Coach Tab Ramos, who in June guided the USA to a quarterfinal appearance at the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, has named the first roster of the new U-20 cycle.
Ramos istaking a squad of 23 players to Serbia for the Stevan Vilotic-Cele Tournament (Aug. 30-Sept. 7). The USA will face Serbia (Sept. 3) and France (Sept. 4) and play a placement game Sept.7.
“We’re giving a bunch of players an opportunity here to make an impression in the beginning, and I’m excited to be starting a new cycle that will hopefully end in the WorldCup in South Korea in 2017,” Ramos said in a press release. “We’re taking 23 players in this camp, and the main reason for that is that we have back-to-back games. … Sothose will be two completely different lineups and everybody will be able to get on the field and show themselves and show themselves against excellent competition.”
All 23 players fromthis group were born in 1997. Erik Palmer-Brown played for the USA at the 2015 U-20 World Cup. Two other players from the 2015 squad, not called in for this trip, are eligible for the2017 U-20 World Cup: Gedion Zelalem and Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Included in the squad is Los Angeles Galaxy academy defender Christian Onalfo,whose father Curt Onalfo played on the U.S. team that finished fourth at the 1989 U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. U-20 men’s nationalteam
GOALKEEPERS (2): Christian Herrera (Real Monarchs; Las Cruces, N.M.), Justin Vom Steeg (Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (8):Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls; Brooklyn, N.Y.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Nicholas Hinds (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.), Andrew Lombard (Northeastern; Montclair, N.J.),Christian Onalfo (LA Galaxy; Redondo Beach, Calif.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting KC; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Pablo Pelaez (Seattle Sounders FC; San Diego, Calif.), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire;Bolingbrook, Ill.).
MIDFIELDERS (8): Amir Bashti (Stanford; Cupertino, Calif.), Collin Fernandez ( Chicago Fire, Downers Grove, Ill.), Cameron Lindley (Chicago Fire; Carmel,Ind.), Abuchi Obinwa (Hannover 96; Orlando, Fla.), Emmanuel Sabbi (Chicago Magic PSG; Libertyville, Ill.), Martin Salas (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas), Kyle Scott (Chelsea; Winterbourne, Bristol),Ben Swanson (Columbus Crew SC; Grove City, Ohio).
FORWARDS (5): Coy Craft (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Christian Lucatero (Houston Dynamo; Pasadena, Texas), Victor Mansaray(Seattle Sounders FC; Des Moines, Wash.), Nebojsa Popovic (Saint Louis FC; Loznica, Serbia), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Casa Grande, Ariz.).