Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By IVES GALARCEP
U.S. Under-20 Men’s National team coach Tab Ramos announced a 22-player roster for the upcoming Toulon Tournament in France, the final warm-up for the U-20s before they compete in this summer’s Under-20 World Cup.
Dani Cuevas, Benji Joya and Cody Cropper lead the group of regular starters to be included in the squad, while Monterrey forward Alonso Hernandez is one of the new faces called up for the Toulon Tournament, which takes place from May 28th to June 8th.
Several regulars have been left out of the squad due to club commitments, including midfielders Jose Villarreal and Luis Gil. Much like Villarreal and Gil, DeAndre Yedlin is scheduled to play two MLS matches during the duration of the Toulon Tournament and was therefore not included in the squad.
One player not on the roster is German-American defender John Anthony Brooks, who has yet to publicly make a decision on whether he would play for the U.S. Under-20 National Team. If he were to play for the U.S. he would project as a starting centerback for the team.
One player on the Toulon Tournament roster who is seeing regular playing time in MLS is Shane O’Neill, who the Rapids released for the tournament. He is due to miss one match less than the other regulars missing the tournament.
Here is the full roster:
U.S. UNDER-20 ROSTER for TOULON TOURNAMENT
GOALKEEPERS (2): Cody Cropper (Southampton FC; Maple Grove, Minn.), Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara; Santa Rosa, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (C.D. Guadalajara; Riverside, Calif.), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), Jeffrey Payeras (C.S.D. Municipal; Hawthorne, Calif.), Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Javan Torre (UCLA; Santa Monica, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Marlon Hairston (Louisville; Jackson, Miss.), Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), Mikey Lopez (Sporting Kansas City; Mission, Texas), Collin Martin (Wake Forest; Chevy Chase, Md.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio)
FORWARDS (6): Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), Daniel Garcia (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas), Alonso Hernandez (C.F. Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), Alfred Koroma (Akron; Southlake, Texas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders Academy; Mercer Island, Wash.), Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.)
————
The U.S. will compete in the Under-20 World Cup this summer, with the tournament set to run from June 21st to July 13th in Turkey.
What do you think of the squad? Who are you excited to see included? Who are you disappointed to see left out?
Share your thoughts below.