LOS ANGELES (Wednesday, May 10, 2023) – LA Galaxy defenders Mauricio Cuevas andMarcus Ferkranus were named to the United States U-20 Men’s Youth National Team’s 21-man roster that will compete in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina from May 20-June 11.
The USA kicks off Group B play on Saturday, May 20 against Ecuador, faces Fiji on Tuesday, May 23 and closes the group stage vs. Slovakia on Friday, May 26. All three matches kick off at 11:00 a.m. PT and will be shown on FOX Sports and Telemundo platforms. The U-20s will train in Buenos Aires for a week before traveling on Monday, May 15 to San Juan, which will host all three of the U.S. group stage matches.
Cuevas, 20, joined the LA Galaxy from Club Brugge KV on April 26 and tallied two assists in 23 appearances (12 starts) across all competitions for Club NXT (2022-23), the youth academy of Club Brugge. During the 2023 Challenger Pro League Promotion Playoffs, Cuevas recorded two assists in eight appearances (3 starts), both assists coming in Club NXT’s 2-1 win over LierseKempenzonen on April 1. The LA Galaxy Academy product played two seasons for LA Galaxy II (2019-20) in the USL Championship, recording four goals and five assists in 21 matches played (21 starts) across all competitions. During the 2020 USL Championship Regular Season, the Los Angeles, Calif., native recorded four goals and three assists in 16 appearances (16 starts). In his first season as a professional with Los Dos during the 2019 USL Championship Regular Season, Cuevas recorded one assist in four matches played (4 starts). Notably, Cuevas tallied one goal and one assist in seven appearances (6 starts) for the U.S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team that qualified for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup after winning the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Honduras last year.
Ferkranus, 20, has made five appearances (5 starts) for LA Galaxy II during the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign. The Santa Clarita, Calif., native made seven appearances (4 starts) for Los Dos before playing nine games (4 starts) on loan with Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship during the 2022 campaign. Ferkranus logged one assist in 35 career appearances (20 starts) for LA Galaxy II in USL Championship playfrom 2020-2022. Ferkranus, an LA Galaxy Academy product, made five appearances (4 starts) for the U.S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team that qualified for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup after winning the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Honduras in 2022.
The 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
All three of the USA’s group stage games will be played at Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario in San Juan, located in western Argentina near the foothills of the Andes. La Plata, Mendoza and Santiago del Estero will also serve as host venues for the competition.
FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-20 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Alexander Borto (Fulham/ENG; South Plainfield, N.J.; 2/0), 12-Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 4/0), 1-Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.; 5/0)
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DEFENDERS (7):* Justin Che (Hoffenheim/GER; Dallas, Texas; 6/0), 5-Brandan Craig (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 10/1), 2-Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 13/1),* Marcus Ferkranus (LA Galaxy; Santa Clarita, Calif.; 11/0), 13-Jonathan Gomez (Real Sociedad/ESP; Keller, Texas; 6/0), 3-Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.; 5/0), 4-Joshua Wynder (Louisville City FC; Louisville, Ky.; 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7):* 6-Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, N.J.; 10/0), 15-Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Sunnyvale, Calif.; 16/4), 8-Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, N.Y.; 16/2), 20-Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Stillwater, Okla.; 12/1), 10-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 5/3), 18-Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders FC; Anchorage, Alaska; 4/0), 16-Owen Wolff (Austin FC; Austin, Texas; 3/1)
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FORWARDS (4):* 9-Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.; 7/2), 11-Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Va.; 6/2), 7-Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 15/7), 19-Darren Yapi (Colorado Rapids; Denver, Colo.; 3/0)
