Noah Verhoeven of the Vancouver Whitecaps has been called into the US U20 camp: MIDFIELDERS (12): Christian Cappis (FC Dallas; Katy, Texas), Andrew Carlton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Jose Carranza (Unattached; Manassas, Va.), Chris Durkin (D.C. United; Glen Allen, Va.), Anthony Fontana (Bethlehem Steel FC; Newark, Del.), Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Brian Perez (Club Tijuana; San Diego, Calif.), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Texas), Brandon Servania (Wake Forest; Birmingham, Ala.), Greg Tracey (Colorado Rapids Academy; Arvada, Colo.), Juan Pablo Torres (K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen; Lilbirn, Ga.), Noah Verhoeven (Vancouver Whitecaps; Surrey, B.C) He has previously played with Canadian youth squads: https://www.whitecapsfc.com/youth/eliteteams/residency/noah-verhoeven Verhoeven debuted for the national program at their U-15 identification camp in 2013. His most recent stint came in 2014 at the U-15 camp in Costa Rica under head coach Ante Jazic.
Worth pointing out with regards to our recently announce U20 camp............... I am preparing my analysis piece now on the YNT mega camp for @ClassicASN (pls follow ASN's new twitter handle). One note: Nebiyou Perry (Sweden) & Justin McMaster (Jamaica) have played for other YNTs. Would need to file a 1-time switch to rep the US in official competitions— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) December 29, 2017
There are a couple of US-based players on the Palestine U23 squad currently in AFC competition: Abdallah Rayyan (Wiley College). Listed hometown as Bossier City, Louisiana. Played for Shreveport Rafters in NPSL; listed as "Palestinian" on the club roster. Mohamad Rashid (listed in Wikipedia as "Mohammed Bassim") (St. Francis [IL]). Lists Ramallah as his hometown. According to an article from Plainfield, IL, he moved to the US to join his sister in 2011 and went to HS there. Nothing I could find identifying either as a dual citizen.
Bartley recently signed with NPSL Cosmos B: A good season with Cosmos B could open the door for Bartley internationally. He played four games for Jamaica during Under-17 World Cup qualifying in 2015. Bartley said his father was proud of him. “It was a good experience to play for my dad’s own country,” he said. “That’s another dream come true to play with the men’s national team. Just waiting for the U-23s to start up.” https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018...rn-bartley-sees-an-opportunity-with-cosmos-b/
Brandon Austin called in for the England U19s: http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/apr/27/england-u19s-training-squad-named-270418
I mentioned this in another thread but I’ve heard there are questions about Brandon Austin’s USMNT eligibility
Check out @LAGalaxyAcademy’s Tweet: #LAGalaxyAcademy's Daron Iskendarian (#23) repping for the Armenian National Team U-17s 👏 pic.twitter.com/IFc4U62rp0— LA Galaxy Academy (@LAGalaxyAcademy) May 2, 2018
Turns out Nicolas Samayoa is a dual citizen of the US & Guatemala. https://www.revolutionsoccer.net/players/nicolas-samayoa According to his Wikipedia page, he was with the U20s for 6 matches, but didn't appear in the tourney. He's with New England now, loaned out to Las Vegas in the USL.
Hopefully, for Guatemala, he plays for the country of his birth rather than making a one-time-switch, playing one game for the USMNT, and then never getting a call up again... like Teal Bunbury.
Quick question guys, is Efrain Alvarez basically gone? I've heard bits and pieces, but I assume that, so long as he doesn't play in a senior cap-tying event, he could still file a one-time switch?
He filed a one-time switch? To Mexico? I didn't think he was cap-tied, I thought he had just been in YNT camps for us...
I'm pretty sure he's never filed the official one-time switch. That's only required if he played in an official FIFA youth competition for the US. This was an "informal switch."
Speaking of which............... Efrain Alvarez may have to choose between #ElTri or the #USMNT one day. That decision - which is not yet final - will be deeply personal, even as it will no doubt be cast in larger narratives of a regional rivalry: https://t.co/7zUDUqxKGv pic.twitter.com/ntHrbdXk24— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) June 21, 2018
Gone? No. Likely going to play for Mexico? Yes. I'll repeat what I've said many times. I saw a rumor that the reason Alvarez is playing for Mexico is because his father is very pro-Mexico, and basically pushed him to play for Mexico. So it seems like the family forces are going to make it difficult for the USA. Could that change? Maybe so. He was playing for us before, and I'm sure he identifies as American in many ways, but right now the biggest obstacle is probably the father. I suspect what would change that is getting snubbed, like Jesse Gonzalez did.
Given all that is happening in our country away from soccer, I can certainly understand why a Mexican-American wouldn't want to rep the USMNT.
Given that he was born and raised here, I can certainly understand why he's torn. At least Gonzalez left the US to pursue a career in Mexico. Alvarez was born, raised, and plays in LA...
Two decent things we have going for us: The Llanez-Mendez-Sepulveda connection. Those four have been together for years at LAG, and even before then at the now-defunct Chivas USA academy. They're obviously close on and off the pitch. Alvarez clearly prefers to represent the country of Mexico, but having to eventually play against those guys instead of with them internationally has to give him some second thoughts, even if it doesn't necessarily convince him to flip. Alvarez's agent is Spencer Wadsworth, who is also Jesse Gonzalez's agent and was instrumental in convincing Gonzalez to switch to the USMNT when they were calling him up sooner than El Tri's senior team were willing to, even though Gonzalez very likely preferred to represent Mexico from a sentimental/familial standpoint. I really doubt Alvarez is going to accept USYNT callups over El Tri YNT ones, but you wonder what will happen if in 2022 or earlier he is good enough and receives a deserved USMNT callup, and yet El Tri view him as just another U20 player, unwilling to play him up and still benching him at times even within his regular age group. Our YNTs gave him more playing time. It's not particularly likely he becomes a US player again, but it's possible.
To add to my post, I find it kind of amusing that Alvarez's party assumes and is already planning that Alvarez is only going to represent El Tri at next year's U17 World Cup. As if there's little to no hope of El Tri being willing to play him up at the U20 World Cup, that they've always kept him in his age's typical group, and he hasn't even always been a starter there either. Meanwhile, he'd easily be our best US U17, and one of our best players/starters on the US U20s and likely bound for the U20 World Cup with us. And our senior team, while promising, is young and doesn't have much depth at the 10. You have to wonder if, at some point during the next World Cup qualifying cycle, maybe by the end of it when the US are assembling their WC squad (or someone bold might say perhaps by the 2019 Gold Cup or 2020 Olympics), he will be good enough to be part of the USMNT, long before El Tri's senior team would be willing to call him up. Also, it wouldn't really help him with El Tri, but good for us, if he chooses to remain within the LAG organization and not go abroad. Maybe that is at least part of the reason why, despite being a special prospect, his standing within the El Tri YNT setup has never been anything special -- he's a US prospect through and through.
Really? I don't agree with this, at all. Whose spot is he taking on the U-20 squad? Carleton? Pomykal? Amon? Taitague? de la Fuente? I don't see the room for him, and I'm not convinced he's easily the best U-17. We hear a lot about Alvarez's success because he's a dual-national at LAG. Some of the other guys who are as good (or better) don't get the same attention for those types of factors.
I just don't see who is near him if he were to rejoin the US U17s. As for the US U20s, that's fair to not declare Alvarez a sure starter or roster fixture. I can see someone carrying Carleton and Pomykal as the only 10s. But I would make room for him on my U20s, just my opinion. Would also carry Carleton and Pomkyal, with Pomykal more likely to move to the wing. Then the others would be considered as wingers. And I think there's a real chance Alvarez is MNT-ready at some point during the next senior cycle.
I would say on the U-17 team, he's not "for sure" better than Scally, Bello, Las and Reyna. But thats only my opinion.