USMNT

Everything you need to know: CONCACAF U-17 Championship

Published

4 years ago

February 6, 2023

Since the 2021 youth national team cycles were canceled, it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen the U.S. compete in regional youth championships. After the American U-20 group destroyed every opponent they played in the CONCACAF Championship last summer, the U-17s will be looking to repeat the trick, boasting one of their most talented teams ever. Here’s everything you need to know before you watch the U.S. baby nats’ run towards their fourth U-17 CONCACAF title.

What is at stake?

Four spots in the 2023 U-17 FIFA World Cup are on the line; the semifinalists will all qualify directly to that tournament in Peru. The tournament’s champion will claim the U-17 CONCACAF trophy.

As the United States are currently holders of the Gold Cup, Nations League, and W-Championship, as well as the U-20 Men’s, U-20 Women’s, U-17 Women’s Championship, and U-15 Girl’s Championships, winning this title would put the U.S.A. one trophy away (U-15 Boys Championship) from sweeping every single available CONCACAF trophy; an unprecedented feat anywhere in the world.

Who will the U.S. face?

The U.S. were drawn into group F, and will face Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and Canada in the first round. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16, where they will join four teams that already qualified from a prior qualifying tournament. The U.S.’ most likely route to the trophy runs through the Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

This edition of the U-17 Championship will be held in Guatemala, and all of the U.S.’ group stage matches, in addition to the round of 16, are set to be held at the scenic Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, Guatemala. The Pensativo will also serve as the U.S.’ training location. The matches from the quarterfinals onwards will be held at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala’s national stadium, which seats 26,000 fans. Most matches will likely be sparsely attended, barring those involving the host nation.

The tournament will be played between February 11th and February 26th.

Who is on the U.S. roster?

The full roster selected by coach Gonzalo Segares is listed below. All players born January 1st, 2006, and later were available for selection, barring those who are injured or were not released by their clubs:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona/ESP; Miramar, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (6): Christian Díaz (LAFC; San Bernardino, Calif.), Tyler Hall (Inter Miami CF; Miramar, Fla.), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Zwingenberg, Germany), Stuart Hawkins (Seattle Sounders FC; Fox Island, Wash.), Sawyer Jura (Portland Timbers; Bend, Ore.), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Christopher Aquino (Seattle Sounders FC; Pasco, Wash.), Adrian Gill (FC Barcelona/ESP; Denver, Colo.), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Edwyn Mendoza (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Paulo Rudisill (LA Galaxy; Irvine, Calif.), Pedro Soma (UE Cornellà/ESP; Coconut Creek, Fla.)

FORWARDS (5): Micah Burton (Austin FC; Mounds View, Minn.), Brian Carmona (Charlotte FC; Concord, N.C.), Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; Warrington, U.K.), Ezekiel Soto (Houston Dynamo FC; Menifee, Calif.) David Vásquez (Philadelphia Union; Los Angeles, Calif.)

One thing that is worth mentioning about this team is that it leans heavily on older players within the age group. 16 of the 20 players were born in the first half of 2006, with just three players born in the summer months and one (Ezekiel Soto) born in January of 2007.

The most notable absences from the squad are Jude Wellings (not called up), Axel Pérez (not released by club), Christian McFarlane (injured), Andre Gitau (not called up), Luis Moreno (not called up), Aaron Heard (injured), and Matai Akinmboni (not released by club).

Who are the players to watch?

Though this is not the strongest possible U-17 team in part due to the absences listed above, there are still a number of extremely talented players in this group who should lead this team to success.

Diego Kochen of FC Barcelona follows Gaga Slonina and Chris Brady as the next great goalkeeping prospect in the pipeline. Kochen was nominated for U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, and was the only ‘06 put up for the award. Kochen has already debuted for Barça B and has regularly made their matchday squads for league games. A star in the making, Kochen is confident with his feet and is excellent in one-on-one situations; he may captain this team, and will be key to its success defensively.

Edit: After this story was posted, Kochen was forced to withdraw from camp due to injury. He was replaced on the roster by San Diego Loyal’s Duran Ferree. Adam Beaudry, of the Colorado Rapids, is now the presumptive starter. While the loss of Kochen is a huge blow, Beaudry will now have an unexpected opportunity to prove himself.

A case could be made that Pedro Soma is the best prospect in this team, and arguably in the YNT pool, at the moment. The UE Cornellà man is a well-rounded and dynamic player who can play both in the pivot and as a box-to-box midfielder. Soma is both sound defensively and an effective passer; if he develops well, he may very well be the first player from this group to break into the senior USMNT in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Tyler Adams’ backup. With Villarreal and other top Spanish clubs keeping close tabs, this tournament will be a great opportunity to shine in the shop window and earn his move to a big academy.

San Jose’s Cruz Medina has also received lots of recognition over the past year, and is another elite talent for this level. Leading the U-17 group throughout 2022, he will also be hoping to showcase his talent to the wider public at this tournament as he looks to establish himself as one of the top prospects in the pipeline and earn first-team minutes with the Earthquakes. As technically gifted as anyone else here, he could find minutes both in the attacking midfield roles and on the wing. Club teammate Edwyn Mendoza will compete for minutes at the 6, and could even be good enough to push Pedro Soma up to the 8 in order to get both of them on the field together.

The Bay Area’s third representative, Oscar Verhoeven, is a gifted fullback who also has enormous potential. Though he is yet to sign a homegrown contract with the Quakes, he is easily the most talented defender on this roster, and can play on either side of the back four. Eintracht Frankfurt’s A.J. Harangi will likely be the opposite full-back, having chosen to play for the U.S. in this tournament despite previous involvement with Hungary’s youth teams.

A well-known prospect since a young age, Adrian Gill provides an intriguing option in a variety of positions. Though he recently made his debut for Barça B in a friendly, it’s not clear what position he would start in for this group, whether that be in his natural role as a box-to-box or advanced midfield, or in his secondary position as a fullback. Though he clearly as talent, he will have to fight for minutes in this tournament to prove his doubters wrong.

Finally, it will be interesting to see who earns the starting job up top, as there will be competition for minutes between three very different number 9s. Keyrol Figueroa comes into camp preparing to be cap tied to the United States, despite being the son of Honduran legend Maynor Figueroa. The Liverpool academy striker did not necessarily impress in his previous appearances for the U.S. U-17s, but has great talent and could prove to be a reliable goalscorer at this level. Ezekiel Soto is the youngest player on the team, and has been proving his talent throughout the cycle despite often being nearly a year younger than everyone else; he has the highest ceiling amongst these #9s, which makes him significant in a YNT pipeline that lacks any blue-chip center forwards. An alternative to the traditional #9s is Austin FC’s Micah Burton, who would be more of a false nine type. He is naturally a 10 and can also play on the wing, but could be effective in a central attacking position for this team if the other two alternatives are not performing.

How will the U.S. line up?

Are there any players from other teams to keep an eye on?

At this level, a huge number of U.S.-born players represent their second nationalities. Many different teams throughout the region will call upon Americans during this tournament, though only a few would have been members of the U.S. pool.

Mexico’s squad consists of three Americans: Fernando Delgado, Javen Romero, and Fidel Barajas. All three are talented players, and Delgado in particular would likely have made the U.S. roster as Kochen’s backup. He had been involved in U.S. camps earlier in the cycle, as had Fidel Barajas, who had some great performances for the U.S. last spring. Barajas would be on the fringes of the American team due to his limitations but will be a star for Mexico at this tournament playing on the wing.

A center forward who may have made the U.S. team had he been eligible would be Inter Miami’s Bryan Destin, who will represent Haiti. He was already provisionally cap tied when he played for Haiti at the U-20 Championship last summer, and will be one of the best players in this tournament; once he acquires American citizenship, he could represent the U.S. in the future.

The Canadian team consists of a large number of players from MLS academies, and two are notable dual-nationals. Victor Fung is a gifted center back who was born in 2007 and he has been involved in Canada camps throughout the cycle. Meanwhile, Lazar Stefanović of Toronto FC is a good left-back prospect who has previously played for the United States, but chose to represent Canada in this tournament. Both Canadian-Americans will face the nation of their birth in the final game of the group stage.

How can I watch?

The group matches against Barbados, Trinidad, and Canada will be held on the 11th, 13th, and 15th of February. All will kick off at 8pm eastern time, and will be aired on Fox Sports networks and Vix+. The full schedule, along with the projected knockout route and TV information, is listed below:

U.S.A. vs Barbados – February 11th – 8pm ET – FS2/Vix+

U.S.A. vs Trinidad & Tobago – February 13th – 8pm ET – FS1/Vix+

U.S.A. vs Canada – February 15th – 8pm ET – FS2/Vix+

R16 – U.S.A. vs Dominican Republic* – February 18th – 5pm ET – TBD

QF – U.S.A. vs TBD – February 21st – 8pm ET – TBD

SF – U.S.A. vs TBD – February 24th – 8pm ET – TBD

F – U.S.A. vs TBD – February 26th – 5pm ET – TBD

USMNT

The Next USMNT Star That Never Was: Revisiting America’s Biggest Teenage Prospects

Published

2 weeks ago

September 25, 2026

Marcus O'Malley

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

With the next wave of highly rated teenagers likely to be brought into the #USMNT during the 2030 World Cup cycle, I decided to look back at some of the young players who were once hyped as the next stars of the U.S. Men’s National Team but never established themselves as regular internationals.

Freddy Adu would seem to be at the top of this list. While he never became a regular for the #USMNT or the world-class face of U.S. Soccer many expected, he still earned 17 caps, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists. In many ways, he accomplished more at the international level than most of the players who are listed below combined.

Which former USMNT prospects did I miss, players who are no longer playing or are past their prime, who deserve to be on this list?

Cody Cropper – GK – 0 caps

U.S. youth international and longtime goalkeeper prospect who reached the Southampton and MLS systems but never earned a senior cap.

Junior Flores – AM – 0 caps

Creative midfielder who joined Borussia Dortmund’s system as a teenager and was viewed as a major U.S. prospect, but never reached the senior USMNT.

Eddie Gaven – MF/W – 8 caps

Teenage MLS phenom who became a league standout, but despite eight USMNT appearances, his international career never developed further.

Luis Gil – AM – 2 caps

One of the most hyped American midfield prospects of his generation; debuted for RSL at 16 but never translated that promise into a sustained USMNT career.

Emerson Hyndman – MF – 2 caps

Highly rated central midfielder who broke through at Fulham and earned two USMNT appearances, but never established himself internationally.

Perry Kitchen – DM/CB – 5 caps

U.S. youth captain and defensive midfielder who became a regular MLS starter, but his senior international career stalled after five caps.

Will Packwood – CB/DM – 0 caps

Birmingham City prospect who became the youngest American to play in the English Championship, but injuries severely disrupted his development.

Marc Pelosi – LB/CB – 0 caps

Highly regarded defender who moved to Liverpool as a teenager, but injuries and limited senior opportunities derailed his path to the USMNT.

Gedion Zelalem – MF – 0 caps

Arsenal wonderkid and one of the most highly regarded U.S. prospects of his generation. Injuries and inconsistent senior opportunities slowed his development, and he never made a senior USMNT appearance.

The number of young USMNT players in this September/October window is something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Some will catch the eye of newly extended USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, while others may not, but all of them have an opportunity during this cycle to make their case for World Cup qualifying and, ultimately, a spot on the 2026 World Cup roster.

It all starts now, and it should be fun to follow their development over the next four years.

USMNT

Building the Next Generation: Who Should Be on Pochettino’s USMNT Radar?

Published

1 month ago

August 25, 2026

Thomas Deschaine

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Header_NextGen

With the USMNT manager in place and the new cycle underway it’s time for recently extended Mauricio Pochettino to get some new young players on his radar and what better time to do this than the September/October double FIFA window.

There are several U-23 players like Josh Wynder, Jalen Neal, Rokas Pukstas, Diego Kochen, Jonathan Gomez, Caleb Wiley, Cole Campbell, Chris Brady, Gaga, Slonina, Niko Tsakiris, Damion Downs, and Benjamin Cremaschi who have no caps order less than a handful with the USMNT.

Will USMNT snubs or overlooked players opportunities be during the 2030 cycle look like? Players like Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Camron Carter-Vickers to name a few, we have to wonder how or if they will be part of this cycle of players. I would suggest some will likely get the opportunity in the early part of the cycle but will need to be performing n with their club to remain getting called back into camps.

Integrating a few of these youth USMNT players during each window for the first half of the cycle will allow Pochettino to evaluate them up close and see if there might be a role for them during this next cycle.

It’s extremely important that the USMNT have a few on their current U-20 teenagers’ breakthrough and become a reliable part of the USMNT in the second half of the cycle.

The below players will have an opportunity to play in next years U-20 World Cup being hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as well as hopefully if their clubs release them being part of the 2028 Olympics USA Football squad to hopefully medal for the first time since 1904 when the US had two teams win Silver and Bronze. I think it’s also important to look at these players alongside some of the core USMNT in the upcoming window to see how they can integrate with one another.

Mathis Albert-17-Winger

Noahkai Banks-19-Centerback

Cole Campbell-20-Midfielder/Winger

Zavier Gozo-19-Winger

Julian Hall-18-Winger

Malik Jakupovic-17-Striker

Adri Mehmeti-17-Central Midfielder

Peyton Miller-18-Left Midfielder/Winger

Neil Pierre-18-Centerback

Cavan Sullivan-16-Attacking Midfielder

Whether we see all of these players, or just a handful, through the first half of the cycle, hopefully leading into another Copa América appearance, it’s clear that the time has come for Pochettino to begin integrating the next generation of USMNT players into the senior pool. How quickly that transition happens will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow.

USMNT

Mauricio Cuevas Taking “Huge Step Forward” in Liga MX

Published

2 months ago

August 9, 2026

Alex Calabrese

CHICAGO — Four years on from captaining the United States to their last CONCACAF Under-20 title, Mauricio Cuevas is quietly stepping back into the spotlight. Still only 23 years old, the talented right back just moved abroad, leaving his boyhood Los Angeles Galaxy for Liga MX side Santos Laguna in a summer move that slipped under the radar.

“To be able to get sold to a big club like Santos is a huge step forward for me,” Cuevas said in an exclusive interview this Saturday. “From the first day, I knew the challenge coming into it because the club hasn’t been meeting expectations in the past few years. Coming in and trying to be a difference-maker is something that I wanted. It’s a new challenge for me, and overall I’m just super excited.”

New Challenge in Mexico

As a teenager, Cuevas showcased himself as one of the country’s most exciting young fullbacks. Known for his technical prowess and set piece ability, the L.A. area native spent time at Belgium’s Club Brugge before returning to the Galaxy in 2023. There, he won an MLS Cup in 2024, appearing 78 times in total before his departure this summer.

“It’s always tough leaving home,” Cuevas said. “Obviously, it’s my boyhood club. My family still lives there, and I was great with all the guys at the club as well. I knew everybody, from the staff and the front office to the coaches. It’s never easy when you’re leaving home.”

“Honestly, the people in Torreón and Santos have all welcomed me with open arms since the first day. They’re all amazing people. It’s an amazing club and an amazing city.”

The move to Liga MX made sense from a number of angles; Santos manager Renato Paiva wanted a new right back, Cuevas’s Galaxy contract was winding down, and his Mexican passport made a move south of the border quite easy. Since joining, Santos have faced an extremely difficult run of games against CF Monterrey, Atlas, Club América, and New York City FC — all of which Cuevas started.

“It’s been great, to be honest,” Cuevas said of his adjustment to life in Torreón. “There hasn’t been much of an adjustment tactics-wise or playing-wise because Renato, our head coach, has similar concepts to what we had at the Galaxy. The players are really good as well. There’s so much quality on the team.”

“The only thing I’ve probably had to get adjusted to is the weather. It’s a little too hot out there, the sun is beaming a lot. But I love it, man. It’s a super-calm city. It’s beautiful, with great food and great people.”

Back in the U.S.

The game against NYCFC came in Leagues Cup, a competition with a razor-thin margin for error. To advance past the first round, teams ideally need to earn at least seven points from their three matches; after losing to New York City, qualification for the knockout rounds is now nearly impossible for Santos. They’ll face Gregg Berhalter, Robert Lewandowski, and the Chicago Fire on Sunday (8 p.m. Eastern Time on Apple TV) in a game where anything but a win in 90 minutes would certainly eliminate them.

“I think we go into every game with the belief that every game is a must-win for us, so that doesn’t really change much. We know now that there’s more on top of that, we have even more reason to win. We’re just focused on ourselves tomorrow. We had a long travel day yesterday, so it’s all about recovery now and setting a game plan that puts us in the best position to win.”

Having started against the Fire at Soldier Field in 2024 and facing former youth national team teammates Chris Brady and Sergio Oregel, Cuevas will hope to give something extra in this game and help keep Santos alive in the tournament.

“Any tournament that this club steps into, we always have that goal in mind of wanting to bring that trophy back to Mexico, back to Torreón with us. We’re a competitive club. We’re one of the best clubs, history-wise, in Mexico, so we know what this badge carries.”

USYNT Hero

Coincidentally enough, the U.S. U-20s advanced to a fifth consecutive CONCACAF final on Friday, setting up a date with hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday. The semifinal win also qualified the U.S. for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, ensuring qualification for back-to-back editions.

In addition to being a central figure in the last U.S. U-20 CONCACAF victory in 2022, Cuevas was part of the last Pan Am Games team in 2023; the U.S. finished fourth in an unusual competition that included several intriguing names like Sergio Oregel, Brooklyn Raines, Danny Leyva, and a then-relatively unknown Alex Freeman. For Cuevas, that tournament was a special memory, and one he remembers fondly.

“I remember the whole trip, to be honest. I made a lot of great friends and met a lot of great people on and off the field, from the staff to the players – people I’m still in contact with. There are some that are in Liga MX as well, Nico (Carrera), Antonio (Carrera), Danny (Leyva).”

“Every player from that age group and that camp has been doing great. It’s lovely to see, to be honest, seeing everybody shine.”

On the immediate horizon for the U.S. is Sunday’s U-20 final (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on FS2). The Americans will be hoping that this year’s final is more reminiscent of Cuevas’ age group (a 6-0 final win over the Dominican Republic) than the 2024 edition (a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Mexico). As is often the case, the U.S. and Mexico will be without many of their top youth players for the tournament due to its concurrence with club games, but that has opened the door for others.

“We have two players from (Santos) that are representing Mexico, so congrats to them,” Cuevas said. “Huge shout out to (LA Galaxy’s) Ruben Ramos as well and Dylan Vanney, who are with the U.S.; they’ve been killing it. I’m just happy for all those guys. Proud of those guys.”