The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Ushedo Invited To Canadian Olympic Team Training Camp
11/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 16, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB senior defender Curtis Ushedo has been invited to participate at the Under 23 Canadian National Team training camp, which is currently taking place in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The 18-player camp, coached by Tony Fonseca, has been going through twice-a-day sessions over an 11-day stretch.
"This is a terrific honor for Curtis," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "Curtis is following in the footsteps of former Blazer Dejan Jakovic. Dejan began getting international recognition when he joined the Canadian National Team camp, made the team and is currently a starter for D.C. United of Major League Soccer. I think Curtis is capable of achieving great feats for Canada and having a successful professional career. It is a great honor and I am excited for him."
Ushedo finished his career at UAB this fall as a four-year letterwinner who played in 67 games and made 63 starts.
The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native earned three all-conference honors, including a nod to the 2010 All-Conference USA First Team. Ushedo was selected as a second-team all-conference performer in 2009 and named to the league's all-freshman team in 2007. Furthermore, he also was tabbed a second-team all-region honoree by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as a junior. All-Region NSCAA honors for 2010 are expected to be released in the next month.
Over the past two seasons, Ushedo was the backbone of one of the best defenses in school history. The 2009 team set a single-season school record for goals against average (GAA) of 0.87. This past season, UAB's GAA of 1.08 also ranked among the best during a campaign in school history.
Despite playing throughout his career as a central defender, Ushedo was also a viable threat in the offensive third of the field. During his four-year career, Ushedo accounted for five goals and an assist, including a pair of goals this past season.
It is still early in the lead-up to the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament, but according to Fonseca, it is very important that his staff is proactive in spending time with players in the build up to the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
"This camp is very helpful in assessing players, especially the new people we have not seen before," Fonseca said. "These camps allow us to see where the players may fit into the program. It is a big challenge because we have to ask where will these players be a year from now. Hopefully they will all have clubs and be in challenging environments."
The men's U-23 Olympic team features players born 1989 or later, so the oldest players are 21 years old this year, 22 years old next year, and 23 years old in 2012.
