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Boston's Sheanon Williams was called to the US U-20 squad. (Photo: ussoccer.com) |
Williams, who recently won an NCAA Championship with the University of North Carolina, has been part of the U.S. pool before and is expected to get plenty of playing time.
Maund�s situation is a little trickier. The Notre Dame defender will also be joining the team for training in Bradenton, but his addition to the final roster depends on whether he receives approval from FIFA to play for the United States after requesting for a change in national association. Maund, who has dual citizenship with the U.S. and Trinidad & Tobago, played in all three games for T&T in the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
Maund has submitted the necessary paperwork to change his national association to the United States and U.S. Soccer is awaiting FIFA�s decision. The final roster is required to be submitted to CONCACAF 48 hours before the opening game against Jamaica. If a decision is not reached by FIFA before that time, Rongen will name a replacement to the 20-player roster.
Of the 20 players on the qualifying roster, nine are currently professionals, with six in Major League Soccer and three overseas. The roster also features three players who were part of the U.S. team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada in midfielder Bryan Arguez, goalkeeper Brian Perk and defender Anthony Wallace.
�We�ve put a lot of preparation into the CONCACAF Championship and we feel we�ve chosen the best possible players who will help us qualify for Egypt,� said Rongen. �We have 20 players who have shown dedication to the difficult task of qualifying and have proven themselves during the past two years through training camps and international games.�
A total of eight teams will compete in the CONCACAF event, which is being held in a championship format for the first time since 1996. The U.S. was drawn into Group A for the tournament along with El Salvador, Jamaica and either Honduras or St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Group B includes Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago.
The U.S. will open its qualifying campaign on Friday, March 6, taking on Jamaica at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET).
The U.S. will be looking to qualify for their record seventh-straight FIFA Under-20 World Cup. In 2005 and 2007, when CONCACAF qualifying was held as two groups at two separate venues, the U.S. has won their group.
U.S. Under-20 MNT Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Central Florida; Lilburn, Ga.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas; Middleton, Wis.), Brian Perk (UCLA; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Gale Agbossoumonde (Unattached; Syracuse, N.Y.), Kyle Davies (Southampton; Danville, Calif.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Aaron Maund* (Notre Dame; Dorchester, Mass.), Amobi Okugo (San Juan Lightning; Sacramento, Calif.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Sheanon Williams (Unattached; Boston)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin; Miami), Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.); Brek Shea (FC Dallas; College Station, Texas)
FORWARDS (4): Sam Garza (Denver; Highland Village, Texas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas; Rockford, Ill.), Billy Schuler (North Carolina; Allentown, N.J.), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville; Jacksonville, Fla.) *Pending FIFA approval
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