Wisconsin Soccer Central

Milwaukee Wave midfielder Matt Stewart was named to the 14-player U.S. roster for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, which is July 2 to 8 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S. plays Panama on July 2, Canada or El Salvador on July 3 and Guatemala on July 4. The top finishers in the eight-team qualifier earn berths in the FIFA Futsal World Cup from Nov. 1 to 18 in Thailand.

Stewart is one of three players on the roster selected by national team and Wave coach Keith Tozer who has previous experience at the regional tournament, having played in the event in 2004.

"They’re a pretty fit team, and we felt that because we’re not a strong Futsal nation as far as professional leagues, we felt that our fitness would be something that would carry us through," Tozer said. "Especially playing three games in three days. The bottom line is, I think we're a very fit team, a strong team and a team that is physically prepared."

Read more comments from Tozer on the U.S. Soccer website.

• Shannon Smyth (Mequon/Milwaukee DSHA) and the Republic of Ireland women's national team face a must-win match Thursday against visiting Scotland in Euro 2013 qualifying Thursday in Cork. The Irish (2-3-0), looking to qualify for a major tournament for the first time, will be eliminated from contention unless they the beat the Scots (3-1-1) in the Group 4 game.