Updated: 2008-06-24 From: Xinhuanet
HONG KONG, June 24 (Xinhua) — The Olympic teams of the Netherlands, Cameroon, the United States and Cote d’Ivoire will all head to Hong Kong in late July to compete in the ING Cup, which will act as the teams’ final preparation for the men’s Olympic football tournament.
The ING Cup, hosted by the Hong Kong Football Association and organized by World Sport Group and KAM Sports International, features two matches at Hong Kong Stadium on July 30 followed by a further two games on August 2.
Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire), Real Madrid’s Royston Drenthe (Netherlands), Benfica’s Freddy Adu (USA) and Arsenal’s Alexandre Song (Cameroon) are among the many young stars set to feature in the ING Cup. All squads for the men’s Olympic tournament, which will be held across five Chinese cities from August 6-23, are made up of under-23 players and up to three senior players.
“The Hong Kong Football Association is delighted to host this pre-Olympic event as it will give each of the four teams two competitive matches just days before they compete in China. It will help them acclimatise and get used to the conditions,” said Brian Leung, Chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association.
“Olympic fever is truly kicking in, so we expect great crowds at the Hong Kong Stadium on both days. The Netherlands, Cameroon, USA and Cote d’Ivoire will be among the strongest teams in China and feature many world-class players.”
The Dutch are one of the favorites for the Olympic crown. The Jong Oranje, who won back-to-back UEFA U-21 Championship titles in 2006 and 2007, boast a host of established stars including 21-year-old forwards Royston Drenthe of Real Madrid and Ryan Babel, Liverpool’s Young Player of the Season.
Foppe de Haan’s squad also includes Valencia’s Hedwiges Maduro and PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal.
Furthermore, Feyenoord’s Roy Makaay, whose exploits for Bayern Munich made him one of Europe’s most feared strikers, has been one of the senior players to feature in the Olympic team’s preparations.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions have a strong pedigree in the Olympics, having won gold at Sydney 2000. This year’s squad includes 20-year-old Alex Song, one of Arsene Wenger’s exciting young squad at Arsenal and the nephew of Rigobert Song, Cameroon’s most capped player.
Defenders Andre Bikey, whose impressive performances for Reading led to his inclusion in the senior squad for the African Cup of Nations, and Stephane Mbia of Stade Rennais in France are also among Coach Martin Mtoungou Mpile’s top players.
Freddy Adu, the American teenage phenom, is the best-known player in the USA Olympic side. The Ghana-born Adu, who represented the USA under-17s when only 13, joined the likes of Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes at legendary Portuguese club Benfica last August and the 19-year-old could prove one of the stars of the event in China.
Gabe Ferrari, born in the U.S. to a Brazilian mother and an Italian-American father, is another attacker to watch out for as the six-foot one-inch 19-year-old has been developing his career in Italy since signing for Serie A side Sampdoria in January 2007.
Jozy Altidore, 18, recently signed for Spain’s Villarreal from New York Red Bulls for a sum in the region of US $10 million, making him the most expensive signing in Major League Soccer history.
The USA squad also includes West Ham defender Jonathan Spector, formerly of Manchester United. Spector played in Hong Kong in 2006 when he starred for the Manchester United youth team in the HKFC Philips Lighting International Soccer Sevens.
Cote d’Ivoire’s best-known player is Kalou, who has made his name with Feyenoord and Chelsea, where the 22-year-old has played the last two seasons with Didier Drogba, his national-team captain.
The Young Elephants boast another top attacker in Yao Kouassi Gervais, or “Gervinho”, who plays in France’s top flight for Le Mans, one of Drogba’s former clubs.
The full schedule and ticket information will be announced at a press conference on July 2.
