U18 USYNT June Roster Analysis

GK, Kayne Rizvanovich (Minnesota United)
GK, Zackory Campagnolo (Colorado Rapids)
RB, Drew Baiera (NYCFC)
RB, Tyson Pearce (St. Louis City)
CB, Kaiden Moore (Atlanta United)
CB, Braden Dunham (Atlanta United)
CB, Jackson Platts (Orlando City)
LB, Dominik Chong-Qui (Atlanta United)
DM, Colin Guske (Orlando City)
DM, Synder Brunell (Seattle Sounders)
CM, Blake Willey (Sacramento Republic)
CM, Ervin Torres (Austin FC)
AM, Santiago Morales (Inter Miami)
AM, Marvin Dills (Eintracht Frankfurt)
AM, Leo Orejarena (FC Dallas)
WING, Jaidyn Contreras (FC Dallas)
WING, Daniel Pinter (Inter Miami)
WING, Colton Swan (Colorado Rapids)
CF, Justin Ellis (Orlando City)
CF, Dino Klapija (RB Leipzig)

LB, Christian McFarlane, Manchester City (England)
CB, Tyler Meiser, Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
CB, Michael Bresser, PSV (Netherlands)
WING, Montrell Culbreath, Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
WING, Liam West, Copenhagen (Norway)

CB, Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union)
Pierre, one of the top overall players in this class, is missing due to injury.

WING, Gavin Turner (DC United)
Turner has been out of U.S. camps for a while. Still one of the top players in this class, and his omission is puzzling. D.C. United not fielding a second team and playing him in U-18 matches isn't helping his case.

CB, Chibuike Ukaegbu (Sacramento Republic)
Ukaegbu is one of my top-rated center backs in this class and has been a consistent call-up in past camps. I believe he is injured and unavailable for this camp.

GK, Giorgio De Marzi (Roma)
From a small sample size, De Marzi looks like he could be the top goalkeeper in this class, but he has yet to be called into a U.S. camp. He also hasn’t appeared in an Italy camp to my knowledge.

CM/DM, Darius Lane (Brighton)
Lane is one of the few midfielders in this class with a standout profile. He’s been a consistent selection and has also played up an age group.

AM/WING, Zane Okoro (Lincoln City)
Another top player yet to appear in a U.S. camp. He hasn’t played for another country either. There’s been interest from clubs like Bournemouth and Fulham. He’s currently out of contract.

CF, Jykese Fields (Hoffenheim)
Missed the entire spring season with injury. It’s unclear if he’s fully recovered.

LB, Tristan Brown (Columbus Crew)
With only one left back on the roster, Brown’s exclusion is surprising. He’s played well in MLS Next Pro.

WING, Darius Randell (Minnesota United)
This team lacks pace out wide—Randell could provide that. Still awaiting his first U.S. camp.

CM, Adyn Torres (Atlanta United)
Once a lock for this group, Torres seems to have fallen out of favor.

CM, Nate Worth (Tampa Bay Rowdies)
Worth seems to have lost momentum in USL. A move might benefit him.

RB, Damario McIntosh (New England Revolution)
One of the most talented uncapped players in this class. Also eligible for Jamaica.

Braden Dunham, Colton Swan, and Marvin Dills are all receiving their first U.S. team call-up.

Dills is the most exciting of the group. He has recently been involved with Germany’s U-18s, and it's excellent recruiting to get him into a U.S. camp. He’s a creative attacking midfielder and not yet provisionally tied to Germany.

Swan is a big, strong attacker who can play as a winger or striker. He’s performed well in MLS Next Pro this year, and with the lack of depth at winger, his inclusion makes sense.

Dunham is a player I’m less familiar with, but congratulations to him on the opportunity.

The biggest concern here is the lack of physicality and pace, especially in midfield and in the attacking third. That theme has persisted across recent USYNT rosters and remains a challenge for this age group. There were options available to address it—such as Gavin Turner, Adyn Torres, and Darius Randell—but they weren’t selected. The only attacking player on the roster that can provide that presence is Colton Swan.

It’s great to see Baiera, Chong-Qui, Dills, and Ellis on this roster. These are some of my top-rated players in this class. I’m slightly surprised that Justin Ellis wasn’t given a look with the U-20s, given his strong season and the lack of obvious options at that level.

We’ll see what the U-20 roster looks like, but overall this is a solid group with some clear weaknesses—particularly ones that may be exposed by teams like France and Argentina.