CARSON, Calif. – Three members of the LA Galaxy Academy were named to the U.S. U-17’s preparation camp ahead of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in October.
Galaxy Academy standouts Alex Mendez, Jake Arteaga, and Ulysses Llanez were named to the 24-man roster by U.S. U-17 manager John Hackworth. All three Galaxy Academy players have seen time for Galaxy II in 2017.
The players will participate in a nine-day training camp at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. from August 5-13. The Americans will play several friendlies during the training camp including a match against U-17 South American runner-up’s Chile.
“As we continue to prepare for the World Cup, our staff has put this roster together with the idea of keeping a core of the team together while still trying to give opportunities to players that we need to evaluate,” Hackworth said in a statement.“As I’ve said before, the talent in this age group is deep, so it is always a challenge to finalize the roster due to the competition for spots. We hope that drives both the individuals and group to train and compete at the highest level.”
The U.S. U-17’s open the U-17 World Cup in India on Oct. 6 against the host nation.
The complete squad is below:
GOALKEEPERS: Alex Budnik (Sockers FC; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Justin Garces (Atlanta United FC; Miami, Fla.), Quantrell Jones (Baltimore Celtic; Baltimore, Md.)
DEFENDERS: Jake Arteaga (LA Galaxy, Glendora, Calif.), Carlos Asensio (Atlanta United FC; Roswell, Ga.), Ethan Bartlow (Crossfire Premier; Woodinville, Wash.), Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus (San Jose Earthquakes; San Jose, Calif), Christopher Gloster (New York Red Bulls; Montclair, N.J.), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City; Charlotte, N.C.), Tyler Shaver (Beachside SC; Greenwich, Conn.), Arturo Vasquez (FC Golden State; Mira Loma, Calif.), Akil Watts (IMG Academy; Fort Wayne, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS: George Acosta (Weston FC; Hollywood, Fla.), Taylor Booth (Real Salt Lake AZ; Eden, Utah), Blaine Ferri (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Tex.), Alex Mendez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Indiana Vassilev (IMG Academy; Savannah, Ga.)
FORWARDS: Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton, Ont.), Matthew Hundley (Real Colorado; Littleton, Colo.), Ulysses Llanez (LA Galaxy; Lynwood, Calif.), Brayan Padilla (FC Dallas; Frisco, Tex.), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Tex.), Joshua Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallon, Mo.), Sebastian Soto (Real Salt Lake AZ, Carlsbad, Calif.)
