United States U-17 Men’s National Team head coach Gonzalo Segares named his latest 21-man roster for a trip to Noordwijk, Netherlands for a pair of friendly matches against the hosts, as November’s World Cup in Qatar inches closer.
The team will gather in the coastal town of Noordwijk, more well-known as a major development hub for the European Space Agency, for a week-long training camp that will include a pair of exhibition matches against a similar age group roster from the Netherlands on September 5 and 8.
This is the penultimate chance for Segares to work out the final kinks in his roster, with the October international window being the last before the tournament kicks off in Al-Rayyan, Qatar in November. The final 48-team tournament will see the US face Burkino Faso, Tajikistan and the Czech Republic in the group stage, in their attempt to reach the marathon, 32-team knockout round.
As has become more common for youth rosters, the players come mostly from MLS academies, with only three out of the 21 currently based in Europe.
Much of the team’s hopes are pinned on the shoulders of Philadelphia’s Cavan Sullivan, who is considered to be one of the top prospects in his age group globally, and has already committed his future to Manchester City after he is old enough to make the jump overseas.
The 15 year-old attacking midfielder phenom has become a regular contributor for Philadelphia in the current MLS season, although his most extensive run-outs have come in the US Open Cup play.
The crop of attackers also includes Dortmund youth player Mathis Albert, who has been a revelation in BVB’s U-19 setup with three goals and four assists through the first four games.
Not far behind, and also sure to be a lynchpin in Segares’ attacking formation is Julian Hall from Red Bull New York, who has already earned a handful of starts in both MLS and Leagues Cup play.
In addition to Albert, the overseas contingent is made up of Sporting Lisbon academy keeper William Lodmell and defender Oliver Tan, who currently plies his trade in the U-19 team for Portuguese club FC Famalicão.
U-17 Men’s National Team Roster By Position (Club; Hometown):
GOALKEEPERS (2): William Lodmell (Sporting Lisbon/POR; Lisbon, Portugal), Aidan Stokes (New York Red Bulls; Totowa, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (7): Pedro Guimaraes (Orange County SC; Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Ramiz Hamouda (Birmingham Legion; Lincoln, Neb.), Ryan Hartley (LA Galaxy; Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Ian James (Sporting Kansas City; St. Paul, Minn.), Enrique Martinez (LA Galaxy; Compton, Calif.), Oliver Tan (FC Famalicao/POR; Piedmont, Calif.), Gio Villa (Real Salt Lake; Chicago, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Máximo Carrizo (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.), Kellan LeBlanc (Philadelphia Union; Royersford, Pa.), Luca Moisa (Real Salt Lake; Las Vegas, Nev.), Cooper Sanchez (Atlanta United; Holly Springs, Ga.), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Jude Terry (LAFC; San Diego, Calif.), Mateo Tsakiris (LA Galaxy; Saratoga, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5): Chase Adams (Columbus Crew; Naperville, Ill.), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund/GER; El Segundo, Calif.), Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; High Point, N.C.), Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls; New York, N.Y.), Jamir Johnson (Philadelphia Union; Huntsville, Ala.)