Paraguay announces friendly roster

Paraguay announces friendly roster

Published Mar. 25, 2010 11:33 p.m. ET

Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino selected a squad of mostly local players Thursday to face World Cup host South Africa in a friendly on March 31 in Asuncion.

The squad features only three players with clubs in Europe: Sunderland defender Paulo Da Silva, Wolfsburg midfielder Jonathan Santana and Villarreal midfielder Hernan Perez.

Paraguay is playing in its fourth straight World Cup and was drawn in Group F with defending champion Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia.

Among the players missing who are likely to play in South Africa are Oscar Cardozo of Benfica, Roque Santa Cruz of Manchester City and Nelson Haedo Valdez of Borussia Dortmund. Missing South America-based players include Claudio Morel of Boca Juniors and Julio Cesar Caceres of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro.

Striker Salvador Cabanas, who is staging a miraculous recovery after being shot in the head on Jan. 25 in a Mexico City bar, is undergoing therapy in rehabilitation clinic in Buenos Aires but is not expected to play in South Africa.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Victor Centurion (Tacuary), Joel Silva (Guarani).

Defenders: Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Paulo Da Silva (Sunderland, England), Cesar Benitez (Cerro Porteno), Julio Manzur (Olimpia), Pedro Benitez (Atletico Mineiro, Brazil), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina), Blas Caceres (Olimpia).

Midfielders: Marcos Riveros (Nacional), Osvaldo Hobecker (Rubio Nu), Jorge Moreira (Libertad), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg, Germany), Rodrigo Rojas (River Plate, Argentina), Hernan Perez (Villarreal, Spain), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors, Argentina), Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell's, Argentina).

Forwards: Nestor Ayala (Tigre, Argentina), Guillermo Beltran (Nacional), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad).

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