Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio and forward Tyler Freeman have joined the United States U-17 Men’s National Team for the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship, which kicks off today and concludes May 16 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The 16-year-old Sporting KC Academy products are two of 20 players on the U.S. roster, assembled by newly appointed head coach Raphael Wicky. The four teams that reach the tournament semifinals will also qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil as representatives of Concacaf.
The U.S. U-17s were drawn into Group F and will begin the tournament against Canada on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT. The Americans then face Barbados on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT and finish group play against Guatemala on Monday at 5 p.m. CT. All three of the USA’s group stage games will be broadcast on Univision Deportes Network and the Concacaf GO app, available on iTunes, Google Play and online. The matches will also stream live on the Concacaf Facebook page.
The top three teams in the group will advance to the knockout rounds, which begin with the Round of 16 on May 8 and 9. The quarterfinals will take place May 12, followed by the semifinals on May 14 and the final on May 16.
At the 2017 Concacaf Championship, Sporting defender Jaylin Lindsey and the U.S. lost the title game to Mexico in heartbreaking fashion, falling in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Busio and Freeman will look to go a step further this time around, hoping to add a fourth U.S. U-17 title after previous triumphs in 1983, 1992 and 2011.
Concacaf U-17 Championship: USA group stage schedule
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Time (CT)</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Stream</strong> |
<strong>TV</strong> |
Thursday, May 2 |
5pm |
Canada |
Concacaf GO,<br>
Concacaf Facebook |
Univision Deportes Network |
Saturday, May 4 |
3pm |
Barbados |
Concacaf GO,<br>
Concacaf Facebook |
Univision Deportes Network |
Monday, May 6 |
5pm |
Guatemala |
Concacaf GO,<br>
Concacaf Facebook |
Univision Deportes Network |
Wicky has called in a talented group of players who collectively represent 14 different clubs, 13 of which from the U.S. and one from Canada. The LA Galaxy have the most representatives with three, while two each come from Sporting, D.C. United and New York City FC.
Busio has enjoyed a recent hot streak with Sporting, scoring goals in three straight MLS games from March 30 to April 14. He's the youngest player in league history to score in three consecutive regular season matches. Busio is also one of eight players on the U.S. side that finished second at the 2017 Concacaf U-15 Championship, alongside Axel Alejandre, Gilbert Fuentes, Damian Las, Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez, Giovanni Reyna, Adam Saldana and Joseph Scally.
USA U-17 Roster by Position (Club; Hometown; U-17 Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Norridge, Ill.; 13/0), 12-Chituru Odunze (Vancouver Whitecaps FC/CAN; Calgary, Alta.; 4/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Axel Alejandre (FC United; Chicago, Ill.; 14/0), 3-Adam Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 11/0), 13-Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 2/0), 14-Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 10/0), 5-Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 14/1), 2-Joseph Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.; 14/1), 15-John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 7-Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.; 7/2), 20-Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.; 13/0), 8-Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.; 0/0), 6-Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC; Las Vegas, Nev.; 0/0), 16-Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama City, Calif.; 17/1)
FORWARDS (6): 18-Jack de Vries (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.; 0/0), 17-Tyler Freeman (Sporting Kansas City; Shawnee, Kan.; 3/1), 19-Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Tacoma Defiance; Kent, Wash.; 14/5), 9-Ricardo Pepi (North Texas SC; McKinney, Texas; 6/1), 10-Giovanni Reyna (Unattached; Bedford, N.Y.; 8/1), 11-Griffin Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 6/3)
