U16 USYNT May Roster Analysis

AM, Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
Sullivan has been promoted beyond this level and is no longer considered for this age group.

WING, Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund)
Albert has also been promoted past this level and is not in consideration for U-16 call-ups.

WING/LB, Manu Romero (Real Madrid)
Romero is just coming back from a long-term injury. He’s also eligible for Uruguay and may not be ready—or willing—to face his father’s home country yet.

DM, Adri Mehmeti (New York Red Bulls)
Mehmeti has made it clear he will only accept invites to the U-17 team. So far, it doesn't appear he’s been invited to play up. We'll see if that changes ahead of the U-17 World Cup.

CM, Gustavo Borges (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Borges moved to Frankfurt in February and has only been there a few months. He’s playing up an age group and reportedly doing well. To me, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a core member of this group.

GK, Chelo Avalos (Philadelphia Union)
Avalos turned down the last camp and wasn’t invited to this one—likely a consequence of declining the previous invite. It seems he’s currently leaning toward representing Mexico.

WING, Omar Hassan (Seattle Sounders)
I believe Hassan is currently injured.

CF, Zidane Cadet (Inter Miami)
It seems Cadet has dropped in the depth chart after struggling in a November camp against Mexico. Kids have rough patches, and that was a small sample size. He’s been excellent for Miami and is clearly one of the top strikers in this class. Unless there’s something going on behind the scenes, I don’t agree with him being left out.

GK, Philipp Eckle (FC Augsburg)
Eckle has never been in a U.S. camp. It’s unclear if he’s been invited or turned down invites. He’s been a consistent call-up for Germany’s 2009 team.

WING, Kashan Hines (Sporting KC)
Hines isn’t having as strong a season as last year. He’s dealt with injuries and some turmoil within the Sporting KC academy. That said, the talent is undeniable, and it’s wild that he still hasn’t received a camp invite.

RB, Alexito Gomez (New York Red Bulls)
Gomez seems to have fallen out of the group, and the reasons are unclear. There’s a rumor Colombia is interested, and he may be shifting his focus there. It’s also possible the U.S. staff just rates others higher. Personally, if he’s open to being here, he should be here.

RB/LB, Linkon Ream (Real Salt Lake)
Ream got his first camp back in February but apparently didn’t surpass the other fullback options. I see him as a top-three fullback in this class.

WING, Makai Wells (Barça Residency)
Wells, like Hines, is still waiting on his first camp invite—which is absolutely bananas to me.

GK, Tobias Szewcyk (New York Red Bulls)
Szewcyk is one of the top keepers in this class. Rumor is he prefers Poland right now and is declining U.S. invites. You can’t question what’s in a kid’s heart, but from a career perspective, it seems risky to close off options this early.

CM, Judah Siqueira (New England Revolution)
Siqueira recently switched to central midfield. I’ll toot my own horn—I suggested that move before New England made it, and it’s working out great. Another player still waiting on his first invite, which is unfortunate.

WING, Kairo Smith-Phillips (Crystal Palace)
Smith-Phillips made his U.S. debut in February but hasn’t been called into the last two camps. It’s possible he wasn’t released to travel to South America, or that the staff simply rated others higher.

DM, Caleb Simmons (New York Red Bulls)
Simmons is another player waiting for a chance. I think he’s as good—or better—than some of the defensive mids recently called in. He’s been playing well for RBNY.

CB, Ethan Degny (Nice)
Add Degny to the growing list of talented 2009-born players still waiting on a U.S. camp invite.

CB, Astin Mbaye (New York Red Bulls)
Mbaye was part of the last camp in April and is the only center back from that group not called back in.

All of the players in this camp have been called in before. While I understand the desire for continuity ahead of tough matches against Argentina and Uruguay, there’s really no excuse for not incorporating at least a bit of experimentation in every camp—bringing in one or two new faces should always be on the table.

The goalkeeper position is weaker than it could be, primarily because the top options appear to be favoring other countries.

The full-back group is solid, especially on the left side with Forfor and Vejrostek, though I would have made different choices at right-back.

At center back, the group is anchored by Tyson Espy—one of the top prospects in the entire class and among my highest-rated players.

In midfield, KK Spivey leads the way as another elite talent, but beyond him, the group lacks pace, physicality, and overall dynamism.

The winger group is underwhelming and, in my view, where most of the roster misses occurred.

Up top, the striker group is led by Jakupovic—another top-tier prospect—but the omission of Cadet feels like a major miss.

Overall, the roster is fairly sound in terms of positional balance and skillset coverage, though I have concerns about the midfield’s ability to control and cover space. The 2009 class may be the most talented in the USYNT pipeline right now, but unfortunately, this roster doesn’t fully reflect that potential.