Kevin Friedland, Kyle Altman set out for Maccabi Games

Kevin Friedland with the trophy from the 2007 Pan American Maccabi Games.

Stars defender and assistant coach Kevin Friedland and captain Kyle Altman have been selected to represent the United States at the 2011 Pan American Maccabi Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2. Friedland will be contributing regular blogs from his entire trip, which kicks off Dec. 21 with training camp in Dallas before flying to Brazil.

Friedland and Altman are no strangers to Maccabi competitions, which bring together Jewish athletes to represent their countries in continental and international competitions. The Pan American Maccabi games are held every four years; the Maccabiah games are held in Israel every four years, with two years separating Pan American and Maccabiah cycles.

Dan Calichman, head coach at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., will lead the team. Calichman played in Major League Soccer from 1996-2000 before finishing his career with the Charleston Battery in 2001. He also earned two caps for the US Men’s National Team. Kyle Altman’s brother, Kelly, who is an assistant at Trinity University in San Antonio, will serve as the team’s assistant.

For both Altman and Friedland, participation in Maccabi events has helped their careers and was instrumental in luring both to Minnesota. “On my second Maccabi Trip, I met Amos Magee,” Friedland said. “I had just finished my first year as a pro in Kansas City and was looking for a team. He was in Santiago coaching the U-16 team and ended up playing with the Men’s Open team because we had some injuries. He knew that I was looking for a new pro team and mentioned that Minnesota was looking for a wide left-sided player. And that’s how I ended up here.”

Friedland will start sending blog entries beginning with the team’s training camp in Dallas. Keep checking NSCMinnesota.com for the chronicle of the journey to Brazil and back!