U.S. U-17s add two top prospects

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Feb 18, 2009

The U.S. under-17 national team brought in two much-heralded prospects -- Sebastian Lletget and Bobby Wood -- for its week-long training camp in Madrid that concludes Sunday.

Born to Argentine immigrants, Lletget has grown up playing for Northern California power Santa Clara Sporting and is currently training in Europe. Wood left the Irvine Strikers when he was 13 to join German club 1860 Munich's youth program.

The U.S. U-17s, who face Spain's U-17s at the Spanish soccer federation's Ciudad del Futbol Wednesday, are coming off a successful trip to Chile, where they won the La Serena Cup.

Of the 20 players in Madrid, 17 were part of the team's trip to Chile. Besides Lletget and Wood, the other newcomer is midfielder Sean Davis, who is in residency in Bradenton along with the rest of the team.

The U.S. U-17s are preparing for the  CONCACAF Under-17 Championship April 21-May 2 in Tijuana, Mexico. If the USA advances to the semifinals out of Group A, it will also earn a berth to the Under-17 World Cup, slated for Nigeria in the fall.

U.S. Under-17 Roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Earl Edwards (La Jolla Nomads), Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier)
DEFENDERS: Michael Ambrose (Texas Fire), Zachary Herold (Schulz Academy), Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic), Nicholas Palodichuk (Washington Premier), Tyler Polak (Capital Soccer Academy), Jared Watts (North Meck SC), Eriq Zavaleta (FC Pride)
MIDFIELDERS: Sean Davis (Match Fit Academy), Bryan Duran (Latino Americana), Luis Gil (Pateadores), Joseph Gyau (FC Delco), Donovan Henry (Parkland, Fla.; Schulz Academy), Sebastian Lletget (Santa Clara Sporting), Carlos Martinez (Downtown Las Vegas), Charles Renken (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)
FORWARDS: Stefan Jerome (Schulz Academy), Jack McInerney (Cobb SC)