man roster is still an impressive
accomplishment.
Pearce only missed one FC Dallas game, a 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy, during his most recent stint with the USMNT. He rejoined the squad for their road match against the Chicago Fire, entering the game in the 70th minute as a late game substitute for forward Jeff Cunningham.
Here is an outline of
Pearce’s journey by the numbers:
Going Pro
3 years
playing at the University
of Portland
20 games started his final year at the University of Portland
(two goals, five assists)
50
appearances for FC Nordsjælland of the Danish Superliga (two goals)
90 minutes
played in his first game with Hansa Rostock of the Bundesliga against
Bayern Munich
31
appearances for Hansa Rostock over two years
4 years
playing in Europe
09/20/09 –
MLS debut with FC Dallas
4 – FC Dallas jersey
number
15
appearances for FC Dallas (three assists)
International Play
8
appearances with U-17 U.S. National Team (two goals)
4
appearances with U-20 U.S. National Team
32
appearances with USMNT (three assists)
11/12/05 –
first national team cap (versus Scotland)
11
appearances in 2010 World Cup qualifying matches
Putting it in Perspective
205 teams participated in 2010
FIFA World Cup qualification
32 teams qualified for the
tournament
736 players in the entire world
will play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
30 men made the U.S. Men's National Team
preliminary roster
9 defenders made the 30-man preliminary
roster
23 men made the final USMNT roster
7 defenders made the final 23-man roster
Read more: Check out what Bobby Rhine had to say about Pearce's accomplishment.