ASSOCIATED PRESS Brian Ching, currently a member of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, will help the U.S. against Barbados.

Ching added to U.S. roster for Cup qualifier

CARSON, Calif. » Former Kamehameha standout Brian Ching and defender Carlos Bocanegra were added yesterday to the U.S. roster that will train ahead of the Americans' opening World Cup qualifier against Barbados this weekend.

Bocanegra, often the U.S. captain, missed last weekend's 0-0 tie against Argentina because of a family commitment. Ching, a forward from Haleiwa, was on the preliminary roster for the last three exhibition games but was not selected.

Thirteen of the 21 players on the preliminary roster have previous experience in qualifying. Frankie Hejduk, a 33-year-old defender, has appeared in World Cup qualifiers for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 tournaments.

Five players -- Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley, Dominic Cervi, Maurice Edu and Sacha Kljestan -- are age-eligible to play at this summer's Olympics, which is an under-23 tournament.