SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris has been called up by U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Marko Mitrović for the upcoming 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The biennial tournament will take place in Chile from Sept. 27-Oct. 19.
“We are very excited about the group of players that will represent the United States at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile,” said Mitrović. “Wearing your country’s crest in a World Cup is a special moment for every player and as a Federation, we’re proud that each player has developed through our American soccer pathway. We are grateful to the clubs that released their players in support of our mission and now our goal is to make our country proud.”
Tsakiris, 20, will join the Stars and Stripes on Monday in Rancagua, Chile, for final preparations before they face Group E opponents Caledonia on Monday, Sept. 29 (4 p.m. PT; FS1, Universo), France on Thursday, Oct. 2 (1 p.m. PT; FS2, Universo), and South Africa on Sunday, Oct. 5 (1 p.m. PT; FS2, Telemundo), during the Group Stage.
“It’s always an honor to represent your club and country in a global competition like the FIFA U-20 World Cup,” said Tsakiris. “I’m looking forward to competing in the tournament once again and eager to see what we can accomplish together.”
A native of Saratoga, Califiornia, the Homegrown midfielder has been a standout for the U.S. U-20 team. In 2024, he was nominated for Young Male Player of the Year by U.S. Soccer after earning Golden Ball honors as the best player at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship. At the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, Tsakiris scored three goals during the tournament to help the USA qualify for the subsequent 2023 U-20 World Cup in Argentina, featuring in all three group stage games and scoring a goal against Slovakia en route to the quarterfinals.
Now in his fourth season with the Earthquakes’ first team where he has two assists in 10 matches in 2025, Tsakiris has tallied 60 career appearances (33 starts) in Major League Soccer play after graduating from the Quakes Academy to sign a contract as a Homegrown Player in 2022. He was one of the youngest players to appear in the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs at age 18.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005, are age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Mitrović selected 11 players born in 2005, eight born in 2006 and two born in 2007. The youngest members of the USA’s 2023 U-20 World Cup roster, Tsakiris and defender Joshua Wynder return for a second edition of the tournament, while forwards Peyton Miller and Zavier Gozo are also age-eligible for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The participation in FIFA tournaments by U.S. Soccer’s Youth National Teams is part of the Federation’s continued focus on the U.S. Way philosophy, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.
The U.S. will look to build on its history of success at the U-20 World Cup as the only nation to reach the quarterfinals of the last four tournaments and one of just two countries to qualify for the last six editions alongside New Zealand.
The USA qualified for the World Cup with a runner-up finish at the 2024 Concacaf Men’s U-20 Championship in Mexico. Thirteen players return from the squad that helped the U.S. clinch a sixth-straight U-20 World Cup berth and 18th overall appearance in the competition.
FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-20 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.; 7/0), 21-Duran Ferree (San Diego FC; San Diego, Calif.; 1/0), 1-Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona/ESP; Miramar, Fla.; 5/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Reed Baker-Whiting (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.; 7/0), 18- Luca Bombino (San Diego FC; Saugus, Calif.; 9/0), 5-Noah Cobb (Colorado Rapids; Chattanooga, Tenn.; 13/0), 16-Ethan Kohler (SC Verl/GER; Campbell, Calif.; 12/1), 3- Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; 16/0), 17-Francis Westfield (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 7/0), 4-Joshua Wynder (Benfica/POR; Louisville, Ky.; 11/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 19-Matthew Corcoran (Nashville SC; Dallas, Texas; 5/1), 8- Benjamin Cremaschi (Parma/ITA; Key Biscayne, Fla.; 9/2), 14-Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio; 14/2), 6-Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo; Chicago, Ill.; 15/1), 15-Pedro Soma (San Diego FC; Coconut Creek, Fla.; 15/2), 10-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 23/8)
FORWARDS (5): 11-Luke Brennan (Atlanta United; Atlanta, Ga.; 10/2), 7-Cole Campbell (Borussia Dortmund/GER; Peachtree City, Ga.; 3/0), 20-Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake City; Eagle Mountain, Utah; 11/2), 13-Peyton Miller (New England Revolution; Unionville, Conn.; 6/1), 9-Marcos Zambrano (Real Salt Lake; Gladwyne, Pa.; 13/6)
U-20 WORLD CUP TO THE MAIN EVENT
The U-20 World Cup has been a proving ground for international stars around the globe and it’s certainly served its purpose in developing big contributors for the USMNT at future senior World Cups. Since first participating at the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, 44 players that represented the USA at a U-20 World Cup went on to make a senior FIFA World Cup roster. Twelve of those 44 players also went on to earn 100 caps for the USMNT: Jeff Agoos, Jozy Altidore, Marcelo Balboa, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley, Paul Caligiuri, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Kasey Keller and Tony Meola. More recently, nine players with U-20 World Cup experience were part of the USA squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luca de la Torre, Sergiño Dest, Shaq Moore, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah and DeAndre Yedlin.
ABOUT THE FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP
The 2025 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. All three of the USA’s group stage games will be played at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua. The capital city of Santiago, as well as Talca and Valparaiso will also serve as hosts for the tournament.
ABOUT THE U.S. WAY
The U.S. Way is a shared philosophy, strategy and a practical toolkit to enable excellence at every level of the game and for us to win. The U.S. Way is intended to work in partnership between the club and National Team environment to cultivate the next generation of talent with three areas of focus: World Class Development Pathways and Environments, including scaled Talent Identification, expanded Youth National Team programming and accelerated development and foundation building across the Extended National Teams; Shared and Scaled Infrastructure, highlighted by the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, U.S. Way digital platform and unified youth calendar; and Professional Development for the Entire Ecosystem, featuring formal courses, technical and administrative staff community building, leadership development, and best practice resource sharing. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision/us-way.
