June 9, 2004

Queens, N.Y. - Former St. John's men's soccer standout Shalrie Joseph will represent his country in a World Cup Qualifying match this weekend.

Joseph, who was born in Grenada, will play for his home country on Saturday, June 13 against the United States in a World Cup Qualifying match at Columbus Crew Stadium. The match, which kicks off at 1 p.m. (ET) and will be shown live on ESPN2 and Telemundo, is the first of a two-game series. The teams will play on Sunday, June 20 in St. Georges, Grenada at 4 p.m., with ESPN2 and Telemundo again providing coverage.

The winner of the total goals series will advance to the four-team, six-game semifinal round, which would begin for the United States on August 18 in either Haiti or Jamaica. The United States team is ranked No. 8 in the world, while Grenada is ranked No. 145.

Joseph, a two-time All-American at St. John's, is currently playing with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. He is one of three native Grenadans who will appear on the team's 18-man roster this weekend that played college soccer in the United States. Joseph is also the only player on Grenada's roster currently playing in the MLS.

A standout at St. John's after transferring in from junior college, Joseph helped lead St. John's to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, including the 2001 NCAA Final Four.

As a senior, when he was named first-team All-BIG EAST, Joseph moved from his natural forward position to sweeper and spent the majority of the season on defense. He still finished third on the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists for 18 points, and helped lead the Red Storm to the 2001 BIG EAST Tournament Championship.

In 2000, Joseph led the Red Storm in scoring 14 goals with two assists for 30 points, including six goals and 12 points in BIG EAST games. St. John's finished 14-5-2 overall and was second in the conference with an 8-2-1 record. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth-straight year and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth-straight season.

His two-year career total of 21 goals rank 10th all-time at St. John's.

Other former players continue to make their mark on the professional scene as well. Joseph's 2001 teammate, Jeff Matteo, has started every game for the Minnesota Thunder, who are in second place in the Western Conference of the A-League. He has scored one goal and recorded one assist for three points. Tim O'Neill, a 2004 graduate, has played in eight games for the Syracuse Salty Dogs, who are in fifth place in the A-League's Eastern Conference.