Day three of scrimmages at the U18 Men’s National Team camp marked the final day of the week’s original team groupings. From here, the 72-player pool will be shuffled into new teams based on what the coaching staff has seen thus far, and what it’s looking for.

Coincidentally, the two squads that had won both of their previous matches were pitted against each other in the late game Wednesday at Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

The two teams were evenly matched, but it didn’t make for the best quality of soccer during what was a cold and foggy night as the players battled to a 1-1 tie on a slippery surface.

It was also apparent that the camp is closer to its end than its beginning. And players sensing their time to showcase their abilities is waning played with a sense of urgency, leading to a more physical nature of the games.

“Six days after the camp the team heads to Australia, so guys are really fighting for spots at this point,” said speedy midfielder Bryan Dominguez of the University of California, Santa Barbara. “This game was pretty much the game to decide who won all their games and both teams wanted it. It wasn’t one of the best games of the week, but we came out in a tie, which isn’t bad.”

Dominguez was one of the highlights of the choppy match, with his ball control and mobility. His team was able to tie things up late in the action when London Woodberry used his 6-foot-1 inch reach to poke a ball in the box through defenders and into the net.

London, who continues to shine at the camp with his explosiveness and nose for the ball, received a perfect touch from Andrew Quintana which set up the score.

Zach MacMath had a good performance in goal and put together some nice saves as he also came out of the net to intercept some potentially damaging balls.

Midfielder Pablo Cruz was strong again, and was one of the few players who consistently maintained possession despite the conditions.

As the action heated up, a few players went down with minor injuries. Midfielder Justin Watson collided with an opposing player in the second half and left the game with a leg ailment, though he was walking fine after the match.

Now that the camp is a few days in, coaches are getting a better feel for what’s in front of them.

“We have a basic system that we ask guys to play in but we’re really trying to look at them as individuals and find out how a guy plays in any given moment or situation,” said assistant coach David Richardson. “You have some guys that perform differently in training than they would say, when you put a jersey on them and a referee on the field, and now we’re calling fouls. The thing that tells is the least amount at the end of the day, is the score.”


Under-18 Men's National Team Mega-Camp Roster by Position

GOALKEEPERS (6): Rafael Diaz (Rockaway, N.J; PDA), Michael D'Arrigo (Tucscon, Ariz.; Tuscon Rush), Alex Long (Cary, N.C.; CASL), Justin Luthy (Dublin, Ohio; Premier Soccer Academy), Zac MacMath (St. Petersburg, Fla.; Maryland), Brendan Roslund (Denver; Colorado Rapids)

DEFENDERS (19): Gale Agbossoumonde (Syracuse, N.Y.; IMG Academy), Chad Barson (Lewis Center, Ohio; Columbus Crew Juniors), Ian Christianson (Belvedere, Ill.; Chicago Fire), Paolo Delpiccolo (Lakewood, Colo.; Colorado Rush), Will Donovan (Jamaica Plains, Mass.; FC Greater Boston), Jesus Gonzales (Chino Hills, Calif.; FC Barcelona), Alex Herrera (Arlington, Va.; D.C. United), Sacir Hot (Fairlawn, N.J.; New York Red Bulls), Alex Hussein (Haverhill, Mass.; Seacoast United), Nick Millington (Raleigh, N.C.; Wake Forest), Cesar Morales (St. Charles, Ill.; Sockers FC), Trey Perry (Ocoee, Fla.; South Florida), CJ Phelps (Boynton Beach, Fla.; Schulz Academy), Andrew Quintana (Miami, Fla.; Miami FC), Jossimar Sanchez (Patterson, N.J.; PDA), Brady Valashinas (Manhattan Beach, CA.; LAFC Chelsea), Zarek Valentin (Lancaster, Pa.; PA Classics), Korey Veeder (St. Petersburg, Fla.; Clearwater Chargers), London Woodberry (McKinney, Texas; FC Dallas Juniors)

MIDFIELDERS (32): Latif Alashe (Northville, Mich.; Vardar), Jose Altamirano (San Diego, Calif.; Del Mar Sharks), Eder Arreola (Chino Hills, Calif.; UCLA), Antonio Benitez (Azusa, Calif.; LAFC), Miles Byass (San Bernardino, Calif.; Arsenal), Scott Caldwell (Braintree, Mass.; New England Revolution Academy), Alejandro Cobarubias (Cudahy, Calif.; LA Galaxy), Pablo Cruz (Azusa, Calif.; LAFC), Kadeem Dacres (Rosedale, N.Y; Met Oval), Bryan Dominguez (Atlanta, Ga.; UCSB), Paul Islas (Fresno, Calif.; Cal Odyssey), Will Mayhew (Concord, N.C.; North Meck), Thomas McNamara (West Nyack, N.Y.; FC Westchester), Dylan Mencia (Honedale, Pa.; New York Red Bulls Academy), Christopher Ortega (Chula Vista, Calif.; Arsenal), Patrick Otte (Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Middlesborough Academy), Steve Palumbo (Kingston, N.H.; Seacoast United), Harrison Petts (Zionsville, Ind.; Carmel United), Travis Pittman (Manassas, Va.; D.C. United), Scott Prozeller (Sudbury, Mass.; FC Greater Boston), Ryan Reichmann (Hicksville, N.Y.; Albertson), Giovanni Rollie (Los Angeles, Calif.; LAFC), Michael Roman (Oxnard, Calif.; Real So Cal), Carl Rumph (South Hampton, N.Y.; Met Oval), Nicholas Ryan (San Jose, Calif.; Central Valley United), Anthony Salciccia (San Jose, Calif.; De Anza Force), Sito Sasieta (Overland, Mo.; Scott Gallagher), Wesley Sever (Belleair, Fla.; Clearwater Chargers), Alex Tuch (Tampa, Fla.; Clearwater Chargers), Justin Watson (Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Bridge FA), Cameron Wilder (Kennesaw, Ga.; Concorde Fire)

FORWARDS (15): Adedoja Akinsanya (Sacramento, Calif.; San Juan Lightning), Will Bates (Chester, Va.; Richmond Strikers), Ryan Bauer (O'Fallen, Mo.; Scott Gallagher), Orr Baroush (Reseda, Calif.; Chivas USA Academy), Marquis Brooks (Chula Vista, Calif.; LA Galaxy Academy), Zach Foxhoven (Littleton, Colo.; Colorado Rush), Chris Hegngi (Silver Spring, Md.; D.C. United), Adam Jahn (El Macero, Calif.; San Juan Lightning), Zach Kupfer (North Bellmore, N.Y.; Albertson), Andrew Lubahn (Erie, Pa.; Premier Soccer Academy), Josue Madueno (Castroville, Calif.; Santa Cruz Breakers), Martin Ontiveros (Austin, Texas; Lonestar), Hasani Sinclair (Coral Springs, Fla.; Schulz Academy)