SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Homegrown players Cade Cowell and Niko Tsakiris are among 21 players called to represent the United States U20 Men’s National Team in the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup from May 20-June 11 in Argentina.
Drawn into Group B, Team USA will face Ecuador on Saturday, May 20, Fiji on Tuesday, May 23 and Slovakia on Friday, May 26. All three matches kick off at 11 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports and Telemundo platforms.
The 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
Cowell, 19, is one of six players in the 21-man roster that carry senior national team experience. He has made three prior appearances for the senior national team, including his first start vs. Serbia on Jan. 26, 2023, in which he was named Man of the Match. He most recently faced Mexico in an international friendly in March, starting and playing 64 minutes. He has also represented the U.S. at the U16, U17 and U20 levels. The Ceres, Calif. native signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Quakes at 15 years of age ahead of the 2019 season and has tallied nine goals and 14 assists in 92 appearances (44 starts) since. He was named an MLS All-Star in 2021 at 17 years of age.
Tsakiris, 17, has previously represented the United States at the U15 and U20 levels, most recently participating in a U.S. U20 training camp last October. Tsakiris signed a Homegrown Player contract with San Jose ahead of the 2022 MLS season. The Saratoga, Calif. native made 10 MLS appearances during his rookie year and started the team’s final three matches of the season, including the California Clasico against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium. Tsakiris also started the team’s first two U.S. Open Cup matches in 2022, scoring one goal.
FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-20 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Alexander Borto (Fulham/ENG; South Plainfield, N.J.; 2/0), 12-Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 4/0), 1-Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.; 5/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Justin Che (Hoffenheim/GER; Dallas, Texas; 6/0), 5-Brandan Craig (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 10/1), 2-Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 13/1), Marcus Ferkranus (LA Galaxy; Santa Clarita, Calif.; 11/0), 13-Jonathan Gomez (Real Sociedad/ESP; Keller, Texas; 6/0), 3-Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.; 5/0), 4-Joshua Wynder (Louisville City FC; Louisville, Ky.; 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, N.J.; 10/0), 10-Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Sunnyvale, Calif.; 16/4), 8-Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, N.Y.; 16/2), 20-Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Stillwater, Okla.; 12/1), 15-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 5/3), 18-Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders FC; Anchorage, Alaska; 4/0), 16-Owen Wolff (Austin FC; Austin, Texas; 3/1)
FORWARDS (4): 9-Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.; 7/2), 11-Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Va.; 6/2), 7-Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 15/7), 19-Darren Yapi (Colorado Rapids; Denver, Colo.; 3/0)
