The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will assemble for a 24-player training camp at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina from May 17-25.
U-20 MNT assistant coach Brian Bliss will oversee the camp, which features friendly matches against the Carolina RailHawks on May 20, the RailHawks U-23s on May 22 and the Wilmington Hammerheads on May 24, while head coach Tab Ramos fulfills his duties as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the team’s World Cup preparation camp in Palo Alto, California.
The camp will be the first at the U-20 age level for 13 players, including University of Maryland defender Chris Odoi-Atsem, who will participate in his first Youth National Team camp at any level.
Nine players on the roster took part in the U-20’s last domestic camp in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, last January, while just one, Jesus Vazquez (UANL Tigres) was involved in the team’s recent runner-up performance at the 2014 Dallas Cup. Vazquez, Kainoa Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen), Eric Lickert (SC Freiburg) and Andrija Novakovich (Reading) make up a small contingent of players based overseas who will attend the camp.
In total, 21 players have U.S. Soccer Development Academy ties, with 10 of those players currently registered with Academy clubs; Lickert, Odoi-Atsem and Vazquez are the only players without a Development Academy connection.
After the camp in North Carolina, the U-20 MNT will next meet at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, California, for the NTC Invitational Tournament in mid-July.
Under-20 Men’s National Team Training Camp Schedule:
Date Opponent Time (ET)
May 20 vs. Carolina RailHawks 7:30 p.m.
May 22 vs. RailHawks U-23s 6 p.m.
May 24 vs. Wilmington Hammerheads 6 p.m.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jefferson Caldwell (Virginia; Todd, N.C.), Evan Louro (New York Red Bulls; Ridgefield, N.Y.)
DEFENDERS (8): Conor Donovan (RailHawks Academy; Fuquay Varina, N.C.), Caleb Duvernay (RailHawks Academy; Cary, N.C.), Chris Odoi-Atsem (Maryland; Mitchellville, Md.), Miguel Polley (Temple; Woodridge, Ill.), Kristoffer Reaves (FC Dallas; Duluth, Ga.), Robert Sagel (Temple; Las Vegas, Nev.), Jesus Vazquez (UANL Tigres; San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Travis Wannemuehler (N.C. State; Evansville, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake AZ; Escondido, Calif.), Ian Harkes (Wake Forest; Fairfax, Va.), Jacori Hayes (Wake Forest; Bowie, Md.), Christopher Lema (New York Red Bulls; Ridgefield, N.J.), Eric Lickert (SC Freiburg; Glottertal, Germany), Alex Muyl (Georgetown; New York, N.Y.), Adam Najem (Akron; Clifton, N.J.), Jake Rozhansky (Bethesda-Olney; Tahoma Park, Md.)
FORWARDS (6): Kainoa Bailey (Bayer 04 Leverkusen; Henderson, Nev.), Louis Bennett (Marquette; Shorewood, Wis.), Andrija Novakovich (Reading FC; Muskego, Wis.), Ahinga Selemani (CSA Wolves; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Jaime Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.), Alan Winn (Solar Chelsea SC; Garland, Texas)
Additional Notes: