For the United States U-20 men’s national team’s final training camp before the FIFA U-20 World Cup is held this May and June in Indonesia, head coach Mikey Varas has named a 19-player roster for a series of friendlies in Marbella, Spain.
GOALKEEPERS (2)
- Antonio Carrera - FC Dallas
- Gaga Slonina - Chelsea
DEFENDERS (7)
- Brandan Craig - Philadelphia Union
- Mauricio Cuevas - Club Brugge
- Marcus Ferkranus - LA Galaxy
- Jonathan Gomez - Real Sociedad
- Michael Halliday - Orlando City SC
- Thomas Williams - Orlando City SC
- Joshua Wynder - Louisville City FC
MIDFIELDERS (5)
- Alejandro Alvarado Jr. - Vizela
- Jack McGlynn - Philadelphia Union
- Rokas Pukstas - Hajduk Split
- Obed Vargas - Seattle Sounders FC
- Owen Wolff - Austin FC
FORWARDS (5)
- Paxten Aaronson - Eintracht Frankfurt
- Diego Luna - Real Salt Lake
- Kevin Paredes - Wolfsburg
- Quinn Sullivan - Philadelphia Union
- Darren Yapi - Colorado Rapids
March friendlies
- March 22 vs. France U-20 - 11 am ET
- March 24 vs. England U-20 - 11 am ET
- March 28 vs. Serbia U-21 - 9 am ET
England and France have also qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. England won the UEFA U-19 Championship last summer, while France reached the semifinals.
Roster highlights
This US U-20 squad features 11 MLS players from eight different clubs. The Philadelphia Union (3) and Orlando City SC (2) both have multiple call-ups, led by Union midfielder Jack McGlynn and Lions fullback Michael Halliday.
Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Obed Vargas, 17, is one of two 2005-born players on the roster. The other is USL Championship standout center back Joshua Wynder, who’s reportedly joining Portuguese powerhouse Benfica this summer in a record transfer for the domestic second division.
Several MLS homegrown exports should feature prominently. Chelsea goalkeeper Gaga Slonina (Chicago Fire FC), Wolfsburg attacker Kevin Paredes (D.C. United) and Frankfurt attacker Paxten Aaronson (Philadelphia Union) stand out in this regard.
Colorado Rapids forward Darren Yapi is the lone player making his first U-20 appearance since the cycle kicked off in November 2021.
Eleven players return from the USA’s trophy run at last summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship, where the USA won their third straight confederation title and qualified for both the U-20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
U-20 World Cup draw
The U-20 World Cup draw is set for March 31 in Bali. The US are a Pot 1 team, and all 24 qualified nations will get drawn into six groups of four teams.
The U-20 World Cup will be held from May 20 to June 11. The US have made three straight quarterfinal appearances at the global tournament.
