The U.S. U-19 Program (2022 season)

That's interesting, good spot. He's an '04, so if this is a thing, that would seem to be a "real" U19 camp. I wonder if the idea might be to let Varas run it as a kind of U20 pool expander, at least partially, and maybe that lets the next U20 camp, if there is going to be one, look at some different players too.

 

Great news. We needed one of those.

@TheFalseNine, is there any way we can update the title of the thread to be U-19, not U-18? Otherwise it’ll get confusing once the U-18 camps start back up again.

 

This is the group I’d call into this camp.

GK: Jeff Dewsnup, Antonio Carrera, Emmanuel Ochoa
RB: Alex Freeman, Justin Reynolds
CB: Antonio Leone, Nigel Prince, Alejandro Cano, Thomas Williams
LB: Tristan Viviani, Caleb Wiley
DM/CM: Zach Booth, Kenan Hot, Jackson Gilman, Efrain Morales
AM/Wing: Dantouma Toure, Amari Salley, Leo Torres, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Kristian Fletcher
CF: Jackson Hopkins, Diego Otoya, Chris Thaggard

My thinking with these names is to call in all the top 04’s who’ve not yet been in U-20 camps yet. Most of these guys are probably not going to play a part with the U-20’s later on this cycle. A few like Dewsnup, Freeman, Booth, Toure could. Dewsnup in particular should. He would’ve already a few times without injuries.

Then I’d include some 04’s that should not be realistic candidates right now for the U-20’s, despite a call up or two. You need to keep players like Carrera and Wiley involved because they are good players, but I can’t see Carrera deserving a U-20 call up to WCQ and U-20 WC with the top 3 04’s and Borto ahead of him. Similar situation for Wiley with Gomez, Greene, Allen, Paredes (if used at LB), and potentially Sorenson and Foster, ahead of him.

I would also include some of the top 05’s that should play a big role next cycle. Guys like Thaggard, Bajraktarevic, Fletcher should be integral parts for next cycle. Ochoa is part of a contingent on this list that I’m not convinced would accept call ups to the USA, but invite him. He’s a player you don’t want to hand over to Mexico.

 

It’s problematic IMO that we are hiring so many Chicago Fire or former Chicago coaches seemingly because they are willing to live in Chicago and others aren’t. If they are the best options, hire them, but does anyone believe that’s the motivating factor for this coach and the U-17 coach?

 

Not me.

 

I kind of have a hard time believing Chicago is that big a barrier for hiring coaches? It's a great city -- brutal winters, sure, but if you're paid well enough you can get any type of nice house you might want.

I agree with the argument that it's a silly requirement to put on hiring -- I have a hard time believing there's any value-added whatsoever to having everyone in the city -- but if a lot of people are telling US Soccer they don't want to live in Chicago, it seems more like a convenient excuse than an actual but-for reason. ("I'd love to coach the national team, oftentimes a huge career boost, but I don't want to live in one of the greatest cities in the country," say so many people I personally know.)

 

I think there's probably a lot of value in day to day collaboration amongst the coaching staffs. Is it worth the trade-off? I dunno.

The barrier really isn't Chicago -- it's mostly shitty pay. There was a guy a bit back who turned down US Soccer because he supposedly didn't want to move from Texas to Chicago but then took a job with the Revs like a month later.

He was fine moving, but he wasn't going to move to a high cost of living location for crap pay. Soccer house is downtown Chicago, right? So you either live in the burbs -- which may still be a smaller house / yard and commute a terrible commute or you pay through the nose for city living, which a lot of people don't like.

I work for a company in the Bay Area and we have a tough time getting people to move from the field to our offices. Not because they don't like the Bay Area, but because the cost is insane and if you didn't buy in, you go from like a 3,500 sq ft house to like 1,800 sq ft for more.

 

Another #VERDE & Black called up to the @USYNT! 🇺🇸
We continue to grow the legend! Congrats, Bryan Arellano. 👏

📄: https://t.co/xT4Myo95aV pic.twitter.com/HHXNBTUXiE

— Austin FC Academy (@austinfcacademy) April 14, 2022

 

I keep thinking about this too. You would think there’s only so many jobs in youth soccer why wouldn’t people jump for this. I mean if you are the head coach of a YNT without a World Cup you could still leverage that to become a USL HC, or become the U20 or U17 HC and potential become a MLS HC.

Also a lot of these coaches are coaching in cities that aren’t glamorous anyways. You’re telling me for all of these coaches they’d prefer places like Dallas, San Jose, Ohio, or like Chester. I understand Miami, LA, or New York, but even then it seems odd.

 

Welcome @4Mitrovic, our new #U19MYNT head coach! 👋

With plenty of experience in the youth game and the pros, Mitrovic will help our top prospects take the next step! 📈🇺🇸 » https://t.co/Rc95HutAzC pic.twitter.com/ZuNet75K18

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) April 18, 2022

 

The tipster was off by a year. Is there going to be a U-18 team, or will that wait until net year?

 

Whatever the case, even if there's only one or two U19 camps before U20/U23 qualifying, seems like it should benefit that effort. We'll get a sense of what kind of players they're trying to serve soon:

Mitrović will hold his first training camp as U-19 MYNT head coach from April 22-May 1 in Carson, Calif.​

 

I believe it’s a mix of 04’s and 05’s.

 

I mean, if U.S. Soccer can't get guys to move to Chicago to run a team that competes to play in a FIFA world championship and generally has access to top talent that often jumps right into the MNT, it's probably even harder to get guys to run a team that gets maybe four camps a year and plays in some random six-team invitational tournament in Central Europe that nobody watches!

You could argue that Javier Perez played his cards well but what's he doing now? (That's not me being clever -- I honestly don't know.) Same for Omid Namazi. People didn't like the Hudson hire for the U20s but for me, that was a really strong resume for the level, generally speaking.

 

All news is local: MNUFC just sent around the roster because Fred Emmings. Snip:

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (April 21, 2022) -- U.S. Soccer today announced its roster for the first U-19 Men’s Youth National Team camp of 2022. MNUFC Homegrown goalkeeper Fred Emmings is among the top players in the country and will join the camp.

New U.S. Under-19 Men’s Youth National Team head coach Marko Mitrović will lead his first training camp from April 22-May 1 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

It’s the first programming for this age group since the global COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sporting world in March 2020. The event will take place concurrently with the U-20 MYNT training camp in Carson, as U-19 players may be pulled to train with the U-20 team.

...

GOALKEEPERS (4): Gavin Beavers (Real Salt Lake: Henderon, Nev.), Jeffrey Dewsnup (Real Salt Lake; Herriman, Utah), Fred Emmings (Minnesota United, Saint Paul, Minn.), Emmanuel Ochoa (San Jose Earthquakes; Salinas, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (12):Tyler Bindon (LAFC; Los Angeles, Calif.), Noah Cobb (Atlanta United FC; Chattanooga, Tenn.), Carlos Diaz (LAFC; Baldwin Park, Calif.), Alexander Freeman (Orlando City SC; Plantation, Fla.), Samuel Jones (Wake Forest; Portsmouth, Va.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Dallas, Texas), Curtis Ofori (New York Red Bulls; Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), Mateo Pinilla (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas), Justin Reynolds (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.) , Nathan Rodrigues (San Jose Earthquakes; Campbell, Calif.), Diego Rossi (New York City FC; New York, N.Y.), Josh Wynder (Louisville City; Louisville, Ky.)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Gonzalo Agustoni-Chagas (Orlando City SC; Kissimmee, Fla.), Reed Baker-Whiting (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.), Caleb Borneo (Columbus Crew; Morgantown, W.V.), Osvaldo Cisneros-Reyes (Sporting KC; Omaha, Neb.), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; Miami, Fla.), Robert Deziel Jr. (Bayern Munich/GER; Palm Beach, Fla.), Ethan Kohler (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Bryan Moyado (LAFC; La Puente, Calif.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo; Maricopa, Ariz.)

FORWARDS(8):Bryan Arellano (Austin FC; San Antonio, Texas), Favian Loyola (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Rodrigo Neri (Atlético Madrid/ESP; Madrid, Spain), Korede Osundina (Orange County SC; Redmond, Wash.), Nighte Pickering (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Anthony Ramirez (FC Dallas: Little Elm, Texas), Alixson Soukup (LAFC; Canoga Park, Calif.), Ethan Subachan (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.)

 

My main takeaways from this roster.

1. Emmanuel Ochoa included. We’ve mentioned before that he’s one of the most important dual-nats to recruit. Mexico has called him into camps before, so that he’s willing to attend a US camp shows that he’s not firmly in the Mexican set-up.

2. Jeff Dewsnup returns. He’s missed the last four months and that may have upended his chance to play for the U-20’s in qualifying and the U-20 WC, but he’s the best player on this roster and should have the best chance from these players to be part of the U-20’s when the games matter.

3. Rodrigo Neri (‘05) of Atletico Madrid included. I don’t think that being a dual-nat at a big academy means he’s better than the other players on this roster, but there are advantages to being a good player at a big European academy and fans often clamor for players like this to be included.

4. Carlos Diaz included. He’s previously only been in Mexico camps and some of the listings for the old DA website caused confusion if he was actually eligible to play for the USA. He may have not at one point, but if he’s on this roster then he probably isn’t too far away from eligibility.

5. Anthony Ramirez is another dual nat whose been in Mexico camps that’s included in this camp.

6. Some of the other better 04’s who’ve not been part of the U-20 set up that are included here include Alex Freeman and Justin Reynolds. I wouldn’t rule out that those two kids could make a run at the U-20 team.

7. First regular YNT camp for Joshua Wynder (‘05), who has been great this season in USL.

 

The U20 roster is comparatively small compared to this one -- 22 guys or something like that. So while it's not particularly original to observe because the press release pretty much says it, definitely an opportunity for some guys to step up here.

And because we're talking dual-national recruiting -- maybe there's still a chance that the U.S. can grab Emmings back from Luxembourg!

 

Who are the biggest snubs for this group? Thaggard? Dettoni? Leone (not sure if he would've accepted a call-up)?

 

It is worth noting that the best of the 03, 04 and 05 age groups were not released to either the U20 or U19 camps due to club commitments. Pepi obviously and he might never play for the U20s. But also Che, Paredes, Cowell, Slonina, Aaronson, Sullivan, Gomez, McGlynn, Wiley, Cuevas and Vargas. Plus Clark who is injured. Those guys are the core of the U20 team. But their absence from these camps will present some opportunities to be seized.

I believe Fletcher, Williams and Bajraktarevic were the three youngest called up for the U20 camp. All three are young enough to have been sent to the U19 instead. Says something about how the talent evaluators view those three.

The two youngest not called up because they are playing for their clubs are Vargas and Wiley. Says something about their long-term potential too.

 

Not sure what changed between the MNU release and the US Soccer release, but the US roster only lists three GKs: Beavers, Emmings, Ochoa. Dewsnup was dropped at some point.

 

That’s a shame, but it’s probably that he’s not ready yet to return.

 

Did some digging and found that Tyler Bindon is also able to play for New Zealand. He spent time with East Coast Bays in Auckland before moving to LA because his mom became an assistant with the UCLA womens program. She is now the head coach at loyola marymount. she holds the record for most goalkeeper caps for new zealand national team, mens or womens. his father was captain of new zealand's mens volleyball team.