ASN: Busio, Reyna, Pepi, Las & Leyva spotlight Wicky’s U-17 qualifying roster

United States U-17 nationwide staff head coach Raphael Wicky has named a robust roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Championships which can even function U-17 World Cup qualifying. On the coronary heart of it’s Ricardo Pepi, Gianluca Busio, and Gio Reyna who will try to steer the U.S. staff to Brazil for the World Cup. 

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
April 22, 2019
1:00 PM

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United States U-17 nationwide staff head coach Raphael Wicky named his 20 participant roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Championships on the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida which can even function the area’s qualifying event for the 2019 U-17 World Cup.

Wicky was solely just lately employed in March and has had only one camp answerable for the staff forward of this event. However total, the roster ought to be sturdy sufficient to have the U.S. staff favored to qualify as one of many 4 berths from CONCACAF.

The Roster
(Membership; Hometown; U-17 Caps/Objectives)
 
GOALKEEPERS (2):1-Damian Las (Chicago Hearth; Norridge, In poor health.; 13/0), 12-Chituru Odunze (Vancouver Whitecaps FC/CAN; Calgary, Alta.; 4/0)

DEFENDERS (7):4-Axel Alejandre (FC United; Chicago, In poor health.; 14/0), 3-Adam Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 11/0), 13-Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 2/0), 14-Tayvon Grey (New York Metropolis FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 10/0), 5-Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 14/1), 2-JosephScally (New York Metropolis FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.; 14/1), 15-John Tolkin (New York Crimson Bulls; Chatham, N.J.; 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (5):7-Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas Metropolis; Greensboro, N.C.; 7/2), 20-Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.; 13/0), 8-Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.; 0/0), 6-Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC; Las Vegas, Nev.; 0/0), 16-Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama Metropolis, Calif.; 17/1)

FORWARDS (6):18-Jack de Vries (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.; 0/0), 17-Tyler Freeman (Sporting Kansas Metropolis; Shawnee, Kan.; 3/1), 19-Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Tacoma Defiance; Kent, Wash.; 14/5), 9-Ricardo Pepi (North Texas SC; McKinney, Texas; 6/1), 10-Giovanni Reyna (Unattached; Bedford, N.Y.; 8/1), 11-Griffin Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 6/3)

Format
Underneath the present format, there are 4 teams of 4 with the highest three groups from every group advancing to the Spherical of 16.

In a earlier event, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic already superior the Spherical of 16.

Beginning within the Spherical of 16, the groups that advance to the semifinals will qualify for the U-17 World Cup.

U.S. staff’s schedule
The US staff was drawn into Group F and can open the event in opposition to Canada on Thursday, Could 2 at 6 p.m. ET. The U.S. then faces Barbados on Saturday, Could 4 at 4 p.m. ET earlier than ending group play in opposition to Guatemala on Monday, Could 6 at 6 p.m. ET.

Ought to the U.S. staff win its group, it’s going to face Guadeloupe on Could 9 within the Spherical of 16.

Roster ideas
There are some notable absences on the U.S. staff. For one, Wicky’s staff will probably be with out one in all its most extremely touted gamers in left again George Bello who has been coping with an harm for the previous month. Additionally, the staff is with out central defender Mason Decide though it’s not clear if he was launched by Eintracht Frankfurt or not chosen by Wicky. The identical might be stated of West Ham’s Peter Stroud.

However there may be some high-profile attacking expertise on this squad which is led by Gio Renya who’s listed as unattached however will probably be heading to Borussia Dortmund. The son of former Untied States nationwide staff captain Claudio Reyna, Gio Reyna has been one of many leaders of this staff for almost your entire cycle.

Additionally, ahead Ricardo Pepi additionally enters this event with lots of momentum because the FC Dallas product has been the staff’s finest purpose scorer this cycle and has carried that kind into USL the place he performs for the Dallas affiliate North Texas SC. With North Texas, Pepi has scored 4 objectives in two video games.

Gianluca Busio might be essentially the most in-form participant on the event the place he has been seeing important time with Sporting Kansas Metropolis’s first staff. Whereas he didn’t rating over the weekend in a loss to San Jose, Busio entered that sport having scored in three video games in a row.

Right here is the successful purpose for Seattle over Valencia. US U-17 ahead Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez with the help to Ray Serrano who heads it dwelling. Ocampo-Chavez completed the event with 6 objectives and an help. pic.twitter.com/yIaEHddd1c

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) April 21, 2019

One of the talked about tales in American youth soccer this 12 months was how the Seattle Sounders academy received the GA Cup over the weekend with wins over Flamengo, River Plate, West Ham United, and Valencia within the remaining. All these video games have been shutouts.

From that GA Cup-winning staff two gamers on this U-17 roster: ahead Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez who received the GA Cup Golden Boot with six objectives and an help and Daniel Leyva who received the GA Cup MVP and has already signed a primary staff contract with Seattle.

— Main League Soccer (@MLS) April 19, 2019

However the U-17 additionally boasts top-of-the-line U.S. youth nationwide staff goalkeepers since Zack Steffen in Chicago’s Damian Las who will probably be an essential back-stop at this degree and may very well be the distinction within the crucial knockout phases.