Rongen Names US Roster For Under-20 Championships

US Under-20 Men’s National Team coach Thomas Rongen has named his roster for the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in Trinidad & Tobago. The roster is headlined by nine current professionals including three who ply their trade overseas.

The roster also features three players-- midfielder Bryan Arguez, goalkeeper Brian Perk and defender Anthony Wallace-- who are veterans of the 2007 Under-20 World Cup which was held in Canada.

“We’ve put a lot of preparation into the CONCACAF Championship and we feel we’ve chosen the best possible players who will help us qualify for Egypt,” said Rongen in a press release. “We have 20 players who have shown dedication to the difficult task of qualifying and have proven themselves during the past two years through training camps and international games.”

To qualify for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt the U.S. will have to finish in the top two of Group A of the CONCACAF Championship. Group A includes El Salvador, Jamaica, and either Honduras or St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Group B, whose top two finishers will also qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, includes Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the host nation Trinidad and Tobago.

The U.S. will be looking to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup for their record seventh time and for the third straight time as group winners.

The CONCACAF championship will be held March 6-15 in T&T. The U.S. players will enter camp in Bradenton, Florida on February 24^th for five days of training ahead of the regional competition.

Players Called Into Under-20 Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Central Florida; Lilburn, Ga.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas; Middleton, Wis.), Brian Perk (UCLA; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (7): Gale Agbossoumonde (Unattached; Syracuse, N.Y.), Kyle Davies (Southampton; Danville, Calif.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Aaron Maund (Notre Dame; Dorchester, Mass.), Amobi Okugo (San Juan Lightning; Sacramento, Calif.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Sheanon Williams (Unattached; Boston)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin; Miami), Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.); Brek Shea (FC Dallas; College Station, Texas)

FORWARDS (4): Sam Garza (Denver; Highland Village, Texas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas; Rockford, Ill.), Billy Schuler (North Carolina; Allentown, Penn.), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville; Jacksonville, Fla.)

Allen Ramsey, Goal.com