Paraguay has named its 23-man World Cup squad, with midfielder Osvaldo Martinez a surprise omission. The Paraguay soccer federation announced the final squad Monday, a day before the FIFA deadline.
The South Americans play an exhibition against fellow World Cup qualifier Greece in Winterthur, Switzerland, on Wednesday.Paraguay is in Group F in South Africa, along with New Zealand, Slovakia and defending champion Italy.
Paraguay squad:
Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid/ESP), Aldo Bobadilla (Deportivo Independiente de Medellin/COL), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno).
Defenders: Claudio Morel Rodriguez (Boca Juniors/ARG), Denis Caniza (Leon/MEX), Paulo da Silva (Sunderland/ENG), Dario Veron (Pumas UNAM/MEX), Julio Cesar Caceres (Atletico Mineiro/BRA), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo de Almagro/ARG), Antolin Alcaraz (FC Bruges/BEL).
Midfielders: Edgar Barreto (Atalanta/ITA), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul/MEX), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Enrique Vera (Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito/ECU), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg/GER), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors/ARG).
Forwards: Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City/ENG), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica/POR), Edgar Benitez (Toluca/MEX), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad).
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel on Tuesday named his 23-man World Cup squad which features eight players representing Greek champions Panathinaikos.
Greece have a warm-up friendly scheduled against Paraguay in Winterthur, Switzerland, on Wednesday before leaving on Friday for South Africa where they will stay at Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban. The Euro 2004 champions are drawn in Group B with South Korea, Nigeria and Argentina.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Costas Halkias (PAOK), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Michael Sifakis (Aris)
Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson named his final 23 man World Cup squad on Tuesday, dropping Marseille striker Bakari Kone and West Bromwich defender Abdoulaye Meite.
Two other French league players, Emerse Faye (Nice) and Kanga Akele (Lens), were also whittled out of the original squad of 30, Eriksson announced at the team's training camp in the Swiss Alps at Gstaad.
Of seven sidelined, five were midfielders and forwards who paid the price of strong competition among Ivory Coast's strike force for the tournament in South Africa. The West Africans are drawn in Group G with Brazil, North Korea and Portugal.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Aristide Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya/ISR), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Mimosas/CIV)
Defenders: Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal/ENG), Guy Demel (SV Hamburg/GER), Souleman Bamba (Hibernian/SCO), Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes/FRA), Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes/FRA), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic/ENG)
Serbia coach Radomir Antic cut Vojvodina Novi Sad goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic from the final World Cup squad on Tuesday.
Antic took four goalkeepers to a training camp in Austria but decided to leave Brkic out of the 23-man squad that will travel to the tournament in South Africa.
"I had to leave one player out and such a decision is never easy to make. I told Zeljko that being in the training camp should be a stimulus for his career and that I still will count on him," Antic told reporters Tuesday, according to Tanjug news agency.
Goalkeeping is considered to be one of Serbia's weak points. Vladimir Stojkovic, who is regarded as the No. 1, has struggled to make the team at both Sporting Lisbon and later on loan at Wigan in the Premier League this season.
Dejan Stankovic, who plays for Champions League winner Inter Milan, will captain "The Eagles", who take on Germany, Ghana and Australia in Group D.
The squad also includes defenders Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United and Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea, as well as CSKA Moscow winger Zeljko Krasic and Milan Jovanovic of Standard Liege.
Recent Birmingham signing Nikola Zigic is one of the four strikers. Antic had earlier cut the Chelsea pair of Slobodan Rajkovic and Nemanja Matic from his provisional squad of 30, and also left out Ajax forward Miralem Sulejmani, PSV Eindhoven defender Jagos Vukovic, Partizan Belgrade midfielder Nemanja Tomic and Red Star Belgrade striker Dejan Lekic.
The only two players included who play in the Serbian league are Vojvodina striker Dragan Mrdja and Partizan midfielder Radosav Petrovic.
Serbia will play Poland in a friendly in Austria on Wednesday as it looks to redeem itself after losing 1-0 to New Zealand in a warmup over the weekend.
Serbia squad:
Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Sporting Lisbon), Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin), Andjelko Djuricic (Uniao Leiria).
Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese), Ivan Obradovic (Real Zaragoza), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio).
Host South Africa left all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy off its World Cup squad, while Gareth Barry hopes to make England's 23.
Although many of the 32 teams had already set their final squads ahead of FIFA's deadline on Tuesday, defending champion Italy and former winners Germany and England are among those who left it until the final day.
So did the host country, which made the widely expected decision not to include McCarthy. The 32-year-old striker, who has scored 32 goals in 78 games for South Africa, has struggled with fitness and form all season while playing in England for Blackburn then West Ham.
"It was a sad thing to have to split apart our family," coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said at a news conference as he announced the six players who will not play in the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.
"But I told them, 'Put your heads up; life goes on. All of you deserve to be here.' Unfortunately we have to obey FIFA rules and we can only name 23."
Fabio Capello has finalised the 23-man squad to carry English hopes at the World Cup in South Africa - and there's no place for Theo Walcott, Darren Bent or Adam Johnson.
Tom Huddlestone, Leighton Baines, Michael Dawson and Scott Parker were the other casualties from the initial 30-strong gathering which attended Capello's pre-World Cup camp in Austria.
But Arsenal's Walcott is the surprise ommission from the South Africa-bound party - his place going to ManchesterCity winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Walcott said today: "I am very disappointed not to be included in the squad going out to South Africa, but completely respect Mr Capello's decision. "I would like to wish the team the best of luck and hope theyhave a really successful tournament."
Aside from Walcott, the one unexpected decision involved Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock's selection ahead of Leighton Baines. The latter's discomfort at committing himself to being away from home for six weeks eventually counted against him, even though he featured against Egypt and Mexico while Warnock didn't.
With scans on Gareth Barry's ankle injury confirming that he was on track to recover in time to play a full part in training immediately after the Group C opener against the United States on June 12, Capello was able to formulate the rest of his squad largely as predicted.
England's 23-man squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa:
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders
Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney
This is the Argentinian list confirmed by Diego Maradona today:
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Mariano Andujar (Calcio Catania, Italy), Diego Pozo (CA Colón).
Defenders: Nicolás Otamendi (CA Vélez Sarsfield) , Martín Demichelis (Bayen Munchen, Germany), Walter Samuel (Internazionale FC, Italy) , Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille, France), Nicolás Burdisso (AS Roma FC, Italy), Clemente Rodríguez (CA Estudiantes de La Plata) , Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United FC, England), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (CA Newell’s Old Boys) , Ariel Garcé (CA Colón).
Midfielders: Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle United FC, England), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool FC, England), Juan Sebastián Verón (CA Estudiantes de La Plata), Angel Di María (Benfica FC, Portugal), Juan Mercier (AA Argentinos Juniors), Javier Pastore (Citta di Palermo Calcio, Italia), Mario Bolatti (ASF Fiorentina, Italy), José Sosa (Bayern München, Germany), Jesús Dátolo (Olympiakos CFP, Greece), Maxi Rodríguez (Liverpool FC, England) , Sebastián Blanco (CA Lanús).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona FC, Spain), Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Spain), Martín Palermo (CA Boca Juniors) , Sergio Agüero (Atlético de Madrid, Spain), Diego Milito (Internazionale FC, Italy) , Carlos Tevez (Manchester City, England).
Out: Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United FC, England), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (CA Newell’s Old Boys), José Sosa (Bayern München, Germany), Jesús Dátolo (Olympiakos CFP, Greece), Juan Mercier (AA Argentinos Juniors), Sebastián Blanco (CA Lanús), Ezequiel Lavezzi (SC Sportiva Napoli, Italy).
Mexico's national team coach Javier Aguirre has named 26 players to compete for the final 23 spots on Mexico's World Cup squad.
Aguirre on Saturday named 10 who are playing in Europe with 16 playing in Mexico's national league. The notable absence from Europe-based players was forward Nery Castillo, who plays with Ukrainian club Dnipro.
The 16 Mexico-based players will make up the core of the team playing friendly matches in the next few weeks in the United States. Europe-based players will be incorporated when they complete their league seasons.
Mexico plays Ecuador on May 7 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, then faces Senegal on May 10 at Chicago and Angola on May 13 at Houston before hosting Chile on May 16 inMexico City.
Mexico travels to Europe in late May for more World Cup warm-ups before opening against host South Africa on June 11.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Club America), Luis Michel (Guadalajara), Oscar Perez (Jaguares).
Defenders: Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Carlos Salcido (PSV), Francisco Rodriguez (PSV), Hector Moreno (AZ), Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Efrain Juarez (UNAM), Paul Aguilar (Pachuca), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Juan Carlos Valenzuela (Club America), Jorge Torres (Atlas).
Midfielders: Andres Guardado (Dep. Coruna), Jonathan Dos Santos (Barcelona), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Israel Castro (UNAM), Pablo Barrera (UNAM), Adrian Aldrete (Morelia).
Forwards: Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Giovani Dos Santos (Galatasaray), Guillermo Franco (West Ham), Alberto Medina (Guadalajara), Adolfo Bautista (Guadalajara), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara).
This is the last 30-men list confirmed of the day.
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Mariano Andujar (Calcio Catania, Italy), Diego Pozo (CA Colón).
Defenderes: Nicolás Otamendi (CA Vélez Sarsfield) , Martín Demichelis (Bayen Munchen, Germany), Walter Samuel (Internazionale FC, Italy) , Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille, France), Nicolás Burdisso (AS Roma FC, Italy), Clemente Rodríguez (CA Estudiantes de La Plata) , Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United FC, England), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (CA Newell’s Old Boys) , Ariel Garcé (CA Colón).
Midfielder: Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle United FC, England), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool FC, England), Juan Sebastián Verón (CA Estudiantes de La Plata), Angel Di María (Benfica FC, Portugal), Juan Mercier (AA Argentinos Juniors), Javier Pastore (Citta di Palermo Calcio, Italia), Mario Bolatti (ASF Fiorentina, Italy), José Sosa (Bayern München, Germany), Jesús Dátolo (Olympiakos CFP, Greece), Maxi Rodríguez (Liverpool FC, England), Sebastián Blanco (CA Lanús).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona FC, Spain) , Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Spain), Martín Palermo (CA Boca Juniors) , Sergio Agüero (Atlético de Madrid, Spain), Diego Milito (Internazionale FC, Italy) , Carlos Tevez (Manchester City, England), Ezequiel Lavezzi (SC Sportiva Napoli, Italy).
Charlie Davies has failed in his attempt to make the U.S. World Cup team seven months after nearly being killed in a car crash.
Sidelined since the Oct. 13 accident, the forward was omitted Tuesday from the 30-man U.S. preliminary roster despite a furious effort to make a comeback. The team gathers next week for training camp, and coach Bob Bradley will select his final, 23-player roster from the list before the Americans leave for South Africa on May 30.
"Charlie has shown so much heart in his work to get back from his injuries," Bradley said in announcing his decision during a live broadcast on ESPN News. "We've monitored all his workouts. We've had people there. We've observed him and he remained part of the consideration right up until yesterday."
Players will gather next week for training camp at Princeton, N.J. The Americans leave for South Africa on May 30, and open the World Cup against England on June 12.
A 23-year-old from New Hampshire and BostonCollege, Davies was in his first season with Sochaux in France when he was seriously hurt in a crash on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia that killed another passenger. Davies had a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken right femur, tibia and fibula, and a broken nose, forehead and eye socket. He also was left with a ruptured bladder, and bleeding on the brain.
Still, he worked diligently in rehabilitation and expressed confidence he'd be ready for the World Cup. "In the end of it, we also had information from his club whereby he had hadn't been given full medical clearance and therefore was not given full release to join the camp," Bradley said. "So when we put that together with everything we just felt that right now, Charlie, it's in his best interest to continue his rehab and continue so that he can get back to level that he was playing last year before the accident."
Bradley didn't rule out a future return of Davies to the national team. "I think that Charlie will continue to work as hard now as he's been since the accident," the coach said. "And that will give him a great chance to get back on the field and play at a high level."
Two forwards came from off the radar to earn invitations to the training camp: Edson Buddle of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Herculez Gomez of Mexico's Puebla. Eddie Johnson also was picked for forward after scoring three goals for Aris in the Greek playoffs.
Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, a veteran of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams, was selected despite not starting for Glasgow Rangers since March 9.
Houston forward Brian Ching, sidelined since a hamstring injury April 1, also was picked.Colorado forward Conor Casey, whose two goals at Honduras clinched a World Cup berth last October, was omitted, as was Aris' Freddy Adu.
Buddle, a 28-year-old from New York City's Westchester suburbs, has made just one appearance for the national team, getting 11 minutes as a substitute in an exhibition seven years ago. Gomez, a 28-year-old who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Las Vegas, played twice for the national team for a total of 67 minutes three years ago in the Copa America.
Buddle leads Major League Soccer with nine goals and Gomez became the first American to lead the Mexican league in scoring, tying for the high with 10 goals. Neither was even listed in the U.S. team's 2010 media guide at the start of the year.
AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu and Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden also were picked. Onyewu has not played since tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee during the final World Cup qualifier on Oct. 14. Holden has been sidelined since March 3, when his right leg was broken during a challenge by the Netherlands' Nigel de Jong during the Americans' 2-1 exhibition loss in Amsterdam.
Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones, who obtained U.S. citizenship last year, was bypassed along with defender Edgar Castillo, who switched allegiance last year from Mexico to the U.S. Jones missed the entire Bundesliga season because of a shin injury.
The U.S. team starts practicing Monday in Princeton, N.J., where Bradley once coached, and has exhibitions against the CzechRepublic on May 25 inEast Hartford, Conn., and Turkey four days later in Philadelphia.
After arriving in South Africa, the U.S. has an exhibition against Australia on June 5. The Americans, trying to rebound from their first-round elimination four years ago, open with their first competitive match against England since the 1-0 U.S. upset win at the 1950 World Cup. The United States closes the first round against Slovenia on June 18 and against Algeria on June 23.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England).
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Heath Pearce (Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England).
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro, Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico).
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Brian Ching (Houston), Robbie Findley (SaltLake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla, Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Aris, Greece).
Karim Benzema has been left out of France's preliminary World Cup squad, with coach Raymond Domenech saying it's because of the Real Madrid striker's unimpressive season rather than any alleged involvement in a sex scandal.
Benzema has often been left on the bench and scored only eight goals in the Spanish league this season after costing Madrid euro35 million ($44.4 million) in 2009.
Benzema has been linked in the French media with an underage sex scandal involving an escort. Franck Ribery and Sidney Govou have also been linked, but were included in the squad.
Veteran midfielder Patrick Vieira also didn't make the cut.
Domenech has until June 1 to cut the 30-man squad down to 23 players for the tournament in South Africa.
