[NTC CAMP] U.S. under-15 boys national team head coach Hugo Perez has called in 30 players to a week-long camp beginningSaturday at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif. The squad includes Edwin Lara, who recently traveled with the U.S. under-17 nationalteam to Spain, and two players from Mexico’s Tijuana, Angel Uribe and Ernesto Espinoza. They are 11 players who areresidents of California. The camp will feature four split-squad games against U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams.
U.S. Roster:
MIDFIELDERS (9): Raul Aguilera Jr. (OCYS;Sanford, Fla.), Jose Alfaro (Chicago Magic PSG; West Chicago, Ill.), Leonel Alvarenga (Real So Cal; Canoga Park, Calif.), Jose Carranza (D.C. United; Manassas, Va.), Luis Carrillo (Dallas Texans;Tyler, Texas), Ernesto Espinoza (Club Tijuana; San Ysidro, Calif.), Roberto Hernandez (Texas Rush; Houston, Texas), Nicholas Taitague (FC Richmond Magic; Midlothian, Va.), Juan Pablo Torres (GeorgiaUnited; Lilburn, Ga.)
FORWARDS (9): Luis Arreola (FC Athletico; Wheeling, Ill.), Lucas Del Rosario (CASL; Durham, N.C.), Omir Fernandez (New York RedBulls; New York, N.Y.), Jonathan Gonzalez (Atletico Santa Rosa; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Wilfred Inalien (Boca United Academy FC; Tammarac, Fla.), Edwin Lara (Unattached; San Leandro, Calif.), JeanpaulMarin (New York Red Bulls; Rego Park, N.Y.), Jesus Nunez (LA Galaxy; Anaheim, Calif.), Adolfo Trujillo (De Anza Force; Livermore, Calif.)
Many commentators, Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy among them, have bemoaned the absence of Latino players at the senior level of the US MNT. The thinking was that the USSF and its alleged cabal of college coaches had some sort of bias that led to under-representation by Latinos on the US national teams. In addition, the “pay-to-play” nature of club youth soccer has been seen as a hindrance to opportunities for Latino players to explore their full potential in the American soccer scene. Given the depth of passion and love for the game among the Latino population (there’s a reason why the US MNT feels like a game in LA or Chicago is an away game), up until recently one could easily be puzzled as to why players of Latino heritage were not showing up on the rosters of the US men’s teams. I know I was: in my experience as a youth soccer coach I’ve found that the teams and players we encounter who are principally Latino are invariably high quality, skilled, committed teams. My U14 boys always know they’re in for a tough game when we come up against one of the many Mexican clubs in the Chicago area.Well, those days appear to be decidedly over! This roster is predominantly Latino, so clearly the grassroots efforts to identify talent wherever it may be found are bearing fruit. In fact the reality appears to be that non-Latinos are the minority on this squad. I’ve often commented to friends that in ten years’ time the US MNT will be made up mostly of Latino players, if my own on-field observations are any guide. Based on this roster, it may be less than ten.If this trend holds, the question might soon be: will non-Latino players looking at rosters like this one think they have much of a shot at being selected for US YNTs at various age levels? I predict that in a few years that might be the next “big subject.”
Not to worry, Joseph. There will always be opportunities in goal and the back line where those tall fast forwards can be converted into backs. I’m more curious where the prospective asians are, since there is growth in those demographics but not represented in this list.
We need to get some native americans in our national team setup, there are some Tachi-Yokut ballers out here in my neck of the woods…