Photo by ISIphotos.com
If you've ever caught yourself wondering which players might be representing the U.S. men's national team 10 years from now, you might want to take a look at the newest class of the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program.
U.S. Under-17 national team standouts Jack McInerney (pictured above), Luis Gil, Stefan Jerome and Earl Edwards lead a group of 40 players chosen for the prestigious program that has produced current U.S. national team stars Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Oguchi Onyewu to name a few.
Here is the group, which includes six players from MLS player academies:
Fall 2009 U.S. Under-17 national team residency class
GOALKEEPERS (4): Keith Cardona (New Red Bulls Academy; Glen Rock, N.J.), Earl Edwards (Nomads SC; San Diego, Calif.), Fernando Piña (Houston Dynamo Academy; Houston, Texas), Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier; Seattle, Wash.)DEFENDERS (14): Michael Ambrose (Texas Fire; El Paso, Texas), Andrew Chang (Sockers FC; Highland Park, Ill.), Jerome Cristobal (Derby County Wolves; Sterling Heights, Mich.), Zachary Herold (West Pines United FC, Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic; Indianapolis, Ind.), Jordan McCrary (Concorde Fire; Marietta, Ga.), Boyd Okwuonu (Celtic Green; Edmond, Okla.), Emilio Orozco (Rampage FC; Oxnard, Calif.), Marc Pelosi (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Tyler Polak (CSA Legacy; Lincoln, Neb.), Nathan Smith (Cal Odyssey; Clovis, Calif.), Andrew Souders (Columbus Crew Academy; Amherst, Ohio), Jared Watts (North Meck SC; Statesville, N.C.), Eriq Zavaleta (FC Pride; Westfield, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Atsou Ayah (Fusion FC Tampa; Tampa, Fla.), Sean Davis (Match Fit Chelsea; Holmdel, N.J.), Bryan Duran (Latino Americana; Ducanville, Texas), Irvin Gijon (Players Club; Las Vegas, Nev.), Luis Gil (Pateadores; Garden Grove, Calif.), Eric Gonzalez (LA Galaxy; Corona, Calif.), Alejandro Guido (Aztecs Premier; Chula Vista, Calif.), Carlos Martinez (Wilmington Jr.; San Pedro, Calif), Oscar Ortega (Albion SC; San Ysidro, Calif.), Nick Palodichuk (Washington Premier FC; Battleground, Wash.), Alex Shinsky (Super Nova FC; York, Pa.), Sebastian Velasquez (Arsenal FC; Los Angeles, Calif.)
FORWARDS (10): John Agudelo (New York Red Bulls Academy; Barnegat, N.J.), Victor Chavez (Real So Cal; Fontana, Calif), Andrew Craven (First Coast Kickers; St. Simons Island, Ga.), Kellen Gulley (MS Chicago Fire Juniors; Clinton, Miss.), Stefan Jerome (West Pines United FC; Davie, Fla.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Red; Arlington, Texas), Jack McInerney (Cobb SC; Alpharetta, Ga.), Andrew Oliver (Westside United; Indianapolis, Ind.), Mario Rodriguez (Central Aztecs; North Hollywood, Calif.), Dominick Sarle (BW Gottschee NYC; Huntington, N.Y.)
The class' best players will be representing the United States in the Under-17 World Cup in late October. If you're wondering where Charles Renken and Joseph Gyau are, both joined the 1899 Hoffenheim youth academy. As for Luis Gil, he is still with the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program, but will join the Arsenal FC youth academy after the Under-17 World Cup.
What do you think of this class? Know about any of the players? Happy to see some MLS academy products making the grade?
Share your thoughts below.
