Twenty-one players named to USA roster for 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup

CHICAGO – U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team head coach Gonzalo Segares has selected the 21 players that will represent the United States at the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, set for Nov. 10-Dec. 2 in Indonesia.

The USA kicks off Group E play on Sunday, Nov. 12 against Korea Republic (8 a.m. ET), takes on Burkina Faso on Wednesday, Nov. 15 (5 a.m. ET) and finishes the group stage vs. France on Saturday, Nov. 18 (8 a.m. ET). All three matches will be played at Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta and shown on FOX Sports and Telemundo platforms.

The U.S. will look to continue its successful legacy at this tournament in its record 18th appearance, tied with Brazil for the most all-time. A litany of senior U.S. Men’s National Team stars have launched their careers at the U-17 World Cup- 38 players who have represented the United States at this tournament have gone on to be capped by the full USMNT. Appearances in previous U-17 World Cups has played a key role in building the current USMNT player pool – 10 players on the USA’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad played in this age group tournament.

“After a two-year journey, we’ve put together a deep, versatile squad and we’re excited for them to take on the world’s best in Indonesia,” Segares said. “Representing the United States on the global stage is a massive honor and we’re ready to give our all. Our group opponents will be challenging, but they will provide exactly the high-level, competitive experience you want at a World Cup. I’m proud of how far this team has come throughout the cycle, developing from teenagers to young men, and I can’t wait to get started.”

FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-17 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; 7/0; Castle Pines, Colo.), Zackory Campagnolo (Colorado Rapids; 1/0; Ft. Myers, Fla.), Duran Ferree (San Diego Loyal SC; 4/0; San Diego, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Noahkai Banks (Augsburg/GER; 3/0; Dietmannsried, Germany), Tyler Hall (Inter Miami CF; 14/0; Miramar, Fla.), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 11/1; Reston, Va.), Stuart Hawkins (Seattle Sounders FC; 16/0; Fox Island, Wash.), Tahir Reid-Brown (Orlando City SC; 0/0; Orlando, Florida), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; 16/0; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC; 1/0; Dallas Texas), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; 9/4; Columbus, Ohio), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; 18/6; San Francisco, Calif.), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution; 3/0; Unionville, Conn.), Santiago Morales (Inter Miami CF; 1/0; Weston, Fla.), Paulo Rudisill (Unattached; 18/2; Irvine, Calif.), Pedro Soma (UE Cornella/ESP; 16/1; Coconut Creek, Fla.)

FORWARDS (5): Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; 4/2; High Point, N.C.), Micah Burton (Austin FC; 17/5; Mounds View, Minn.), Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; 10/8; Warrington, England), Bryce Jamison (Orange County SC; 4/0; Lake Forest, Calif.), David Vasquez (Philadelphia Union; 13/0; Los Angeles, Calif.)

The U-17s will train in Bali for two weeks before traveling on Tuesday, Nov. 7 to Jakarta, which will host all three of the U.S. group stage games.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2006 are age-eligible for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Segares called up 17 players born in 2006, four born in 2007 and one born in 2008 – Charlotte FC forward Nimfasha Berchimas. The 15-year-old forward is the USA’s youngest player at the U-17 World Cup since 14-year-old Freddy Adu at Finland 2003.

Three alternates will travel with the U.S. to Indonesia to train with the team prior to the tournament: defenders Shakir Nixon (LAFC) and Luca Bombino (LAFC) as well as forward Sal Olivas (Philadelphia Union).

REPPIN’ FROM FAR AND WIDE

The roster features players from 17 clubs, including 10 from Major League Soccer. Two players each come from the Colorado Rapids, Inter Miami CF and the San Jose Earthquakes. Several members of the squad played key roles for their clubs during the recently completed MLS Next Pro campaign, as nine players logged more than 1,100 minutes on the season. Forward Micah Burton helped Austin FC II lift the championship trophy last weekend, while midfielder Taha Habroune parlayed his standout performance in World Cup qualifying into a key role with runner-up Columbus Crew 2. Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry was one of four finalists for the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Three players come from the USL Championship, where both midfielder Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC) and forward Bryce Jamison (Orange County SC) have made more than 25 appearances to help their clubs reach the playoffs.

Four players are based abroad in Germany (two), England and Spain (one each).

Ten states are represented on the roster, led by six players from California and five from Florida.

HOW WE GOT HERE

The USA clinched its record 18th FIFA U-17 World Cup finish with a runner-up finish at the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship. All 20 members of the squad played significant minutes in Guatemala as the red, white and blue reached its third-straight Concacaf final.

The U.S. punched its World Cup ticket with a wild back-and-forth 5-3 victory against the host nation before a raucous crowd in Guatemala City. Forward Keyrol Figueroa, whose seven goals were good for second-most at the competition, and midfielder Cruz Medina were named to the tournament Best XI. Thirteen players from the team’s Concacaf Championship squad return for the World Cup: Beaudry, Burton, Duran Ferree, Figueroa, Tyler Hall, Aiden Harangi, Habroune, Stuart Hawkins, Medina, Paulo Rudisill, Pedro Soma, David Vazquez and Oscar Verhoeven.

ROAD TO INDONESIA

The U.S. has faced 16 different nations since kicking off the cycle during the Youth National Teams’ return to programming in November 2021, compiling a 11-8-0 record. All but one player has been capped at the U-17 level, led by Medina and Rudisill’s 18 appearances. After leading the U.S. in goals at World Cup qualifying, Figueroa is the team’s top scorer with eight goals this cycle, while Medina has added eight.

Three players have appeared in nine of the 11 training camps since the cycle began: Burton, Hall and Medina.

SENIOR SQUAD LAUNCHPAD

A number of stars for the senior USMNT have launched their international careers at the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the last few U-17 cycles have made a significant impact on the current squad. Ten players from the USA’s 2022 FIFA World Cup roster represented the U.S. at a U-17 World Cup: Kellyn Acosta (2011 U-17 WC), Tyler Adams (2015), Luca de la Torre (2015), Sergiño Dest (2017), Christian Pulisic (2015), Gio Reyna (2019), Josh Sargent (2017), Joe Scally (2019), Haji Wright (2015) and Tim Weah (2017).

In total, 38 players named to a U-17 World Cup roster have been capped by the senior USMNT, while 18 have been called to a senior World Cup. The competition has long been a launchpad for future USMNT stars. Landon Donovan won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player at New Zealand 1999 as he helped the U.S. finish fourth alongside DaMarcus Beasley and current U.S. Soccer Vice President of Sporting Oguchi Onyewu. Future 100-cap club members Claudio Reyna and Tim Howard represented the U.S. at Scotland 1989 and Ecuador 1995, respectively.

ABOUT THE FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP

The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.

All three of the USA’s group stage games will be played at the 82,000-seat Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city and the largest city in Southeast Asia. Bandung, Surabaya and Surakarta will also serve as host cities for the competition, all located on Indonesia’s largest and most populated island, Java.