Timothy Weah was picked for the U.S. U-17 team for the CONCACAF Championship in Panama. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Club Soccer)
Three area players have been named to the 20-player U.S. roster roster for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.
The comeptition will be held in Panama from April 21-May 7. The confederation championship doubles as the qualifying tournament for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in India Oct. 6-28.
The local players:
* Red Bulls defender Christopher Gloster of Montclair, N.J.
* New York City FC defender James Sands of Rye, N.Y.
* Paris Saint-Germain forward Timothy Weah of Rosedale, N.Y.
The USA has been drawn into Group C along with Jamaica, Mexico and El Salvador.
The U-17 MNT opens against Jamaica on Sunday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by Mexico on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET and El Salvador on Saturday, April 29 at 11:30 a.m. ET. All three of the USA’s matches will be streamed live on the CONCACAF Facebook page. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter at @ussoccer_ynt.
“Our team is looking forward to this competition and the opportunity to compete for a chance to participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup this fall in India,” Hackworth said. “The depth of the player pool in this age group is as good as we have ever seen. Thus, our decisions in selecting the final roster were difficult.”
The U.S. roster includes four players who signed Homegrown player contracts with Major League Soccer in 2016: midfielders Chris Durkin (D.C. United) and Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC), and forwards Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United F.C.) and Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas).
The U.S. roster:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Carlos Joaquim Dos Santos (Benfica; Philadelphia, Pa.), Justin Garces (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (5): Christopher Gloster (New York Red Bulls; Montclair, N.J.), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City; Charlotte, N.C.), James Sands (New York City FC; Rye, N.Y.), Arturo Vasquez (FC Golden State; Mira Loma, Calif.), Akil Watts (IMG Academy; Fort Wayne, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): George Acosta (Weston FC; Hollywood, Fla.), Taylor Booth (Real Salt Lake AZ; Eden, Utah), Christopher Durkin (D.C. United; Glen Allen, Va.), Blaine Ferri (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Texas), Christopher Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Locust Grove, Ga.), Indiana Vassilev (IMG Academy; Savannah, Ga.), Adrian Villegas (Portland Timbers; Hood River, Ore.)
FORWARDS (6): Ayomide Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton, Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Zyen Jones (Atlanta United FC; Clarkston, Ga.), Bryan Reynolds, Jr. (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri; O’Fallen, Mo.) Timothy Weah (Paris Saint-Germain; Rosedale, N.Y.)
