Related Articles Matkovic to Lead 72 Players at U-18 MNT Mega Camp at The Home Depot Center Mike Matkovich Named Head Coach of U-18 Men's National Team

CHICAGO (Jan. 6, 2008) –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.

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.