Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By RYAN TOLMICH
U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team head coach Javier Perez released his roster of 24 players to participate in a domestic training camp in Carson, Calif., that includes friendlies with CONCACAF rivals Mexico and Canada.
The camp, which will run from April 4-13, will be the first action for the U-18 side since February’s Copa Atlantico in the Canary Islands.
The roster features seven players from the aforementioned tournament, including Minnesota Thunder product Mukwelle Akale, who was recognized as the tournament’s best player. The camp will also feature three newcomers to the U.S. Youth National Team setup in Patrick Jean-Giles, Stephen Payne and Mauricio Pineda.
Perez’s squad will also feature goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, son of Jurgen Klinsmann, who will join the team for the first time since participating in a U-15 Boys’ National Team camp in October 2011.
The team will face off with Canada and Mexico on April 8 and April 12 respectively, while the two opposing sides will compete the round robin with a friendly on April 10. Following the camp, the team’s next action will take place in Lisbon, Portugal when they head to May’s Lisbon International Tournament.
Here’s a closer look at the U-18 squad for their April camp:
U.S. UNDER-18 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM SQUAD FOR APRIL CAMP
GOALKEEPERS (3): Christian Herrera (Real Salt Lake AZ; Las Cruces, N.M.), Jonathan Klinsmann (Irvine Strikers; Newport Beach, Calif.), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes; Alamo, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (8): David Chavez (De Anza Force; Redwood City, Calif.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake AZ; Tucson, Ariz.), Malcolm Jones (LA Galaxy; Chino Hills, Calif.), Quentin Pearson (Colorado Rapids; Longmont, Colo.), Pablo Pelaez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.), Alex Ramos (LA Galaxy; Reseda, Calif.), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC; Oviedo, Fla.)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Mukwelle Akale (Minnesota Thunder; Minneapolis, Minn.), Kyle Scott (Chelsea; Bristol, England), Collin Fernandez (Chicago Fire; Downers Grove, Ill.), Patrick Jean-Giles (D.C. United; Lorton, Va.), Cameron Lindley (Chicago Fire; Carmel, Ind.), Stephen Payne (Chicago Magic PSG; Birmingham, Ala.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake AZ; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Ben Swanson (Crew Soccer Academy; Grove City, Ohio), Jackson Yueill (Minnesota Thunder; Bloomington, Minn.)
FORWARDS (4): Coy Craft (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Sebastian Elney (Boca United; Boca Raton, Fla.), Christian Lucatero (Houston Dynamo; Pasadena, Texas), Jorge Ruiz (LA Galaxy; Mission Hills, Calif.)
——-
What do you think of the squad? Which player are you most excited to see? Who do you expect will be the biggest standout?
Share your thoughts below.