By IVES GALARCEP
Young MLS standouts Jose Villarreal, Luis Gil and DeAndre Yedlin headline the 21-player squad chosen by Tab Ramos to represent the United States at the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey later this month.
A total of seven MLS players made the squad, joining European-based standouts like Cody Cropper and Mario Rodriguez.
Here is the U.S. Under-20 World Cup roster:
GOALKEEPERS: 1-Cody Cropper (Southampton FC; Maple Grove, Minn.), 12-Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara; Santa Rosa, Calif.), 21-Zach Steffen (FC DELCO; Downington, Pa.)
DEFENDERS: 13-Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), 3-Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Guadalajara; Riverside, Calif.), 5-Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), 18-Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), 4-Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), 14-Javan Torre (UCLA; Santa Monica, Calif.), 2-DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.)
MIDFIELDERS: 16-Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), 10-Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), 8-Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), 15-Mikey Lopez (Sporting Kansas City; Mission, Texas), 6-Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio)
FORWARDS: 20-Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), 17-Danny Garcia (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas), 7-Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.), 19-Alonso Hernandez (C.F. Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), 9-Mario Rodriguez (1. FC Kaiserslautern; North Hollywood, Calif.), 11-Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.)
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If the squad looks familiar, it is the same 21-player squad SBI projected to be selected.
Among the players in the pool who didn’t make the cut are Walker Zimmerman, Dillon Serna and Jordan Morris.
What do you think of the squad? Who are you happy to see make the team? Who are you most surprised to see missing?
Share your thoughts below.