CHICAGO – U.S. Under-15 Boys’ National Team head coach Tony Lepore has named a 20-player roster to participate at the Copa Mexico de Naciones tournament in Mexico City. Among the names included on the list were Earthquakes Youth Development Academy goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski and midfielder Amir Bashti.
The U.S. was drawn into Group B with Spain, Colombia and Costa Rica. Group A is composed of host nation Mexico, Canada, Chile and Nigeria.
The U.S. U-15 Boys’ National Team opens Group A play against Spain on Monday, June 18, at 12 p.m. CT. Group matches continue for the U.S. against Costa Rica on June 19 at 12 p.m. CT and Colombia on June 20 at 12 p.m. CT. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinal round on June 22. The tournament final is scheduled for June 24.
U.S. U-15 BNT Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2):J.T. Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes Academy; Alamo Calif.), Abraham Romero (LA Galaxy Academy; Altadena, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): David Chavez (Juventus Sport Club; Redwood City, Calif.), Chris Gomez (PDA; Jamison, Pa.), Malcolm Jones (Chivas USA Academy; Chino Hills, Calif.), Pablo Pelaez (Albion SC; San Diego, Calif.), Peter Schropp (Omaha FC; Omaha, Neb.), Max Stiegwardt (Minnesota Thunder Academy; Maple Grove, Minn.), Sean Wilson (PDA; Bethlehem, Pa.)
MIDFIELDERS (8):Amir Bashti (San Jose Earthquakes Academy; Cupertino, Calif.), Coy Craft (FC Dallas Academy; Frisco, Texas), Collin Fernandez (Chicago Fire Academy; Downers Grove, Ill.), Maduabuchi Obinwa (FC America Premier; Gotha, Fla.), Martin Salas (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas), Ben Swanson (Columbus Crew Academy; Grove City, Ohio), Alejandro Vergara (LA Galaxy Academy; Long Beach, Calif.), DJ Villegas (Davis Legacy; Sacramento, Calif.)
FORWARDS (3): Mukwelle Akale (Minnesota Thunder Academy; Minneapolis, Minn.), Malcolm Dixon (NY Red Bulls Academy; Montclair, N.J.), Sebastian Elney (Boca United; Lake Worth, Fla.)
Roster Notes
- Fourteen of the 20 players of the roster are members of the Development Academy.
- Seventeen players return from the team’s previous tournament appearance in the International Marveld Tournament in Groenlo, Netherlands, in early June.
- All of the players were born in 1997 except Abraham Romero, who is the lone player on the roster born in 1998.
