Rongen to Bring 26 Players to Bradenton, Fla. as Part of Final CONCACAF Championship Preparations
U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team head coach Thomas Rongen has named 26 players to join the team in Bradenton, Fla. from Feb. 4-15 as part of final preparations for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
Feb. 3, 2009
CHICAGO (Feb. 3, 2009) -- U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team head coach Thomas Rongen has named 26 players to join the team in Bradenton, Fla. from Feb. 4-15 as part of final preparations for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
Included on the roster, from which 20 players for the CONCACAF Championship will be named, are 10 professionals, including six from Major League Soccer and four from leagues abroad. FC Dallas sends an impressive four players to the camp in Josh Lambo, Brek Shea, Anthony Wallace and the newly-drafted Peri Marosevic. Fellow MLS rookie Danny Cruz will represent the Houston Dynamo while Chivas USA's Jorge Flores rounds out the domestic professional contingent.
Representing leagues across four different European countries are Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin), Kyle Davies (Southampton FC), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge) and Guiseppe Nazzani (Bologna FC), who play in Germany, England, Belgium and Italy, respectively.
Also included on the roster are 14 collegiate players who join the U-20s from 13 different universities. Wake Forest will be the only school with two players, defenders Ike Opara and Daniel Wenzel, in Bradenton. Forward Casey Townsend will represent current NCAA Champion Maryland.
After the camp, Rongen will name a 20-player squad that will regroup in Bradenton on Feb. 24 before departing for Tobago on March 2. The U.S. has been drawn into Group A of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship and will open their campaign against Jamaica on March 6 before taking on either Honduras or St. Vincent & the Grenadines on March 8 and El Salvador on March 10.
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown | Club |
| Arguez, Bryan | M | 6'2" | 175 | 01/13/89 | Miami, Fla. | Hertha Berlin (Germany) |
| Balchan, Richard | D | 6'0'' | 165 | 01/18/89 | Carmel, Ind. | Indiana University |
| Cascio, Tony | M | 6'0" | 160 | 03/28/90 | Gilbert, Ariz. | University of Connecticut |
| Cruz, Danny | M | 5'8" | 180 | 01/03/90 | Glendale, Ariz. | Houston Dynamo (MLS) |
| Davies, Kyle | D | 5'10" | 160 | 04/11/89 | Danville, Calif. | Southampton FC (England) |
| Duka, Dilly | M | 5'9" | 160 | 09/15/89 | Montville, N.J. | Rutgers University |
| Flores, Jorge | M | 5'11" | 150 | 09/16/89 | Anaheim, Calif. | Chivas USA (MLS) |
| Garza, Sam | F | 5'10" | 165 | 10/17/89 | Highland Village, Texas | University of Denver |
| Jeffrey, Jared | M | 5'10" | 160 | 06/14/90 | Richardson, Texas | Club Brugge (Belgium) |
| Johnson, Sean | GK | 6'4" | 220 | 05/31/89 | Lilburn, Ga. | University of Central Florida |
| Lambo, Josh | GK | 6'0" | 205 | 11/19/90 | Middleton, Wis. | FC Dallas (MLS) |
| Marosevic, Peri | F | 5'9" | 160 | 05/05/89 | Rockford, Ill. | FC Dallas (MLS) |
| Maund, Aaron | M | 6'2" | 175 | 09/19/90 | Dorchester, Mass. | University of Notre Dame |
| Nazzani, Giuseppe | D | 5'10" | 170 | 06/27/90 | Reggio Emilia, Italy | Bologna FC (Italy) |
| Okugo, Amobi | M | 5'11" | 165 | 03/13/91 | Sacramento, Calif. | San Juan Lightning Crew |
| Opara, Ike | D | 6'2" | 170 | 02/21/89 | Durham, N.C. | Wake Forest University |
| Ownby, Brian | M | 5'11" | 160 | 07/16/90 | Glen Allen, Va. | University of Virginia |
| Perk, Brian | GK | 5'11" | 180 | 07/21/89 | Rancho Sta. Margarita, Calif. | UCLA |
| Shea, Brek | M | 6'3" | 180 | 02/28/90 | College Station, Texas | FC Dallas (MLS) |
| Schuler, Billy | F | 5'11" | 155 | 04/27/90 | Allentown, N.J. | University of North Carolina |
| Taylor, Chris | D | 6'1" | 160 | 05/12/89 | Edmond, Okla. | University of Tulsa |
| Taylor, Tony | F | 6'0" | 175 | 07/13/89 | Jacksonville, Fla. | Jacksonville University |
| Townsend, Casey | F | 5'11" | 160 | 07/07/89 | Traverse City, Mich. | University of Maryland |
| Wallace, Anthony | D | 5'11" | 165 | 01/26/89 | St. Petersburg, Fla. | FC Dallas (MLS) |
| Wenzel, Daniel | D | 5'11" | 165 | 04/13/90 | Federal Way, Wash. | Wake Forest University |
| Williams, Sheanon | D | 5'11" | 165 | 03/17/90 | Boston, Mass. | Out of Contract |
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Central Florida; Lilburn, Ga.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas; Middleton, Wis.), Brian Perk (UCLA; Rancho Sta. Margarita, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (8): Richard Balchan (Indiana; Carmel, Ind.), Kyle Davies (Southampton FC; Danville, Calif.), Giuseppe Nazzani (Bologna FC; Reggio Emilia, Italy), Ike Opara (Wake Forest; Durham, N.C.), Chris Taylor (Tulsa; Edmond, Okla.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Daniel Wenzel (Wake Forest; Federal Way, Wash.), Sheanon Williams (Out of Contract; Boston)
MIDFIELDERS (10): Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin; Miami), Tony Cascio (Connecticut; Gilbert, Ariz.), Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Aaron Maund (Notre Dame; Dorchester, Mass.), Amobi Okugo (San Juan Lightning; Sacramento, Calif.), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.), Brek Shea (FC Dallas; College Station, Texas)
FORWARDS (5): Sam Garza (Denver; Highland Village, Texas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas; Rockford, Ill.), Billy Schuler (North Carolina; Allentown, N.J.), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville; Jacksonville, Fla.), Casey Townsend (Maryland; Traverse City, Mich.)
U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team Staff
| Head Coach: | Thomas Rongen | Sewalls Point, Fla. |
| Assistant Coach: | Dave Dir | Dallas, Texas |
| Assistant Coach: | Brian Maisonneuve | Louisville, Ky. |
| Assistant Coach: | Marcelo Balboa | Superior, Colo. |
| Goalkeeper Coach: | Tim Mulqueen | Lakewood Ranch, Fla. |
| Team Coordinator: | Jon Fleishman | Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| Equipment Coordinator: | Beto Cuevas | Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| Athletic Trainer: | Marcus Holliday | Bradenton, Fla. |
