Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
For the third time this calendar year, the Under-18 U.S. Men’s National Team are flying across the pond for another European tournament.
U-18 head coach Javier Perez has picked a strong 20-man squad for the 21st International Tournament of Vaclav Jezek, taking place from Aug. 14-24 in the Czech Republic. The squad features the likes of recent Homegrown Player signings Sebastian Saucedo of RSL and Coy Craft of FC Dallas, as well as Jurgen Klinsmann’s son, goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann.
The squad also features U-18 regulars Mukwalle Akale, Malcolm Jones, Ben Swanson, and Sebastian Elney.
There’s a couple of new members in the team of note. One is Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, the only foreign-based member in the squad, and U-17 USMNT standout Haji Wright earns his first U-18 call-up after a strong run in the Copa Mexico de Naciones in early August.
The upcoming tournament is the third European tournament that the U-18s are taking part in this year. The U-18s competed in the Copa Del Atlantico last February and the Lisbon International Tournament last June.
Here’s a look at the U-18 USMNT squad:
U.S. U-18 SQUAD FOR VACLAV JEZEK TOURNAMENT
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jonathan Klinsmann (Irvine Strikers; Newport Beach, Calif.), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes; Alamo, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (6): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham; Westcliff on Sea, Essex), Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls; Brooklyn, N.Y.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake AZ; Tucson, Ariz.), Malcolm Jones (LA Galaxy; Chino Hills, Calif.), Pablo Pelaez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Mukwelle Akale (Unattached; Minneapolis, Minn.), Collin Fernandez (Chicago Fire; Downers Grove, Ill.), Cameron Lindley (Chicago Fire; Carmel, Ind.), Jorge Ruiz (LA Galaxy; Mission Hills, Calif.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake AZ; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Ben Swanson (Crew Soccer Academy; Grove City, Ohio), Sean Wilson (Philadelphia Union; West Chester, Pa.), Jackson Yueill (Minnesota Thunder; Bloomington, Minn.)
FORWARDS (4): Coy Craft (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Sebastian Elney (Boca United; Boca Raton, Fla.), Victor Mansaray (Seattle Sounders FC; Des Moines, Wash.), Haji Wright (Unattached; Los Angeles, Calif.)