U.S. U-19 Men’s Youth National Team heading to Morocco for pair of friendlies

CHICAGO – U.S. Under-19 Men’s Youth National Team head coach Michael Nsien has called 24 players to training camp in Morocco for matches against England on Sunday, March 24 and the host nation on Tuesday, March 26.

Both matches will take place at Morocco’s National Training Center in Rabat. The USA is preparing for this summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico, which will send four nations to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

The 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship is open to players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005. Nsien will lead the 2005-birth year U-19 MYNT during its preparations for and at the Concacaf Championship this summer.

U-19 MYNT MARCH TRAINING CAMP ROSTER – MOROCCO

GOALKEEPERS (3): Gavin Beavers (Real Salt Lake; Henderson, Nev.), Julian Eyestone (Duke University; Dallas, Texas), Diego Kochen (Barcelona/ESP; Miramar, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (8): Matai Akinmboni (D.C. United; Upper Marlboro, Md.), Noahkai Banks (Augsburg/GER; Dietmannsried, Germany), Luca Bombino (LAFC; Saugus, Calif.), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Reston, Va.), Drew Murray (Freiburg/GER; San Jose, Calif.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union; Hershey, Pa.), Diego Rossi (Parma/ITA; New York, N.Y.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Ethan Kohler (Werder Bremen/GER; Campbell, Calif.), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Paulo Rudisill (Feyenoord/NED; Irvine, Calif.), Pedro Soma (UE Cornella/ESP; Coconut Creek, Fla.), David Vazquez (Philadelphia Union; Los Angeles, Calif.)

FORWARDS (6): Cole Campbell (Borussia Dortmund; Peachtree City, Ga.), Kristian Fletcher (D.C. United; Bethesda, Md.), Favian Loyola (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Rodrigo Neri (Valencia/ESP; Madrid, Spain), Nighte Pickering (Memphis 901 FC; Birmingham, Ala.), Marcos Zambrano (Vitoria Guimaraes/POR; Gladwyne, Pa.)

Nsien selected 11 players born in 2005, 12 born in 2006 and one born in 2007: Philadelphia Union defender Neil Pierre.

The roster features players from 21 different clubs, including nine from Major League Soccer. Two players each come from D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union and eight are MLS Homegrown Players. Eleven players are based abroad in Germany (five), Spain (three), Italy, Netherlands and Portugal.

Seven players were a part of the USA’s strong showing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup last fall in Indonesia: defenders Noahkai Banks, Aiden Harangi and midfielders Taha Habroune, Cruz Medina, Paulo Rudisill, Pedro Soma and David Vazquez.

Three helped the U.S. take fourth at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, its best finish since 1999: defender Nolan Norris, midfielder Sergio Oregel Jr. and forward Rodrigo Neri. The trio were three of the youngest players on the U.S. Men’s Pan American Soccer Team.

With MLS kicking off on Feb. 21 and the United Soccer League on March 9, two of the U-19s’ attackers are off to hot starts on the club front. Forward Nighte Pickering netted the game-winning goal in Memphis 901 FC’s opening weekend victory against the Las Vegas Lights on March 9, while forward Kristian Fletcher tallied the equalizer in D.C. United’s 2-2 draw at Portland on March 2.