Stefan Jerome, Earl Edwards and Jack McInerney headline the 21-man roster chosen to represent the United States in the Under-17 World Cup, slated for later this month in Nigeria.
Here is the squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Keith Cardona (NY Red Bulls; Glen Rock, N.J.), Earl Edwards (La Jolla Nomads; San Diego, Calif.), Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier; Seattle, Wash.)
DEFENDERS: Zachary Herold (West Pines United FC, Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic; Indianapolis, Ind.), Boyd Okwuonu (Celtic Green; Edmond, Okla.), Tyler Polak (CSA Legacy; Lincoln, Neb.), Jared Watts (North Meck Storm; Statesville, N.C.), Eriq Zavaleta (FC Pride; Westfield, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS: Marlon Duran (Latino Americana; Ducanville, Texas), Luis Gil (Pateadores; Garden Grove, Calif.), Carlos Martinez (Wilmington Jr.; San Pedro, Calif), William Packwood (Birmingham City, Concord, Mass.), Nick Palodichuk (Washington Premier; Battleground, Wash.), Alex Shinsky (Super Nova FC; York, Pa.)
FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (NY Red Bulls; Barnegat, N.J.), Victor Chavez (Real So Cal; Fontana, Calif), Andrew Craven (First Coast Kickers; St. Simons Island, Ga.), Stefan Jerome (West Pines United FC; Davie, Fla.), Jack McInerney (Cobb SC; Alpharetta, Ga.), Dominick Sarle (BW Gottschee; Huntington, N.Y.)
U.S. Under-17 head coach Wilmer Cabrera will lead the team as it begins play on Oct. 26 against Spain and while the roster he selected is packed with talent, there are several key players who are not on the team.
Charlie Renken, Joseph Gyau and Sebastian Lletget are all missing from the roster, with sources telling SBI that Renken and Gyau had a falling out with Cabrera. Both players recently left the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program to sign with German club Hoffenheim's youth academy. Lletget is currently with the West Ham United youth academy.
In a recent interview with Yanks Abroad, Cabrera admitted that there were players who chose not to join the team.
"If someone is not here, it is not because we don't want them," Cabrera told Yanks Abroad. "It's because they didn't make it, or they got injured, or they don't want to be here. I'd rather have a less skillful player but more committed than a skillful player that is not committed with this. But we've got the players that we've got and we are ready and we can't look back."
The U.S. team still has a talented group, with goal-scoring ace McInerney, imposing Edwards in goal and creative midfielders such as Marlon Duran and Luis Gil.
The United States faces Spain (2pm, Oct 26), Malawi (11am, Oct. 29) and United Arab Emirates (10am, Nov. 2). All three of the U.S. team's matches will be shown live on ESPNU and Galavision.
What do you think of this group? Disappointed to not see Renken and Gyau on the squad? Still think there's enough talent for a deep run in the tournament? Feeling more optimistic about this team than the U.S. Under-20 World Cup team, or do you fear a repeat of that team's failed World Cup performance?
Share your thoughts below.
