Soccer Goals: With the US U-20 roster appearing deeper than years past making the selection a more ardous task, Thomas Rongen named his 21-man roster for the U-20 World Cup in Egypt next month. Brek Shea, Dill Duka, Peri Marosevic, Jared Jeffrey, Mikkel Diskerud, Dilly Duka, and Peri Marosevic highlight the US roster, as they prepare to advance far in the tournament.
Despite not featuring Marquee Players, such as Freddy Adu, Robbie Rogers, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, the US U-20 offers balance from the back line to forward. Several European contingents, Mikkel Diskerud and Jared Jeffrey, bolster the squad with their European experience and training. Although this squad might not score the wonder goals from the brilliance and creativity of Freddy Adu, the defensive unit has been upgraded with a very experienced and stable core of players.
Hitting the US youth soccer scene in a meteoric rise, midfielders Dilly Duka and Dillon Power offer the vision and creativity, couple that with the consistent hold-up play of Peri Marosevic and the speed of Brek Shea and Tony Taylor, the U-20 squad could surprise teams.
Proving that the team offered an abundance of talent, Gregory Garza, Vincenzo Bernardo, Bryan Arguez, Felix Garcia, Matt Luzanaris, Ellis McLoughlin, and Guiseppe Nazzani were several omissions that could prove costly if the squad struggles.
The US U-20 MNT play in a group that includes Germany (Sept. 26, ESPN Classic or Galavision at 9:55am), Cameroon (Sept. 29, ESPN2 at 12:30pm) and South Korea (Oct. 2, ESPN2 at 12:40pm). The other two US games will be televised lived on ESPN 2 and tape delayed on Galavision.
Here is the Roster By position:
GOALKEEPERS (3):Sean Johnson (Central Florida; Lilburn, Ga.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas; Middleton, Wis.), Brian Perk (UCLA; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (6): Gale Agbossoumonde (Miami FC; Syracuse, N.Y.), Kyle Davies (FC Dallas; Danville, Calif.), Aaron Maund (Notre Dame; Dorchester, Mass.), Ike Opara (Wake Forest; Durham, N.C.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Sheanon Williams (Unattached; Boston, Mass.)
MIDFIELDERS (8):Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabak; Oslo, Norway), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas), Michael Stephens (UCLA; Naperville, Ill.)
FORWARDS (4):Sam Garza (Denver; Highland Village, Texas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas; Rockford, Ill.), Brek Shea (FC Dallas; College Station, Texas), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville; Jacksonville, Fla.)
What do you think of the U-20 Roster? DId Coach Rongen make the right decisions? What exclusions were most glaring? Share your thoughts.
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