Matkovich to Bring 26 Players to The Home Depot Center
U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team head coach Mike Matkovich has called 26 players, all born in 1991, to a domestic training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. from April 18-26.
March 25, 2009
CHICAGO (March 25, 2009) -- U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team head coach Mike Matkovich has called 26 players, all born in 1991, to a domestic training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. from April 18-26.
Gale Abossoumonde and Amobi Okugo were both part of the U.S. U-20 MNT that recently qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup with a second place finish in the CONCACAF Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. Including that duo, nine players on the roster were part of the U-17 Men's National Team Residency Program, including FIFA U-17 World Cup veterans Gregory Garza and Kofi Sarkodie. Garza, currently part of Sporting Lisbon's youth system, is also the only European-based player on the roster.
Matkovich's group includes 17 players who are currently part of U.S. Soccer's Development Academy, representing 15 different clubs. Arsenal F.C. and the Columbus Crew are the only two clubs to send more than one player with Dion Acoff and Miles Byass and Chad Barson and Ben Speas, respectively.
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown | College/Club |
| Acoff, Dion | F | 5-9 | 145 | 09/23/91 | Upland, Calif. | Arsenal FC |
| Agbossoumonde, Gale | D | 6-2 | 185 | 11/17/91 | Syracuse, N.Y. | unattached |
| Altamirano, Jose | M | 5-8 | 140 | 07/17/91 | San Diego, Calif. | Del Mar Sharks |
| Barson, Chad | D | 5-9 | 160 | 02/25/91 | Lewis Center, Ohio | Columbus Crew Juniors |
| Bates, Will | F | 6-0 | 185 | 04/01/91 | Chester, Va. | Richmond Strikers |
| Beard, Josh | F | 5-9 | 155 | 05/23/91 | Schaumburg, Ill. | Sockers FC |
| Birnbaum, Steven | M | 6-2 | 180 | 01/23/91 | Irvine, Calif. | Pateadores |
| Byass, Miles | F | 5-9 | 150 | 12/13/91 | San Bernardino, Calif. | Arsenal FC |
| Caldwell, Scott | F | 5-8 | 135 | 03/15/91 | Braintree, Mass. | University of Akron |
| Carby, Leon | M | 5-10 | 155 | 04/25/91 | West Hartford, Conn. | Oakwood SC |
| Doue, Peabo | D | 5-10 | 160 | 12/28/91 | Germantown, Md. | D.C. United Academy |
| Garza, Gregory | D | 5-7 | 150 | 08/16/91 | Grapevine, Texas | Sporting CP (Portugal) |
| Jahn, Adam | M | 6-2 | 190 | 01/05/91 | El Macero, Calif. | San Juan Lightning Crew |
| Long, Alex | GK | 6-2 | 190 | 08/22/91 | Cary, N.C. | CASL Chelsea FC Academy |
| MacMath, Zachary | GK | 6-1 | 175 | 08/07/91 | St. Petersburg, Fla. | University of Maryland |
| Millington, Nicholas | M | 5-8 | 180 | 08/09/91 | Raleigh, N.C. | Wake Forest University |
| Okugo, Amboi | M | 6-0 | 170 | 03/13/91 | Sacramento, Calif. | San Juan Lightning Crew |
| Powers, Dillon | M | 5-11 | 175 | 02/14/91 | Plano, Texas | Andromeda |
| Sanchez, Jossimar | M | 5-9 | 165 | 09/04/91 | Rocky River, Ohio | PDA |
| Salciccia, Anthony | M | 5-8 | 145 | 01/19/91 | San Jose, Calif. | De Anza Force |
| 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 |
| Speas, Ben | M | 5-8 | 165 | 01/17/91 | Akron, Ohio | Columbus Crew Juniors |
| Valentin, Zarek | D | 5-11 | 155 | 08/06/91 | Lancaster, Pa. | PA Classics |
| Watson, Justin | F | 5-7 | 175 | 06/06/91 | Myrtle Beach, S.C. | Bridge FA |
| Woodberry, London | M | 6-1 | 165 | 05/28/91 | McKinney, Texas | FC Dallas Juniors |
ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Alex Long (CASL Chelsea FC Academy; Cary, N.C.), Zachary MacMath (Maryland; St. Petersburg, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (6): Gale Agbossoumonde (unattached; Syracuse, N.Y.), Chad Barson (Columbus Crew Juniors; Lewis Center, Ohio), Peabo Doue (D.C. United Academy; Germantown, Md.), Gregory Garza (Sporting CP; Grapevine, Texas), Kofi Sarkodie (Akron; Huber Heights, Ohio), Zarek Valentin (PA Classics; Lancaster, Pa.);
MIDFIELDERS (11): Jose Altamirano (Del Mar Sharks; San Diego, Calif.), Steven Birnbaum (Pateadores; Irvine, Calif.), Leon Carby (Oakwood SC; West Hartford, CT), Adam Jahn (San Juan Lightning Crew; El Macero, Calif.), Nicholas Millington (Wake Forest; Raleigh, N.C.), Amobi Okugo (San Juan Lightning Crew; Sacramento, Calif.), Dillon Powers (Andromeda; Plano, Texas), Jossimar Sanchez (PDA; Rocky River, Ohio), Anthony Salciccia (De Anza Force; San Jose, Calif.), Ben Speas (Columbus Crew Juniors; Akron, Ohio), London Woodberry (FC Dallas Juniors; McKinney, Texas)
FORWARDS (7): Dion Acoff (Arsenal FC; Upland, Calif.), Will Bates (Richmond Strikers; Chester, Va.), Josh Beard (Sockers FC; Schaumburg, Ill.), Miles Byass (Arsenal F.C.; San Bernardino, Calif.), Scott Caldwell (Akron; Braintree, Md.), Hasani Sinclair (Schulz Academy; Coral Springs, Fla.), Justin Watson (Bridge FA; Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
National Team Staff
Head Coach: Mike Matkovich (Chicago, Ill.)
Assistant Coach: Eric Yamamoto (San Jose, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Jay Vidovich (Winston Salem, N.C.)
Assistant Coach: Tim Regan (Raleigh, N.C.)
Athletic Trainer: Heather Schmidt (Atlanta, Ga.)
Equipment Coordinator: Beto Cuevas (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Team Coordinator: Whitney Stipetich (Columbus, Ohio)
