U-15 USYNT October Roster Analysis

GK – Alex Bayraktarov, Chicago Fire
GK – Parker Henry, Colorado Rapids
GK – Zach Lapierre, New England Revolution
LB – Isaiah Fabunmi, D.C. United
LB –  Nathaniel Mitev, Nashville SC
RB – Aidan Carlos, LAFC
RB – Gage Lewis, Columbus Crew
CB – Edgar Moreno, Nashville SC
CB – Ethan O’Neil, Barca Residency
CB – Santi Salazar, Orlando City
CB – Jaxson Fulmer, Philadelphia Union
CB/DM – Caleb Chabala, Philadelphia Union
DM/CM – Maxi Alvarez, Orlando City
CM – Thomas Dimaria, St. Louis City
CM – Carter Patterson, Charlotte FC
CM – Jacob Rath, Atlanta United
AM – Sameer Chatani, Silva Soccer Academy
AM/W – Mason Jackson, Barca Residency Academy
AM/W – Arseniy Kopytchak, New York Red Bulls
W – Jeffrey Lara, San Jose Earthquakes
W – Miroslav Levkovsky, St. Louis City
CF/W – Rijkaard Atali, Orlando City
CF – Romer Lara Vargas, D.C. United
CF – Juan Pablo Torres, San Jose Earthquakes

GK – David Jaimes Martinez. FC Dallas
GK – Luan Silva, Orlando City
GK – Thomas White, Philadelphia Union
LB – Easton Odom, Barca Residency
CB – Reggie Bailey, San Jose Earthquakes
CB – Harrison Storey, Chicago Fire
CB – Matthew Leone, LA Galaxy
CB – Dempsey Biller, Chicago Fire
RB – Jacob Mays, DC United
RB/CM – Aiden Appiah, Colorado Rapids
DM – Nick Harris, St. Louis City
DM – Immanuel Adewunmi, Columbus Crew
DM – Bradley Castro, New York Red Bulls
CM – Christopher Gonzalez, Houston Dynamo
CM – Cosimo Tristani, NYCFC
CM/AM – Zamir Loyo Reynaga, Sporting KC
CM/AM – Ryan Schlotterbeck, FC Cincinnati
AM – Gideon Gomez, Houston Dynamo
AM – Jensyn Goranson, Chicago Fire
AM/W – Daniel Brown, Charlotte FC
W – Blessed Chea, Atlanta United
W – Benjamin Flowers, FC Dallas
W – Kenzynton Pierre, Houston Dynamo
CF – Santi Suarez, Atlanta United

GK – Zion Hickson, Real Salt Lake
The best 2011 goalkeeper I scouted last season by a good margin. He moved from RSL Arizona to RSL proper but hasn’t played much while playing up an age group. From the one match I saw, he might have been passed by a few others, but he’s still a strong prospect.

LB – Andre Campbell, Inter Miami
Talented, dynamic two-way left-back who deserves a look.

LB – Dalu Nwazojie, New England Revolution
Less dynamic going forward than Campbell but also capable as a left-sided center-back.

RB – Blaise Blackwell, Nashville SC
The only 2011 consistently playing up at his academy, yet U.S. Soccer brought in other Nashville players instead—odd.

RB – Eli Quincy Green, LA Galaxy
Shows flashes of top-level talent but remains inconsistent.

RB – Wilson Marzariegos, San Jose Earthquakes
Comfortable playing up with 2010s. Given other San Jose call-ups, this omission surprises me.

CB – Miguel Coriano, FC Dallas
Left-footed, composed on the ball, and reliable defensively.

CB – Malachi Joseph, New York Red Bulls
Emerging as a top-tier prospect—dynamic, left-footed, great size, calm in possession, and excellent range defensively.

CB – Mason Washington, LAFC
One of my top center-backs in the class. Elite 1v1 defender, though slightly undersized. Playing up for LAFC but still not called—another head-scratcher.

CB – Wes Wolfley, Phoenix Rising
Maybe lacks elite traits, but does everything well. Given the weakness of this center-back class, he deserves an opportunity.

DM – Alan Boer, Homburg
One of the few European-based players I’ve evaluated. Should get a look when this class travels to Europe.

CM/DM – Jaethan Irwin, Phoenix Rising
Thriving in a deeper role this year and looks really good. Part of a strong 6/8 class.

CM/DM – Davi Pereira, New England Revolution
One of the more well-rounded midfielders in this group. Surprised he hasn’t been invited.

CM – Dino Shang, San Jose Earthquakes
One of the best midfielders in the class—puzzling omission given other, less talented Quakes call-ups.

CM – Diego Ros, Barça Residency ⛑️
Highly technical and impactful, working back from injury. One of the top non-MLS academy players.

CM – Sam Onsarigo, FC Dallas
Raw but talented. Once consistent, he’ll be a dynamic presence.

CM/AM – Maxwell Camara, D.C. United
Plays up at his academy, yet others less heralded got call-ups. Odd trend.

CM/AM – Ian Miller, Portland Timbers
Creative and intelligent midfielder. Likely to be included once Portland attends a regional ID center.

AM – Papo Gordon, Valencia
An early favorite for the top prospect in the class. Hopefully joins when the team travels to Europe.

AM – Darwin Yair Lopez, Barça Residency
A much more exciting #10 prospect than some current selections.

AM – Leo Woehl, Columbus Crew
Dynamic and versatile attacker. Should be in the mix.

W – Junior Diaz, Chicago Fire
Given Chicago’s strong relationship with U.S. Soccer, surprised he hasn’t been called. Adds more speed and directness than some current selections.

W – Chris Fitanidis, Cedar Stars Bergen
Easily one of the top five wingers in this class. They’ve called in other non-MLS players, so his exclusion is confusing.

W – Neville Knowles III, Villarreal
Another talented prospect abroad who should feature in a European camp.

W – Jason Pillado, Chicago Fire
More dynamic than several players already in camp. Should be in the mix.

CF – Carson Starrett, Inter Miami
Without a doubt one of the top strikers in this class. Needs to be called soon.

CF – Quincy Lamar, Chula Vista
Best striker profile for higher levels. It would be embarrassing if he doesn’t get called soon.

I was ready to give this roster a D, but after learning there’s likely another full rotation coming, I’m being slightly more forgiving. Still, the overall selection philosophy at these younger age groups remains concerning.

I’ve said it before: the obsession with small, slow, technical players is misguided. Those players rarely develop into top-level professionals unless they’re outliers. The baseline should be players with translatable athletic profiles and strong technical foundations—not just one or the other.

Here is a closer look at the selections and omissions for each position: 

Goalkeepers: Strong group. Outside of Hickson, the first two rosters have covered most of the top keeper talent. I especially like Lapierre—he might be the top keeper in this class.

‍Full-backs: Fabunmi makes sense, competing for LB2 behind Easton Odom. The others didn’t impress me early this season. Several stronger options exist.

‍Center-backs: Reasonable group overall. Moreno, O’Neil, Salazar, and Fulmer bring value, but three of my top four center-backs (Washington, Joseph, Wolfley) have yet to be called.

‍Defensive mids: One of the strongest areas of selection. Between Harris and Adewunmi (last camp) and Chabala and Alvarez (this camp), they’ve covered the top domestic 6s.

‍Central/attacking mids: Mixed bag. I like Carter Patterson—a late-year 2011 with maturity and completeness—but the others are less convincing. Dino Shang remains a glaring omission.

‍Wingers: Not enough speed or explosiveness. Levkovsky is the most interesting, though I see him transitioning to an 8/10 long-term. Fitanidis’ omission is baffling.

‍Strikers: Atali is a standout talent, though perhaps better suited to the wing. Starrett and Lamar need to be called soon—they’re premier prospects in this class.

Hopefully the next camp brings another full rotation, incorporating players from both prior groups. It will be interesting to see who U.S. Soccer select from the entire pool of players.