DONOVAN, FRIEDEL, REYNA: 2002 HONDA PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Record 277 Sports Journalists Select U.S. World Cup Players as Finalists for Coveted Soccer Award

LOS ANGELES (September 19, 2002) - United States national soccer team midfielder/forward Landon Donovan, goalkeeper Brad Friedel and midfielder Claudio Reyna were named as the three finalists for the 2002 Honda Player of the Year Award at a press conference today in Los Angeles.

Donovan, a finalist for the first time at age 20, became the youngest Honda Player of the Year finalist ever and is the first of a new generation of players to be recognized in this way.

Friedel, a ten-year veteran of the national team who is one of only three U.S. players to play every minute of the 2002 World Cup, is also a first-time finalist for the Honda Player of the Year Award. In the 12-year history of the Honda Player of the Year award, a goalkeeper has been a finalist a total of 8 times.

Reyna, the winner in 2000 and runner-up in 2001, was chosen as a finalist for the fourth consecutive year and record fifth-time overall. He is seeking to become only the second two-time winner of the Honda Player of the Year Award.

Donovan's six goals in 2002 included two in the World Cup and tied him for second-best overall on the U.S. team. He originally signed with German club Bayer Leverkusen in February 1999 and later that year was the MVP of the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. Donovan plays for Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes and helped lead them to the 2001 MLS championship in his first season with the team.

Friedel's 2002 World Cup highlights included penalty-kick saves against South Korea and Poland in the first round and a shutout of Mexico in the round of 16. A veteran of two Olympic teams and three World Cup squads, this former UCLA star now plays in the English Premier League for the Blackburn Rovers, where he won "Man of the Match" honors in Blackburn's victory in the 2002 Worthington Cup final.

Reyna has already added to his impressive list of honors this year by becoming the first American ever named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star team. In all, Reyna has been a finalist for the Honda Player of the Year award five out of the last six years. The captain of the U.S. national team, Reyna currently plays for Sunderland in the English Premier League, where he is a regular starter.

A record total of 277 sports journalists from all over the United States selected these three players as finalists. The players will now await the announcement of the winner at the 2002 Honda Player of the Year award ceremony, which will take place during a gala luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday October 8, 2002.

The previous winners of the Honda Player of the Year Award are: Earnie Stewart (2001), Claudio Reyna (2000), Kasey Keller (1999), Cobi Jones (1998), Eddie Pope (1997), Eric Wynalda (1996, 1992), Alexi Lalas (1995), Marcelo Balboa (1994), Thomas Dooley (1993) and Hugo Perez (1991). In 2000, Eric Wynalda was honored as the Honda Player of the Decade.

Created in 1991 by Fútbol de Primera and sponsored by American Honda Motor Company Inc., the Honda Player of the Year is awarded annually to the best player on the U.S. national soccer team as chosen by the U.S. sports media. In order to be eligible, a player must have played in a minimum of three international matches with the U.S. national team during the year. The winner receives a new Honda Accord EX V-6 Sedan.

Fútbol de Primera broadcast the 2002 FIFA World Cup on a Spanish-language radio record 100 radio stations. FDP's programs are also heard throughout Mexico and Central America as well as over the internet at SportsYA.com. For more information, please visit Fútbol de Primera online at LaRadioDelMundial.com.

For more than a decade, Honda has supported soccer programs and played a part in the growth of this exciting sport in America. Honda's current support includes 12 years as a sponsor of the Honda Player of the Year and 5 years as a sponsor of the Honda Symposium, as well as 7 years as the official Automotive Sponsor and Official Vehicle of Major League Soccer.