UNITED STATES U-20 national team head coach Mikey Varas today announced his 20-player roster for the upcoming tournament that will serve as qualification for both the 2023 U-20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. The tournament is extremely important for U.S Soccer as it will provide important platforms for many of the country’s top youth players and potentially provide and then portent opportunity to eventually integrate into the full national team next summer.

Most of the players on the roster have been part of the four camps that the team has held since last November. But the roster also reflects challenges that Varas has had with securing the releases for many of his top players. Per the rules, clubs are never required to release their players for youth national team camps are tournaments.

As a result, Varas will be without some of his key players who are based in Europe, and even a few who are based domestically in MLS.

The team will assemble in Honduras on Thursday to begin preparations for the tournament. the group stages for the tournament begin on June 18^th and here is the U.S. team’s schedule for Group E.

• June 18: United States vs. St. Kitts and Nevis
• June 20: United States vs. Canada
• June 22: United States vs. Cuba

The top three teams from the group will advance to the knockout stages.

The United States needs to finish in the top two to avoid a potential qualification knockout with archrival Mexico. Assuming that happens, The United States will advance to the Round of 16 to potentially play a team that qualified in an earlier tournament for smaller teams within the region. If the United States wins Group E, it will face Nicaragua in the round of 16. If it finishes second, it will face for 3rd place finisher from Group G.

This Round of 16 would take place on June 25.

Should the United States advance from the round of 16, it will then head to the quarterfinal with the winner qualifying for U-20 World Cup. 

This quarterfinal game would take place on June 28.

If the United States wins its quarterfinal game, it will then advance to the semifinal with the winner qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. This would then present US soccer with the opportunity of having its men's team qualify for its first Olympics since 2008. The Olympics would then serve as an important springboard for the program ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2026.

This semifinal would take place on July 1.                                                                             

If the United States wins its semifinal to qualify for the Olympics, it would then play in the final on July 3rd. Despite it being final, this game is of little importance.

Here is the roster, along with some analysis and thoughts.

The Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Christopher Brady (Chicago Fire FC; Naperville, Ill.), Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas)

DEFENDERS (6): Noah Allen (Inter Miami CF; Miramar, Fla.), Brandan Craig (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Mauricio Cuevas (Club Brugge/BEL; Los Angeles, Calif.), Marcus Ferkranus (LA Galaxy; Santa Clarita, Calif.), Michael Halliday (Orlando City SC; Apopka, Fla.), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; Lakewood, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Paxten Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; Medford, N.J.), Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (FC Vizela/POR; Los Angeles, Calif.), Caden Clark (New York Red Bulls; Wayzata, Minn.) Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, N.J.), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, N.Y.), Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Sillwater, Okla.), Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.), Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders FC; Anchorage, Alaska)

FORWARDS (3): Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Tyler Wolff (Atlanta United FC; Braselton,Ga.) 

Release issues abound

There are several players who head coach Mikey Varus would have liked to have had, but was not able to secure their release with their clubs.

Last month in an interview with ASN, Varas explained why getting the release of players based in Europe was so difficult. In doing so, he was also critical of CONCACAF’s decision 2 host the tournament outside of the two-week international break for tournaments. Instead, the tournament takes place at the start of European preseason which is an important time for young players looking to break in to the first team level at their respective clubs.

“I think that the timing of the tournament, again with CONCACAF not utilizing the FIFA window, actually puts a strain on the clubs and the players - even from Europe,” Varas said. “Because basically they finished this last weekend and they're off until late June, around June 20th. Since it's a World Cup year, everyone's starting a pre-season early. So now they have this long break right now and then during the FIFA window, nothing is done. The tournament starts June 18th, right when their pre-season is starting. What you have to understand is that a lot of these young players are looking to break into their first team and being part of an entire pre-season is really important.”

Then on the domestic front in MLS, there are some players who are important to their teams and these teams would prefer they remain with them. Had CONCACAF, scheduled the tournament earlier, it would have fallen within the leagues break and players would not have had to miss so much time during the middle of the season. Some of the players on the team in MLS are missing between three and five games.

Here is a list of some of the more notable players not on this roster.

Kevin Paredes: The talented left winger/left back was sold from DC United to Wolfsburg in January but had very little time in the Bundesliga the second half the season. He is looking to build a case for more regular minutes this preseason.

Justin Che: The Hoffenheim central defender/right back is on loan from FC Dallas and also needs this preseason to build up regular minutes.

Dante Sealy: is not on the U-20 team but it is not yet known if this is a coaching decision or a release issue. Sealy is based at Jong PSV in Holland on loan from FC Dallas.

Caleb Wiley: The talented left back is based at Atlanta United, which is a club typically reluctant to release first-team players.

Gaga Slonina: The talented Chicago Fire goalkeeper who is wanted by many European clubs will remain will remain in Chicago while the Fire have instead sent its other goalkeeper, Chris Brady, to be the team’s likely starter.

Bryan Gutierrez: The Chicago Fire have also declined to release attacker Brian Gutierrez for this tournament.

There are other players who are not on the roster, but their absence could be due to other factors. Malick Sanogo struggled in his call-ups earlier in the cycle. Daniel Leyva might have lost out to the other midfielders in the pool. Jonathan Gomez is strongly considering playing for Mexico. Ricardo Pepi is a considered a full-team U.S. player despite not being on the current roster.

Central Defense is the concern

The biggest weakness for this team is in central defense. That is a huge concern, because at this level central defense is often the most important area of the field. Having solid centerbacks can coverup mistakes that are common at younger levels.

Over the past decade, The United States has thrived at the U-20 level in large part because of central defense. When the team advanced to three straight U-20 World Cup quarterfinals in 2015, 2017, and 2019, then head coach Tab Ramos had central defenders such as Cameron Carter-Vickers, Erik Palmer-Brown, Matt Miazga, Justin Glad, Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie. All of these players have had strong professional careers.

This group is behind those teams in central defense.

Varas has selected for central defenders: Jalen Neal, Marcus Ferkranus, Brandon Craig

None of these three  have managed meaningful first-team minutes. Neal is probably the most highly regarded of the quartet, but Craig made a favorable impression in March in Argentina. Ferkranus had a favorable camp in January although even the minutes with the Galaxy’s second team have been irregular.

If central defense can play well in this tournament and keep opponents off the board, The United States has an excellent chance of successfully qualifying for both tournaments. This is likely going to be the make-or-break area of the team for Varas.

The lack of a No. 9

For the second straight U-20 cycle (this 2023 cycle and the cancelled 2021 cycle), there has been a lack of strong No. 9 options. Ricardo Pepi would probably have been the option in 2021 playing up a cycle and now in 2023, he is focused on the Bundesliga and the full national team. After Pepi, the options haven’t been there in either cycle.

For this cycle, Varas looked initially at Union Berlin’s Malick Sanogo but the production wasn’t there. As a result, he is going with an approach that will hope players can play the No. 9 (often out of position) but the team will try to have scoring from the wings and the midfield be the focal points of the attack.

“We still don't have a traditional No. 9 in the pool,” Varas told ASN in May. “And nobody has stepped up to say as a more traditional No. 9 that I'm more ready than the talented winger pool that we have, for example. So as of right now, we're still going to be winger heavy and use players who can fit into that position and do a good job.”

On the current roster, the U.S. team has just three forwards listed:

• Quinn Sullivan
• Tyler Wolff
• Cade Cowell

It’s not a bad trio. Sullivan scored four of the team’s seven goals in the March camp in Argentina. Cade Cowell is a physically gifted forward to plays regularly for San Jose. Tyler Wolff hasn’t been with the team very much but has been around the Atlanta United first team.

There are some midfield options who can fill in at forward or on the wings. Diego Luna is probably the best bet. Normally a traditional No. 10, Luna has been a successful attacking player with El Paso in USL and he is now with Real Salt Lake after completing a transfer using the league’s U-22 initiative.

Some players might have to play out of position, but there is talent there who should find a way to get the job. A huge concern would be injuries and suspensions given the lack of depth on the wings or the fill-in forwards.

Strength is in the midfield

Varas should be very happy with his midfield options. He has cover at a lot of positions and he can ask some of these players to fill their secondary positions more roles with relatively high expectations.

In order to find the best combinations for the knockouts, he might continue to experiment during the group stages.

The No. 10 position is in good shape with Paxten Aaronson and Diego Luna having both played well in the team’s first four camps.

The No. 8 positions Caden Clark, Rokas Pukstas, Jack McGlynn have also been part of the team regularly this cycle. Pukstas is one of the few European-based players and recently made his first-team debut for Hadjuk Split.

The No. 6 position will come down to Daniel Edelman and Obed Vargas. Vargas typically plays a little more advanced with Seattle, but he will probably play the No. 6 with the U.S. U-20 team. He will arrive after the group stages.

Varas, however, brough more midfielders than expected and the increased number either shows that these players are versatile and can play other positions. Many of these other midfielders have spent either little or no time with the team thus far this cycle.

Niko Tsakiris is one of just two 2005-born players and can play the central midfield position. He is also the son of the U-20 assistant coach Shaun Tsakiris. He made his U-20 debut during the April camp.

Alejandro Alvarado was previously with the LA Galaxy system but opted to sign with FC Vizela in Portugal. This season he played 57 minutes with the club’s first team as a central midfielder. This is his first call-up this cycle.

Key U.S. players to watch

Here are the main U.S. players to watch in this tournament.

Paxten Aaronson: the brother of U.S. national team attacking midfielder, Paxten Aaronson of the Philadelphia Union has a similar style to Brenden. He should be a key playmaker for the team.

Cade Cowell: The winger from San Jose should be a handful to defend with his size, strength, and first-team experience.

Quinn Sullivan: the versatile attacker from the Philadelphia Union scored four of the team’s seven goals over two games in Argentina. He is likely going to start on the wing opposite Cowell for the big games. That will be a key focal point of the attack.

Obed Vargas: the central midfielder for Seattle has enjoyed a breakout year and played meaningful minutes for the club, including the final, when it won the CONCACAF Champions League. Due to the Joao Paulo injury, Vargas is now extremely important Seattle but U.S. Soccer was able to agree to a deal will see him join the team after the group stages.

Jalen Neal: He lacks first-team minutes but the Galaxy defender is the main player in the team’s biggest area of concern – central defense. If Neal succeeds, this U.S. team probably will succeed as well.

Diego Luna: Another playmaking midfielder who just landed a transfer to Real Salt Lake. He’s fun to watch and he might also use his versatility to play other roles outside of the No. 10. He’s been important to the team throughout the first four camps.

Rokas Pukstas: One of the few Euro-based players on the roster. The central midfielder recently made his debut for Hadjuk Spit but will also play a lot in this tournament.

Caden Clark: The versatile midfielder has found minutes tough to come by this season for the New York Red Bulls but he versatility is important in a tournament like this. Also, he has the talent and the skill to score impressive goals out of nowhere.

Jack McGlynn: the Philadelphia No. 8 has done well with the U.S. U-20s this cycle and has experience playing important minutes for the Union in the playoffs. He might become a key No. 8 for this team in Honduras.