Alex Aldaz leads his first camp since the 2009 group qualified for the U-17 World Cup, which takes place later this year. The group will convene in Paraguay for a quick trip that concludes with a friendly against Paraguay on March 28. The team needs to explore various positions to strengthen the group in the lead-up to the U-17 World Cup and this roster takes a step towards that — but potentially not a big enough leap.
The roster
GK, James Donaldson, Atlanta United
GK, Matthew White, Philadelphia Union
LB, Prince Forfor, Columbus Crew
CB, Tyson Espy, Orange County SC
CB, Gianmarco Di Noto, Columbus Crew
CB, Liam Vejrostek, FC Dallas
RB, Eddie Chadwick, Unattached
RB, Joshua Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg, Feyenoord
DM, Peter Molinari, NYCFC
CM, Lukas Bruegmann, Hoffenheim
CM, Vicente Garcia, LA Galaxy (2010)
CM, Kaedren Spivey, San Jose Earthquakes
AM, Jai Bansoodeb, Brentford
AM, Ademar Chavez, FC Cincinnati
AM, Willyam Ferreira, Philadelphia Union
W, Mattheo Dimareli, Houston Dynamo
W, Tyler Gladstone, Philadelphia Union
W, Makai Wells, New England Revolution
CF, Malik Jakupovic, Philadelphia Union
CF, Aaron Medina, LA Galaxy
Roster reactions
At a high level, this roster is a combination of core players, fringe players and a couple of new faces looking to make a strong first impression. The core players, in my mind, are: Donaldson, Forfor, Espy, Spivey and Jakupovic. By core, I mean players that are guaranteed picks for important camps. I'm okay with these guys being here since they're playing an international friendly, but also wouldn't mind them skipping to focus on club growth.
Vejrostek, Chadwick, Molinari, Garcia, Dimareli and Medina have been treated like core players, though I don't think their positions should be guaranteed based on their performances.
White, Di Noto, Bruegmann, Chavez, Ferreira, Gladstone and Wells have all been in multiple camps and are getting another chance to move up the depth chart. I like the Bruegmann, Chavez and Wells selections the most. Bruegmann adds ball progression and physicality to a midfield that lacked a bit of that at World Cup Qualifying. Chavez adds final third playmaking. Wells adds some 1v1 ability that was lacking from the wide attackers at World Cup Qualifying.
Wilbrenninck and Bansoodeb are two European-based dual nationals getting their first camps. Wilbrenninck has been capped multiple times by the Netherlands but wasn't cap-tied during the U-17 European Qualifiers even though he was on the squad, making him eligible to play for the United States without a one-time switch. Right-back has been a position of weakness for a while and it's good to see some experimentation here.
Bansoodeb is a player I've been calling for. He's an attack-minded midfielder that brings size and playmaking to the team at a position that could use a boost.
Top 5 eligible players that have not been in camp
CB, Rondell "RJ" White, Inter Miami
Center-back is a position that could use some fresh blood and White would be my top candidate. I would go so far to say that he is starting to look like CB2 in this class behind Espy. He's got good size, speed and passing ability and excels in 1v1 defense. He just got his first start for Inter Miami's second team and I thought he showed really well — ascending prospect.
CM, Judah Siqueira, New England Revolution
Siqueira has been at the top of my list for players that need an opportunity. He's got position versatility, being able to play as an eight, 10 or wing, and brings a dynamic threat to the pitch.
RB, Jack Francka, Sporting Kansas City
Francka has established himself as a starter for SKC's second team and while the team is poor, he's showing pretty well. It's odd to see Chadwick continue to get calls when he isn't playing competitively and hasn't impacted the team in a big way.
DM, Jett Harrison, Philadelphia Union
Defensive midfield is another area of concern for this team and Harrison has done well at his new club, Philadelphia Union. I think it's a matter of time before he gets his chance.
GK, Philipp Eckle, FC Augsburg
Eckle has been the third or fourth choice goalkeeper for Germany's 2009 team and I'd have to think he'd be in competition for a top three spot with the United States. Maybe he isn't interested, but hopefully the federation has checked in.
Roster grade: B-
I like the mix of players in this camp — some core players, experienced players battling for a spot and a couple of new faces getting a chance to make an impression. I really like Bansoodeb's inclusion. I think he can bring something different to the midfield and may have a chance to stick. Additionally, anytime you can bring in a player with Netherlands Youth National Team experience, like Wilbrenninck, that's a good thing. Bruegmann is another selection I like. I was hoping to see him with the World Cup Qualifying team. Chavez and Wells are two of my other favorite selections. Chavez hasn't been in camp in a while and is a dangerous final third player. Wells recently scored his first professional goal in MLS Next Pro and looked good overall.
My major objections are at center-back, right-back and striker. I really think RJ White deserves a look and outside of Espy, no center-back should be considered a roster lock at this point. The continuous call-ups for Chadwick are a little puzzling, as I've stated before. My preference at right-back is Inter Miami's Nash Dearmin. Medina is another player that keeps getting call-ups even though I'm not sure his play has demanded it. It's also concerning that the top available goalkeeping option, Toby Szewczyk, hasn't been in a camp since November.
Overall, I like the approach but have some quibbles about the selections. That's simply my preference though, and that'll always happen because this is a subjective process.
