U-18 MNT Set For Australia Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney
U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team head coach Mike Matkovich has named an 18-player roster that will travel to Sydney, Australia for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
Jan. 6, 2009
The trip, which takes place from Jan. 9-19, will be the U-18’s first international event under Matkovich, who took over the team late in 2008. The 18 players on the roster were chosen directly from a 72-player MegaCamp that was held from Dec. 28-Jan. 4 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
In Sydney, the U.S. will face Chile on January 15, China on January 16 and round out play against the hosts on January 18. The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is a biannual event for aspiring Olympians between the ages of 13 and 19. There will be 23 countries participating in 21 different sports throughout the games.
A mix of college and youth players make up the U.S. roster, with 11 players representing Development Academy clubs represented. Four players were named to the inaugural Development Academy Starting XI squad as Gale Agbossoumonde (IMG Academy), Jossimar Sanchez (PDA), Hasani Sinclair (Schulz Academy) and Zarek Valentin (IMG Academy/PDA) earned the honor during the 2007/08 season.
Two Texas clubs that recently joined the Academy – FC Dallas Juniors and Andromeda – send a player each to Sydney with London Woodberry and Dillon Powers, respectively.
Another pair of players, Scott Caldwell and Kofi Sarkodie, represent the University of Akron, while Nick Millington was part of the Wake Forest team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Goalkeeper Zac MacMath is coming off a freshman season where he anchored a Maryland squad that took home the NCAA title.
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown | College / Club |
| Agbossoumonde, Gale | D | 6' 2" | 185 | 11/17/91 | Syracuse, N.Y. | IMG Soccer Academy |
| Altamirano, Jose | M | 5' 8" | 140 | 07/17/91 | San Diego, Calif. | Del Mar Sharks |
| Bates, Will | F | 6' 0" | 185 | 04/01/91 | Chester, Va. | Richmond Strikers |
| Barson, Chad | D | 5' 9" | 160 | 02/25/91 | Lewis Center, Ohio | University of Akron |
| Byass, Miles | M | 6' 0" | 150 | 12/13/91 | San Bernardino, Calif. | Arsenal FC |
| Caldwell, Scott | M | 5' 8" | 135 | 03/15/91 | Braintree, Mass. | University of Akron |
| Jahn, Adam | F | 6' 2" | 190 | 01/05/91 | El Macero, Calif. | San Juan Lightning |
| Long, Alex | GK | 6' 2" | 190 | 08/22/91 | Cary, N.C. | CASL Chelsea FC Academy |
| MacMath, Zac | GK | 6' 1" | 175 | 08/07/91 | St. Petersburg, Fla. | University of Maryland |
| Millington, Nicholas | D | 5' 8" | 150 | 08/09/91 | Raleigh, N.C. | Wake Forest University |
| Okugo, Amobi | M | 6' 0" | 170 | 03/13/91 | Sacramento, Calif. | San Juan Lightning |
| Powers, Dillon | F | 5' 11" | 175 | 02/14/91 | Plano, Texas | Andromeda |
| Prozeller, Scott | M | 5' 11" | 150 | 03/29/91 | Sudbury, Mass. | FC Greater Boston |
| Sanchez, Jossimar | D | 5' 9" | 165 | 09/04/91 | Patterson, N.J. | PDA |
| Sarkodie, Kofi | D | 5' 7" | 155 | 03/22/91 | Huber Heights, Ohio | University of Akron |
| Sinclair, Hasani | F | 6' 1" | 175 | 02/05/91 | Coral Springs, Fla. | Schulz Academy |
| Valentin, Zarek | D | 5' 11" | 155 | 08/06/91 | Lancaster, Pa. | PA Classics |
| Woodberry, London | D | 6' 1" | 155 | 05/28/91 | McKinney, Texas | FC Dallas Juniors |
U.S. Under-18 MNT Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Alex Long (Cary, N.C.; CASL), Zac MacMath (St. Petersburg, Fla.: Maryland)
DEFENDERS (7): Gale Agbossoumonde (Syracuse, N.Y.; IMG Academy), Chad Barson (Lewis Center, Ohio; Crew Juniors), Nick Millington (Raleigh, N.C.; Wake Forest), Jossimar Sanchez (Patterson, N.J.; PDA), Kofi Sarkodie (Huber Heights, Ohio; Akron), Zarek Valentin (Lancaster, Pa.; PA Classics), London Woodberry (McKinney, Texas; FC Dallas Juniors)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Jose Altamirano (San Diego, Calif.; Del Mar Sharks), Miles Bypass (San Bernardino, Calif.; Arsenal), Scott Caldwell (Braintree, Mass.; Akron), Amobi Okugo (Sacramento, Calif.; San Juan Lightning), Scott Prozeller (Sudbury, Mass.; FC Greater Boston)
FORWARDS (4): Will Bates (Chester, Va.; Richmond Strikers), Adam Jahn (El Macero, Calif.; San Juan Lightning), Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas; Andromeda), Hasani Sinclair (Coral Springs, Fla.; Schulz Academy)
U.S. Under-18 MNT Staff
| Head Coach: | Mike Matkovich | Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| Assistant Coach: | Eric Yamamoto | San Jose, Calif. |
| Assistant Coach: | John Trask | Chicago, Ill. |
| Team Physician: | Michael Corcoran | Bourbannais, Ill. |
| Athletic Trainer: | Matthew Zalewski | Homewood, Ill. |
| Team Coordinator: | Rachel Grushkin | Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| Equipment Coordinator: | Max Laitner | Kansas City, Mo. |
