The U.S. Under-19 Men’s National Team first tournament of 2016 is just around the corner, and head coach Brad Friedel revealed his first roster of the new year for it.
The Copa de Atlantico tournament in Canary Islands, Spain, began on Wednesday and will run until Feb. 6. The Americans will play Spain on Feb. 2 (1:30 p.m.), France on Feb. 3 (11 a.m.) and the Canary Islands on Feb. 5 (11 a.m.).
Friedel has decided to call in 23 players for the camp, and many of the players will have the chance to impress the new U.S. coach in order to potentially secure a future spot on the U.S. roster that will play in the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Nicaragua.
Here is the entire U-19 roster for the upcoming competition:
Goalkeepers (3): Benjamin Hale (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), William Pulisic (Richmond United; Mechaniscville, Va.), Kevin Silva (PDA; Bethlehem, Pa.)
Defenders (8): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; Grapevine, Texas), Tanner Dieterich (RSL Arizona; Nashville, Tenn.), David Longo (Weston FC; Weston, Fla.), Hector Montalvo (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Edwin Munjoma (FC Dallas), John Nelson (Internationals Soccer Club; Medina, Ohio), Grant Robinson (DC United), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; Media, Pa.)
Midfielders (9): Eric Calvillo (Real SoCal; Palmdale, Calif.), Pierre Da Silva (Orlando City SC; Port Chester, N.Y.), John Denis (Beachside SC; Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), McKinze Gaines II (Lonestar SC; Austin Texas), David Loera (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Terrell Lowe (Portland Timbers; Hillsboro, Ore.), Weston McKinnie (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; Lemont, Ill.), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Texas)
Forwards (3): Simon Lekressner (Crossfire Premier; Bellevue, Wash.), Brian Saramago (New York Red Bulls; Garden City Park, N.Y.), Ethan Zubak (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)
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What do you think of this roster? What are you expecting from the U-19s in 2016 and beyond?
Share your thoughts below.
I just hope Clavijo and Co. don’t ease up on the academy after getting so many props for years now…easy to rest on your laurels when considered the top producing academy in MLS. As long as we can keep producing talent at the same rate we have for the past handful of years, we should be on the forefront of competitiveness for the foreseeable future.
Hopefully every team in MLS finally realizes the money they can make from developing talent after Miagza impending $5 million transfer. Hopefully they start seeing those $$$$.
aka FC Dallas U-19s and friends
aka FC Dallas U-19s
It is always interesting to see the MLS clubs that are represented by the youth teams. Really shows you which clubs take development serious.
Well, I don’t know who all out there is available and I imagine that there are several U-19’s who are in Europe and not available, but I’m a little disappointed that more on this listed roster aren’t under professional contract. I hope that in the not too distant future we will have enough 18 year olds who are already under contract to fill out a U-19 national team. Those MLS youth academies need to start producing.
Who the f is on SBI and is a newcomer? Don’t be a soccer snob.
I think it’s great the US Federation has employed a goalkeeper with Friedel’s experience and resume. Having a British manager will give the program a fresh perspective.
I know you are joking but I fear there are new comers that actually think Fridel is another forgiener from England trying to tell us how to play soccer!
Wow, I bet the pitches in Nicaragua are going to be absolutely brutal.
True that………………… and a good thing for our players to be exposed to “less than ideal” conditions found in CONCACAF early in development rather than be shocked by it in a critical qualifier match.
For those who do not like Klinnsman, and I shake my head at some decisions, this is a huge plus for him. The fact that the USMNT now has more than U20 and U18 teams play consistently will help develop players into a system. This allows for more kids within the national system to be seen.
what no germericans!!
C’mon, Friedel’s English, not German.
The pool of Germericans is set to shrink pretty drastically because US troop presence in Germany dropped significantly in the 1990s. To be on this team, someone would have to have been born after 1998 by which time the number of US troops in Germany was only a fraction of what it was ten years earlier. Current levels are much lower than that. Looks like we’ll have to actually develop players here instead of falling all over ourselves to recruit the latest passport American to the pool.
In addition, with a few exceptions (Green), Germericans of this age group still have hopes of playing for Germany (you know, where they’re actually from). It’s not until they’re older and it’s clear they aren’t good enough for Germany that they utilize their US passports as a fallback option.
grant robinson has been a stud for years. was a stud at baltimore celtic and finally gets a little love now that he has switched over to dc united’s academy…until the power brokers in this country start picking the best players regardless of context, we will continue to underperform and stay on the plateau that we have been on for over a decade.
Grant Robinson’s mom I take it?
No. I am not grant robinson’s mom, just someone that watched a lot of youth soccer and has an actual clue as to why we suck. Keep sucking the teet of us soccer though buddy.
Yeah your brilliant and insightful comments/insults have certainly convinced me that the solution to all that ails US soccer is 1) putting you in charge and 2) Grant Robinson.