SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Tommy Thompson has been selected to the MLS Homegrown Team by head coach Landon Donovan.
The 22-man roster features some of the League’s brightest young talent, including Chicago Fire standout Harry Shipp, and Canadian Men’s National Team and Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Russell Teibert. The MLS Homegrown Team will take on the Club América U-20s on Tuesday, July 28 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 7 p.m. ET, streamed live on MLSsoccer.com, as part of the lead up to the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. The Club America U-20 travelling roster was also announced and can be found below.
Tickets to the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game can be purchased at www.chipotlehomegrown.com.
Sixteen MLS clubs are represented on the MLS Homegrown Team. The Colorado Rapids duo of Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids) and Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids) will be joined by fellow U.S. Under-23 teammates Tyler Turner (Orlando City SC), Jalen Robinson (D.C. United) and Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy). Also highlighting the Homegrown roster are U.S. Under-20 players Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City) and Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes), who helped the U.S. reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup this past June.
Chicago Fire standout Harry Shipp will make his second Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game appearance this year. After a remarkable 2014 rookie season, Shipp has continued his fine form in his sophomore year, notching two goals and five assists for the Fire in 19 appearances.
Also joining the Homegrown ranks for the second time is Canadian Men’s National Team member Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC). The young Ontario, Canada, native was most recently part of the Canadian roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and notched his first international goal this year in Canada’s 2-0 win over Dominica in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on June 11.
Donovan selected the 22-man roster from a pool of Homegrown Players nominated by all 20 MLS clubs.
The Club América U-20 team is the official youth squad of Mexico’s most successful club, which has recorded 12 Liga MX titles, five Copa Mexico cups and five Campeon de Campeones titles. Club América took home the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating the Montreal Impact this past April.
The accomplished Club América U-20 side features young Mexican standouts Alejandro Díaz and Rodrigo Gonzalez, both of whom represented Mexico at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The two were also members of the U-20 squad that won the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Diaz, along with defender Bryan Colula, have both made two appearances for Club América in the ongoing International Champions Cup, featuring in the club’s 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on July 14 and 1-0 loss to Manchester United on July 18. Midfielder Daniel Vásquez Sosa also appeared in ICC action in América’s 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy on July 12. The full Club América U-20 Travelling Roster can be found below.
The Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game provides a yearly opportunity for MLS to showcase its top young talent and youth development system. MLS club youth academies have now produced nearly 150 Homegrown Players who have signed professional contracts with MLS clubs.
Broadcast quality soundbytes from members of the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game Gameday Roster may be downloaded by CLICKING HERE.
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2015 MLS Homegrown Team Gameday Roster
Goalkeepers: Matt Lampson (Columbus Crew SC), Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Defenders: Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Eric Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City), Jalen Robinson (D.C. United), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy), Tyler Turner (Orlando City SC)
Midfielders: Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake), Jay Chapman (Toronto FC), Sean Davis (New York Red Bulls), Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union), Memo Rodriguez (Houston Dynamo), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids), Harry Shipp (Chicago Fire), Ben Swanson (Columbus Crew SC), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Alex Zendejas (FC Dallas)
Forwards: Coy Craft (FC Dallas), Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Montreal Impact), Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
