By FRANCO PANIZO
Joe Gyau, Conor Doyle, Kelyn Rowe and Dillon Powers were among the U.S. U-20 men's national team veterans called into the team's May training camp in France.
20 players were selected in total for the training camp in Vichy, France by Tab Ramos. The camp runs from May 15-20 with two friendlies scheduled against France's U-20 national team on May 17 and 19.
Here is the full 20-man roster:
Goalkeepers – Cody Cropper (Ipswich Town), Brian Sylvestre (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Defenders – Anthony Brooks (Hertha BSC), Sean Cunningham (Molde FK), Sacir Hot (New York Red Bulls), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke), Daniel Potts (West Ham United), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo)
Midfielders – Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham United), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA), Conor Shanosky (D.C. United), Donny Toia (Real Salt Lake)
Forwards – Terrence Boyd (Hertha BSC), Conor Doyle (Derby County FC), Josh Gatt (Molde FK), Joe Gyau (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Jerome Kiesewetter (Hertha BSC), Victor Ulloa (FC Dallas)
Some of the new faces on the team include FC Dallas forward Victor Ulloa and Real Salt Lake midfielders Luis Gil and Donny Toia. Molde FK forward Josh Gatt was called in as was his left back teammate, Sean Cunningham.
What do you think of the roster?
Share your thoughts below.
Wow I didn’t realize Sarkodie was still eligible
Ulloa is definitely not a forward, he is a defensive mid. And it was believed he was on Mexico’s radar, after Luna and Levya got called up. Very interesting.
Moldamerica?
Isn’t this Daniel Pott’s first appearance with the U20s or any USA youth nats?
More like MoldeMichigan. Molde said they knew about Gatt for a few years. I’m pretty sure there is a Molde scout living in Michigan
Hmm, looks like Tab had a good/all of the say in picking this roster with the new faces.
Will be interesting to see who stands out in this camp and grabs a starting spot for the U-20 World Cup later this……oh wait.
Anyone know anything about Jerome Kiesewetter? Also, what happened to Fabian Hürzeler and Alex Zahavi? According to Wiki, Zahavi is now playing with Israel’s youth teams.
Several of these guys won’t be eligible for the next U20 go round…including Sarkodie.
Huerzeler had school exams during the CONCACAF championship and Zahavi was reportedly not released so opted to play with Israel’s teams out of convenience but don’t know if that’s the end of his US days.
or Herthamerica
Very interesting . . . It looks like Ramos overhaulded the backline and forwards after the Guatemala fiasco. Midfield looks largely intact.
I’m pretty sure Zahavi has only played in friendlies for Israel. He’s still cap tied to Portugal he hasn’t filed a switch to the USA or Israel.
This is what the team needed.
Someone with the balls to come in and embarrass those players that blew the Guatemala game by dropping them.
West Hamerica?
I think he just didn’t want to pull guys off their teams — Valentin, Boss, and Kitchen are all starting for first teams whose seasons will still be underway (as is Okugo, who’s missing from the midfield). Everyone else either gets spot minutes, plays in the reserves, or plays college ball.
That makes great sense, because we know that in sports the best teams and the best players always win. Barcelona should have cleaned house last year after failing to defend their Champions title instead of continuing with the same Bozos.
Actually, most of the defense is currently starting in MLS games and so were left to continue their development there.
There is a huge difference between getting knocked out of the UCL by Inter Milan and losing the World Cup qualifier to a team with semi-pro players.
Well Boss wasn’t going to get call in as he’s finally starting his club career same goes for Salgado. Bobby Wood could still be hurt, I think this is more about looking at other guys than anything.
Yeah I don’t get why people think this roster is to “send a message” to the players that lost to Guatemala. More like guys like Boss and Kitchen have club careers to focus on at the moment that would be more important than going to a U20 camp.
There’s also something to be said about overreacting to a bunch of teenagers losing a game to a host country.
There’s also a huge difference b/t what you should expect from teenagers playing a youth WC qualifying one-off on the road against a host country and a legit grown man squad.
As others have mentioned the backline from the Guat game are playing minutes and thats why they haven’t been called in.
There is math exams during the date for the 2nd friendly in Bavaria only. Those are his last exams. After that, no more schooling to get in the way
For all the idiots that think Tab Ramos is doing something radical by leaving some of established players off and therefore defying any logic by Rongen, he isn’t, this roster is purposefully constructed of Domestic players who are in either college or don’t see first team action or European based players. Tab is not sending a message to Okugo, Kitchen and MacMath or is he taking only players for the next cycle.
With that in mind, one has to wonder where Fabian Hurtlezer is.
Did I miss something. Is Rongen no longer the U20 coach?
I heard the kid Luis Gil is the real deal. Any truth to that?
This roster was picked by Rongen a few weeks ago. Ramos is just coaching the games
They play the French U20′s twice? Is that pretty standard?
After a huge fall the U-20 have to pick themselfs up. By the way Kitchen has been below average as a defender. I know he is a rookie, but I think that he should be playing as a mid.
Where is Adrian Ruelas??? He is one of our most talented players (Milk Cup star). Have we lost another talented Mexican-American player?
Where is Fabian Hurzeler?
Yes and yes.
Rongen didn’t call him up for WC qualifying either… not sure what is going on but I don’t think we’ve lost him, I think they may not rate him highly for some reason.
U-20 teams and below regularly play double friendly matches. I don’t know about NA, but its pretty standard in Europe.
Not a lack of guys who can’t finish on this roster
For me Joe Gyau was the most skilled attacker at the qualifier. I was hoping Rongen would bring him inside to get more touches. Perhaps Ramos will. I think he’s wasted out wide.
I saw Gil play for AC St. Louis on loan from RSL. He looked like a child on the field but it was the defenders who looked foolish. Great natural ability.
too soon…
Guys may not be eligible for next U-20s but are for U-23 for 2012. I think we’ll see a big emphasis on that now that the U-20s didn’t make the World Cup.
As for Sarkodie, him and teammate Will Bruin have to be candidates for that team, IMO.
Sarkodie’s a candidate, to be sure, but guys like Timmy Chandler, Sheanon Williams and Zarek Valentin are ahead of him in terms of pro PT. Right back is probably the deepest position in the US.
Yeah, USA does it with some frequency within our confederation. With Canada before the CONCACAF qual tourney.
Charles Renken?
Anyone got anything on Charles Renken? I know he got hurt pretty bad, but I feel like that was a while back.
i sort of hope that USSF keeps Rongen on as chief scout and recruiter. it is what he is best at and he has and can really help the youth national teams at all levels in that role. as a coach? not so much.
What are they training for if they are not going to the U20 WC?
where is enigo montoyez/
When do you guys see Gyau getting first team call up, are we talking years? Also, what about Charles Renken? Isn’t he supposed to be awesome someday too? Thought?
I hope these guys learn to play skillfully and not like the hacks that still roam MLS fields.
Looks like Gil is going to have to develop even faster for RSL
I think he’s back in Germany with his club. There was a piece about him on Yanks Abroad video that was pretty good.
Regarding Gyau, first he has to break in to the first team at Hoffenheim. If that happens next fall, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get called in for the Oct./Nov friendlies; if not, 2012. . . .
Hmmm…The Milk Cup is an annual event according to wiki.
I didnt see any comments as photo captions, so here comes one from a pro US fan: “why yes, i shall pass you and bit(h slap you with my left hand at the same time”
I’d like to see Sylvestre in action. The “Caps are very high on this kid’s potential.
Also looking forward to seeing Gil and Shanosky get some time. These kids are rotting on their teams’ respective benches. Shanosky can’t even get into the USOC lineup, though he has played in reserve matches.
I’m a little surprised to see Sarkodie in there. I guess this means the Dynamo aren’t as thrilled with him as they seemed to be early on, if they’re willing to let him go.
I am not familiar with Potts or any of the Hertha Berlin boys, so I’d like to find out about them.
Please quit talking sense!
Ummmmmmmmmm what? Right back is the deepest position in the US? Our first team right back (Chandler) has played a whopping 2 games for us. Where is this depth you speak of?
he killed my father…
I wouldn’t go so far as to say right back is our deepest position, but it isn’t as big as a hole as other positions, say, left back.
Steve Cherundolo is our starting first team right back; Chandler is second in line. Maybe Lichaj after him, or one of the other regulars in the USMNT defensive mix (Spector, Goodson).