As the US men's national team continues their World Cup preparations ahead of Qatar 2022, the next generation of young domestic talent is also looking to make their mark on the international stage.
The US Under-20s are currently training ahead of the Concacaf Under-20 Championship, which will take place from June 18-July 3 in Honduras. The young Yanks will have a chance to win their third straight Concacaf title, with the top four teams heading to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia and the top two teams reaching the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The roster is filled with MLS representation; 17 of the 20 players hail from the league.
"At the end of the day the way we analyzed it was: Who's playing at a high level for their club? Who is performing for the national team when they come in? Who fits from a cultural perspective is massive for us," U-20 head coach Mikey Varas told reporters on a virtual press conference Friday. "At the end of the day, through the process of releases, we came to a very strong roster that we're really excited about."
Getting all those releases was a challenge given the tournament falls outside a FIFA international break, with some clubs inclined to want to keep their young players who have broken in for important first-team roles. Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Obed Vargas, for instance, will join the U-20s for the quarterfinals, with the 16-year-old now an increasingly key piece in Seattle following a season-ending ACL injury to Joao Paulo.
That means Vargas will miss Group E play on June 18 against Saint Kitt and Nevis, as well as vs. Canada on June 20 and Cuba on June 22.
"At the end of the day the release situation is really challenging, but two positive things come from it," said Varas, a former FC Dallas assistant coach. "One, the players who are not released, it means they are becoming important players at their first-team level. And the players who come in with us because there was a player that wasn't released, they get an opportunity to showcase themselves and show that they're up for this challenge. So at the heart of what we work for is individual development and we see this as a win. Although it's a challenge, it becomes an opportunity for us."
Given such challenges, Varas said the roster was built with a focus on versatility. He cited Philadelphia Union homegrown Paxten Aaronson as one example.
"We have players that have opportunities with their clubs that the clubs felt they couldn't release the players. So, what we looked for were versatile players, players that could play in the front line and play in the midfield," Varas said.
"Paxten Aaronson can play as a 10, but Paxten can play as a winger and Paxten can play as a false 9 also. So that became a really, really important factor for us when we started working with the puzzle pieces that were given to us in terms of the release process."
Aaronson is one of four Philadelphia homegrown products in the group, the most of any MLS club. He's joined by forward Quinn Sullivan, midfielder Jack McGlynn and defender Brandan Craig. Varas credited the Union with making "extra sacrifices" to release their young players for the tournament.
"They're a great role model," Varas said. "But again, from an overall perspective, the MLS clubs have been really open. We have players who weren't released, for example, the club was going to release them and it came down to a circumstance or injury in the first team that made it impossible for them. So overall I've been really happy with most every single club."
On the field, Varas said he feels the group has become "really, really strong" in terms of a relentless pressing mentality and playing in transition, attributes they'll look to refine before Concacaf Championship play begins.
"Our build-up is growing every single day," Varas said. "We've made great strides and we're moving towards becoming a team that is both relentless in defending and pressing and transition attacking and also building up, dominating the ball and creating positional advantages that allow us to accelerate the play and attack the goal often."
