U16 USYNT April Roster Analysis

James Donaldson (Atlanta United), Keller Abbott (Columbus Crew), Eamon Schorzman (Houston Dynamo)
Donaldson has been a consistent presence in this age group and is regarded as one of the two core goalkeepers. Abbott, who has had intermittent call-ups, gets another opportunity to make his mark. This camp marks Schorzman's first selection to a USYNT roster.

Marcelo Avalos (Philadelphia Union), Tobias Szewcyk (New York Red Bulls), Philipp Eckle (FC Augsburg), Leonard Prescott (Bayern Munich)
Avalos and Szewcyk are my top-rated goalkeepers in this class. Avalos declined the call-up, and Szewcyk’s absence is currently unknown. Eckle and Prescott, both German-American keepers, have represented Germany at the youth level. Eckle has been a more consistent presence in German squads, while Prescott appears to have fallen out of favor.

RB, Eddie Chadwick (LA Galaxy), RB, Nash Dearmin (Inter Miami), LB, Prince Forfor (Columbus Crew), LB, Liam Vejrostek (FC Dallas)

This is a largely unsurprising group, though it’s missing a couple of the top right-backs. Chadwick, Dearmin, Forfor, and Vejrostek all bring considerable experience with this team. Forfor is widely regarded as the top left-back in this age group. Chadwick has also spent time with England’s 2009 cohort. Dearmin has been in and out of camps, while Vejrostek—just three days shy of being a 2010—is a high-upside prospect at both left-back and left center-back.

RB, Alexito Gomez (New York Red Bulls), RB, Joshua Wilbrenninck (Feyenoord), RB, Cameron Mallory (DC United), RB/LB, Linkon Ream (Real Salt Lake), LB, Liam Devan (Nashville)

Gomez and Ream are the top right-backs in this age group, although Ream primarily plays on the left. Despite being right-footed, he's among the most two-footed players in the class. It's unclear why neither Gomez nor Ream is included in this camp. Gomez was a regular call-up last year but hasn’t featured in recent camps, while Ream made his debut in February.

Wilbrenninck has only represented the Netherlands at youth level so far, and it’s uncertain whether he’s been approached by the U.S. or is open to the opportunity.

Mallory is a player on the rise in my eyes. Now in his first year with D.C. United, he's transitioning from winger to right-back. While his defensive game still needs development, he brings strong attacking qualities on the ball.

Devan appears to have fallen down the depth chart with Vejrostek’s emergence, but I still believe he can be a valuable asset to this group.

Tyson Espy (LAFC), Astin Mbaye (New York Red Bulls), Gianmarco Di Noto (Columbus Crew), Hugo Berg (Chicago Fire)

If I had to guess, I think this is the preferred center-back group for Alvas. Espy is very clearly the top center-back in this class by my estimation. Mbaye has one of the highest ceilings, while Di Noto is one of the most reliable. Berg is the only lefty in the group and seems to be the only lefty that's in the mix at the moment.

Ethan Degny (Nice), Caleb Trombino (Orlando City), Wyatt Holt (Charlotte FC), August Nystrom (Portland Timbers)

Degny is one of the top players in this class who has yet to receive a call-up. He moved from Atlanta United to Nice earlier this year, and early reports have been positive. While not flashy on the ball, he might be the best pure defensive center-back in the age group.

Trombino has received one call-up, and I thought he performed well. He also brings valuable versatility, with the ability to play in midfield.

Holt and Nystrom both received their first call up in February, but neither are back. Holt is highly regarded by Charlotte FC and is one of the few 2009 defenders getting MLS Next Pro minutes.

DM, Peter Molinari (NYCFC), DM, Jacob Ramirez (Orlando City), CM, KK Spivey (San Jose Earthquakes), CM, Roko Pehar (Chicago Fire)
Spivey is the blue-chip prospect of this group and one of the top USMNT prospects within the youth ranks. Molinari and Pehar have been pretty consistent selections as of late. Ramirez gets his first USBNT camp. I heard he backed out of the Concacaf U-17 tournament with Puerto Rico because the U.S. had expressed interest.

DM, Adri Mehmeti (New York Red Bulls), DM, Caleb Simmons (New York Red Bulls), DM, Lukas Bruegmann (Houston Dynamo), DM/CM, Jack Francka (Sporting KC), DM/RB/CB, Daniel Barrett (Houston Dynamo), CM, Gustavo Borges (Eintracht Frankfurt), CM, Judah Siqueira (New England Revolution)

Mehmeti continues to not focus on international youth soccer at the moment. Simmons and Francka are still waiting for their first camp invitations. Bruegmann hasn’t been with this group since November, and Barrett, who had been in the last couple of camps, is not included this time.

Borges and Siqueira are two more top players from this class who have yet to join a U.S. youth camp. Siqueira recently transitioned from winger to central midfield, and I believe that shift will significantly boost his development and overall stock. Borges, meanwhile, moved to Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this year and has five-star potential.

AM, Paul Sokoloff (New York Red Bulls), AM, Xander Newstead (Ajax), AM, Steel Cook (FC Dallas), WING, Omar Hassan (Seattle Sounders), WING, Darris Hyte (Chicago Fire), WING, Immanuel Ewing (Columbus Crew), WING/CM, Tyler Gladstone (Philadelphia Union)
Sokoloff, Hassan, Hyte, and Ewing have the most experience in this group. Newstead was part of the November camp for the matches against Mexico but couldn’t participate due to injury. Cook was a consistent selection last cycle but has missed most of this season with injuries, making this his first camp of the new cycle.

Gladstone is the only player in this group receiving his first-ever USYNT call-up. It's his first year with the Philadelphia Union, and he’s performed well so far.

AM, Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), AM, Will Ostrander (San Jose Earthquakes), AM, Willy Ferreira (Philadelphia Union), AM, Ademar Chavez (FC Cincinnati), WING, Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmunt), WING/LB, Manu Romero (Real Madrid), WING, Kashan Hines (Sporting KC), WING, Makai Wells (Barca Residency), WING, Matthew Dimareli (Houston Dynamo), WING, Jakob Garcia (Orlando City), WING, Jordyn Eason (FC Dallas), WING, Kairo Smith-Phillips (Crystal Palace)

Sullivan is one of my two highest-rated USYNT prospects, and both he and his counterpart have already been promoted beyond this age group. Ostrander, Ferreira, Chavez, Dimareli, Garcia, and Eason all have prior experience, but were not selected this time around.

Romero is one of the top players in this class, but is just returning from a long injury and does not typically attend camps that are not in Europe.

Smith-Phillips earned his first USYNT call-up in February, and I believe he has the potential to make a significant impact. Hines and Wells have yet to receive an opportunity, but both are deserving of one.

Malik Jakupovic (Philadelphia Union), Matthias Vieux (Inter Miami)
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Jakupovic is a standout player in this class and, in my opinion, one of the top two strikers. Vieux is receiving his first USYNT call-up, and I’ve been impressed with his game for some time, so I’m glad to see him getting this opportunity.

Zidane Cadet (Inter Miami), Aaron Medina (LA Galaxy), James Bilden (NYCFC), Van Parker (Real Salt Lake)
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Cadet has missed the last two camps following a challenging November camp, but I still consider him one of the most talented players in this class. Medina and Bilden have both been called up to recent camps but have yet to earn a second selection.

Parker had an excellent GA Cup and I think that if the selections had been made a few later, he would probably have rode that momentum to a selection. He is still awaiting his first selection.

GK, Marcelo Avalos (Philadelphia Union), GK, Tobias Szewcyk (New York Red Bulls), RB, Alexito Gomez (New York Red Bulls), RB/LB, Linkon Ream (Real Salt Lake), CB, Ethan Degny (Nice), CM Gustavo Borges (Eintracht Frankfurt), CM, Judah Sequiera (New England Revolution), WING, Kashan Hines (Sporting KC), WING, Makai Wells (Barca Resindecy), CF, Zidane Cadet (Inter Miami), CF, Van Parker (Real Salt Lake)

There are a lot of deserving players that were not invited to this camp and many players still awaiting their first opportunity. I am not totally clear on the reasoning for all of these players. Some of these guys were not invited, some may not be fully healthy and some may not have been released, but I think it's fair to say many of these players were overlooked and continue to get overlooked.

GK, Eamon Schorzman (Houston Dynamo), DM, Jacob Ramirez (Orlando City), WING, Tyler Gladstone (Philadelphia Union), CF, Matthias Vieux (Inter Miami)
None of the four newcomers were, in my opinion, banging down the door for a call-up, but I’m always glad to see new players get an opportunity. I’m probably most excited to see Vieux included.
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There are six players in this class who entered this window without a USYNT camp invite but are, in my view, very deserving: Ethan Degny, Gustavo Borges, Judah Sequeira, Kashan Hines, Makai Wells, and Van Parker. Degny and Borges are both based in Europe, so it's possible they weren’t invited due to proximity—though it’s worth noting that Xander Newstead made the trip over from Amsterdam.

The roster is very well balanced in terms of positional profiles: three goalkeepers, four center-backs, two right-backs, two left-backs, two defensive midfielders, two box-to-box midfielders, three attacking midfielders, three wingers, and two strikers. From a pure profile standpoint, it’s about as balanced as you could hope for.
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Talent-wise, I think the group is solid, but it’s missing several of the top-rated players in this class. Both of the top goalkeepers and both top right-backs are absent, and outside of Spivey, the midfield raises some concerns.
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On the attacking side, there are a few quality central playmakers in Sokoloff, Newstead, and Cook, while Hassan and Hyte offer danger out wide. Up top, Jakupovic remains one of the most talented players in the class.

I like the way the roster is constructed both positionally and from a profile standpoint, but I remain somewhat misaligned with some of the talent identification decisions. In my view, several high-potential players continue to be overlooked in favor of lesser talents. Additionally, some key players in this class haven’t been involved in camps consistently for reasons that aren’t clear. These factors are the main reasons I haven’t graded this roster higher.