[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             2014 WORLD CUP

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, today the United States men's soccer 
team begins its quest for World Cup glory in Brazil. The 23 players 
selected by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann include native New Jerseyans 
Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Alejandro Bedoya. They 
have dedicated themselves to being the best at their craft, and now 
have an opportunity to represent the United States of America at the 
world's premier soccer event.
  The World Cup is an extraordinary tournament whose reach extends well 
beyond the pitch. It has the incredible ability to unify peoples in 
celebration and even halt civil conflict, as was seen temporarily in 
Cote d'Ivoire in 2006. I sincerely hope that moving into the future, 
the institution of the World Cup can be a symbol of increased 
international cooperation.
  While many consider the U.S. a relatively recent addition to the 
global soccer community compared to our friends in Europe and South 
America, we actually finished third at the first ever World Cup held in 
Uruguay in 1930. I hope that this U.S. team will build upon our rich 
soccer history and represent our great Nation well in our seventh 
consecutive World Cup appearance. As our supporters say, ``onward 
U.S.A.!''

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