Tab Ramos names U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team squad for Dallas Cup

CHICAGO – U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos has named a 21-player roster for the 35th edition of the Dallas Cup, which takes place April 13-20 in Dallas, Texas. The U.S. is in Bracket C of the Gordon Jago Super Group along with U-19 sides from Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, River Plate of Argentina and UANL Tigres of Mexico.

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Making its fifth all-time appearance at the competition and first since 2010, the U-20 MNT’s first match will be the marquee game of the opening day of the tournament. Following a pair of Super Group matches and the Welcome World Opening Ceremonies, the U.S. will play River Plate at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Cotton Bowl on April 13. The U.S. then plays its second match less than 24 hours later against Eintracht Frankfurt on the campus of Richland College at 4 p.m. CT.

The U.S. concludes Bracket C play against UANL Tigres on April 16. The location and time of the match will be determined by results in the first two rounds across Super Group Brackets A, B and C with the purpose being to hold the two most potentially dramatic games of bracket play in the Cotton Bowl.

The roster relies heavily on players who have previously been involved in the U.S. Youth National Team program or received a call-up to the current edition of the U.S. U-20 MNT. Nineteen players either took part in the team’s foreign training camp in Verona, Italy last November or its domestic training camp held in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., this past January.

Of the two players receiving their first call-up to the U-20 National Team, only Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City) has previously represented the U.S. at the Youth National Team level; Jesus Vazquez (UANL Tigres) is receiving his first call-up at any level for the U.S.

Also a relative newcomer to the Youth National Team program, Luis Felipe (Cruzeiro) is receiving his second call-up to a U.S. roster; his only previous experience with the U.S. came during the U-20 MNT’s recent January camp.

The next event for the U.S. U-20 MNT after the Dallas Cup will be a domestic training camp held at North Carolina State University in May.

Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2) : Santiago Castano (NewYork Red Bulls; Union City, N.J.), Zack Steffen (Maryland; Downington, Pa.)
DEFENDERS (9): Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake; Rochester, N.Y.), Michael Amick (UCLA; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Sullaiman Dainkeh (Maryland; Reston, Va.), Trevor Haberkorn (Furman; Roanoke, Texas), Matthew Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Shaquell Moore (Unattached; Powder Springs, Ga.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting KC; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), John Requejo Jr. (Real So Cal; Carpinteria, Calif.), Jesus Vazquez (UANL Tigres; San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Marco Delgado (Chivas USA; Glendora, Calif.), Luis Felipe (Cruzeiro; Ouro Branco, Brazil), Romain Gall (FC Lorient; Herndon, Va.), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland; Santa Cruz, Calif.)
FORWARDS (5): Benji Lopez (Real Salt Lake; San Diego, Calif.), Amando Moreno (Club Tijuana; Morganville, N.J.), Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union; Dresher, Pa.), Rubio Rubin (Unattached; Beaverton, Ore.), Ben Spencer (Indy Eleven; Albuquerque, N.M.)

Additional Notes:

• The U-20 MNT roster is made up of players primarily born in 1995, with the exceptions being Luis Felipe, Shaquell Moore, John Requejo Jr. and Rubio Rubin, who were all born in 1996, as well as the only 1997-born player, Erik Palmer-Brown.
• Sixteen players have ties to U.S. Soccer Delevopment academy clubs including: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Jordan Allen (Revolution Empire/Real Salt Lake AZ), Michael Amick (De Anza Force), Santiago Castano (New York Red Bulls), Marco Delgado (Chivas USA), Romain Gall (Real Salt Lake AZ), Trevor Haberkorn (Solar Chelsea SC), Benji Lopez (Real Salt Lake AZ), Matthew Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Moore (IMG Academy), Amando Moreno (New York Red Bulls), Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City), Zach Pfeffer (FC DELCO), Requejo Jr. (Real So Cal), Ben Spencer (Real Salt Lake AZ/Chivas USA) and Zack Steffen (FC DELCO)
• Acosta and Steffen were teammates on the USA’s 2013 U-20 World Cup team.
• Thirteen players on the team began their time with the U.S. Youth National Team program at the U-14/15 Boys’ National Team level, including: Acosta, Allen, Castano, Delgado, Gooch, Haberkorn, Miazga, Palmer-Brown, Pfeffer, Requejo Jr., Rubin, Spencer and Steffen.
• Nine players are signed with professional clubs in the U.S. at either the MLS or NASL level: Acosta (FC Dallas), Allen (Real Salt Lake), Castano (New York Red Bulls), Delgado (Chivas USA), Benji Lopez (Real Salt Lake), Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City), Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union) and Ben Spencer (Indy Eleven).
• Eight players took part in both of the U-20 MNT’s first two training camps of the current cycle that began last fall, including: Castano, Delgado, Lopez, Miazga, Moore, Moreno, Pfeffer and Requejo Jr.
• Four players only participated in the team’s foreign training camp Verona, Italy, last November, including: Acosta, Gall, Gooch and Spencer, while a further seven only attended the January camp in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., including: Allen, Amick, Dainkeh, Felipe, Haberkorn and Rubin.