Team USA To Attend Dolphins Game
The first three student athletes to be selected to the Team USA roster for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI will be presented to the crowd at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday, December 10, before the Miami Dolphins take on the New England Patriots.
Head coach Mark Guandolo from Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School will be joined on the field before game by defensive coordinator Marcello Rodriguez and three Team USA players. The group will then watch the AFC East clash as guests of the Dolphins.
The NFL Global Junior Championship XI will be played at Lockhart Stadium on January 31 and February 3 between Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, Panama and Team USA as part of the Super Bowl XLI festivities.
Coach Guandolo (pictured below) will reveal his full 40-man Team USA roster on Tuesday, December 19. Graduating seniors from Broward and Miami-Dade counties who posted a minimum 2.5 GPA through their junior year are eligible to represent the United States with a maximum of three players allowed per school. The Team USA coaching staff will be announced on January 11.
“There is a wealth of talent in this area and I look forward to working with some exceptional athletes,” said Guandolo, whose roster will be unveiled in a draft-style format that will be covered live on the tournament website www.NFL-GJC.com.
“I have targeted players who are versatile and will be extremely proud to represent their country in an international tournament at a time when the world is watching events in South Florida. I have already selected three players from my high school whose qualities I know well and they are all excited and eager to pull on a Team USA jersey.”
Two-way lineman Ryan Goldman, offensive lineman Emeka Nwankwo and defensive back Eian Smith from Class 2A state semi finalists Chaminade-Madonna Prep are the first three players to be named to the Team USA roster. Goldman was an All-City selection as a junior, Nwankwo is an All-City and All-State pick who has committed to Notre Dame, and Smith is ranked in the top 100 in his position nationally and is considering playing at Wisconsin, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, South Carolina or Nebraska.
Tickets for the NFL Global Junior Championship cost $5 and are available from local schools Cardinal Gibbons, Pine Crest, North Broward Prep, Western High and University High.