The roster
GK, James Donaldson, Atlanta United
GK, Philipp Eckle, FC Augsburg
GK, Toby Szewczyk, Red Bull New York
LB, Prince Forfor, Columbus Crew
RB, Eddie Chadwick, Queens Park Rangers
RB, Mattias Fernandez, Rayo Ciudad Alcobendas
RB, Joshua Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg, Feyenoord
CB, Miles Aalbersberg, Ajax (2010)
CB, Gianmarco Di Noto, Columbus Crew
CB, Astin Mbaye, AC Milan
CB, Josh Munson, Red Bull New York
DM, Deven Cadigan, Red Bull New York
DM, Peter Molinari, NYCFC
CM, Lukas Bruegmann, Hoffenheim
CM, Judah Siqueira, New England Revolution
CM, Kaedren "KK" Spivey, San Jose Earthquakes
CM, Ignacio Suarez-Couri, Atlanta United
AM, Vinny Garcia, LA Galaxy (2010)
AM, Robert Turdean, Chicago Fire (2010)
W, Immanuel Ewing, Columbus Crew
W, Will Ostrander, PSV Eindhoven
W, Edward Wumah III, Girona
CF, Malik Jakupovic, Philadelphia Union
CF, Aaron Medina, LA Galaxy
Roster reactions
Goalkeeper
There are no surprises in this group. The only surprise would be if any of these three aren't on the World Cup roster. It looks like the United States is winning the recruiting battle with Germany for Eckle, which is good news. He isn't GK1 for this age group, but he's a talented prospect who's nice to have in the pipeline.
Full-backs
Right-back has been the biggest problem area for this generation, and Aldaz has largely stuck with the same group we've seen struggle there. There may be availability factors I'm not aware of, but based on what we've seen on the field, it's the position I'm most worried about. On a positive note, Wilbrenninck-van Cuilenborg is a player we haven't seen much of and could be an upgrade. He's a Dutch-American who has been with both the Netherlands and U.S. youth national teams. Chadwick is the incumbent. Fernandez got his first action in the June camp in Brazil, where the United States faced Brazil twice and really struggled.
Forfor has been LB1 for this age group for a while and I don't expect that to change, nor should it. There isn't another natural left-back on this roster, so I expect the right-backs to deputize there.
Center-backs
There's been a shake-up in the center-back group. The two new faces are Aalbersberg, a 2010 Dutch-American from Ajax, and Munson, a towering left-footed center-back from Red Bull New York. The United States has been in a back-and-forth recruiting battle with the Netherlands for Aalbersberg. It appears U.S. Soccer decided to call him up an age group to strengthen its claim on him through the U17 World Cup. Do I think he's the level of prospect deserving of that? No. But center-back is a huge position of need in the USMNT pipeline and he's a very good ball-playing center-back, so I get it.
Munson is a raw talent who has become more consistent this year in MLS NEXT Pro. He recently signed his first professional contract with Red Bull New York. He still has a lot of maturing to do, but the talent is there. He's around 6-6, moves well and has some ability on the ball.
Di Noto and Mbaye are the two veterans in this age group. Mbaye should be on the roster, but I'm not as convinced by Di Noto. The omission that stands out most to me is CB, Tyson Espy, Orange County SC, my CB1 for this age group. He hasn't been playing a ton for Orange County, and there may be context we're not seeing, but from the outside his absence is a concern. Ethan Degny, Nice, RJ White, Inter Miami and Mateo McClean, LA Galaxy are all players I would've liked to see here, assuming they were available.
I'm a little nervous about how the World Cup center-back group is shaping up.
Pivots
The two defensive-minded midfielders are Cadigan and Molinari. Neither is a top prospect, but both had solid seasons in MLS NEXT Pro and there aren't any more obvious options. I'm intrigued by Jett Harrison, Philadelphia Union. He's been playing a lot of right-back, though, and doesn't have the second-team pedigree these two have, so I'm not surprised he isn't here yet.
The box-to-box options are more exciting. Bruegmann is a really important addition. He isn't locked in with the U.S. yet and I know Germany has shown interest. He's one of the top midfield options in this class and it's important he makes the World Cup roster. Spivey is another top player for this group and will be critical to its success.
Siqueira is finally getting his first call-up, and it's long overdue. He should add ball progression and playmaking to this group and will have the chance to impress his way onto the World Cup roster. I have no issue with Suarez-Couri being in camp either. There are really no objections from me on this group.
Attacking midfielders
The two more attacking midfielders, Garcia and Turdean, are both 2010s playing up an age group. Neither has fully shown he's ready to play up yet, though Garcia's progression in MLS NEXT Pro suggests he's closer. Garcia can play in the pivot or as more of a No. 10. Turdean can play centrally or as a pocket winger.
I understand why U.S. Soccer is playing these two up. The only other viable option I see is AM, Jai Bansoodeb, Brentford.
Wingers
One of the most important selections in this camp is Wumah. He looks like he could be the top available winger for this team. He's played for both Norway and the United States. With the U.S. facing Norway in this camp, it appears Wumah is leaning toward the United States for the World Cup. That would be a massive get.
The other two wingers are Ostrander and Ewing. Neither inspires a ton of confidence in me. I prefer Myles Gardner, Houston Dynamo and Makai Wells, New England Revolution. Gardner is the biggest surprise from where I sit, because he's probably the team's best right-back option and can also play on the wing. He's also had some really effective camps with this group. I don't know everything that went into the decision, but I hope he's still firmly in the World Cup picture.
Center-forwards
The story at striker for this group has long been Jakupovic and who else? The who else has often been Medina, but from what we've seen on the field, he hasn't clearly separated himself. I thought Kashan Hines, Sporting Kansas City was okay in his first camp in Brazil, but apparently he didn't do enough to overtake the incumbent CF2, Medina. There really aren't many options behind Jakupovic, unfortunately. He's probably the most important player heading into the World Cup.
Roster grade: C+
The persistent struggles at right-back, along with the center-back and winger decisions, all concern me. At the same time, the midfield is really solid, and the recruitment of Wumah and Aalbersberg is one of the biggest storylines of this camp.
I'm not overly optimistic about this pool heading into the U17 World Cup. There's plenty I can't see from the outside, though, and I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised.
