Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Make Waves on National Scene
1/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Jan. 9, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Several current and former Hoosiers are making waves in the soccer world with activities at the professional and national team ranks. Freshmen midfielders Ofori Sarkodie and Dan Kelly, as well as former Hoosiers Josh Tudela, John Michael Hayden and Pat Noonan have all participated in recent soccer combines and training camps.
Sarkodie was one of 20 players named to the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team on Monday, Jan. 8. He will represent the United States in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-20 Final Round Qualifying Tournament from Jan. 17-21 at Rommel Fernandez Stadium in Panama City, Panama. The team brought in more than 70 players during nine camps in 2006 before making its final roster decisions.
The United States will play three games in the qualifying tournament, facing Haiti on Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m., Guatemala on Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Panama on Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. The top two teams in Group A will advance to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, which will take place from June 30-July 22, 2007.
Sarkodie started 13 games in his inaugural campaign for the Hoosiers, and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He helped Indiana to eight shutouts playing at center back. This past summer Sarkodie helped lead the U-20 National Team to second place at the 2006 Milk Cup in Northern Ireland on Aug. 4.
Serving as one of Sarkodie's coaches on the U.S. team is former Hoosier standout Brian Maisonnueve. Maisonnueve, an assistant coach with the U-20 team, was a two-time All-American with the Hoosiers, winning the 1994 Hermann Trophy. He was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year.
Tudela and Hayden were both in attendance the Major League Soccer Combine from Jan. 4-8, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The 62 players were divided into four teams, each which played three matches during the combine. Tudela competed with adidas Tricolore, while Hayden was with adidas Tango.
Both Tudela and Hayden will be looking to be selected in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 12. The draft begins at noon and will be televised on ESPN2.
Tudela was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 2006. He scored 11 goals and tallied 17 assists in his career. A team captain as a senior, Tudela led the team in the midfield, and set up a number of goals several passes before the score.
Hayden, a first team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, scored 13 goals and had 10 assists in his Indiana career. One of the biggest goals of his career came in his sophomore season in the 2004 NCAA semifinals against Maryland. Hayden scored off a header with 48 seconds remaining to send Indiana to the championship game.
Tudela and Hayden completed their careers with two NCAA championships (2003 and 2004), two Big Ten Championships (2003 and 2006) and an overall record of 64-14-15.
Noonan is currently in training camp with the U.S. Men's National Team. He was a three-time All-American at Indiana, scoring 48 goals with 31 assists from 1999 through 2002. Noonan played in 2006 MLS Cup with the New England Revolution in November.
Kelly competed with the U.S. Under-18 National Team in California the first week of the year.
Indiana completed the 2006 season with a 15-4-3 record, winning the Big Ten Championship and reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
