Sporting KC Academy defender Jaylin Lindsey and midfielder Grayson Barber have been named in the U.S. Under-17 Residency roster for the 2017 Spring Semester with one eye firmly set on the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Panama this April.
Lindsey and Barber join 30 other players in Bradenton, Fla., with Lindsey returning for his second term with the U.S. U-17 Residency Program. Barber is invited to the program for the first time, joining three other newcomers on the roster.
“These were strategic additions based on what we felt we needed on the depth chart at each position,” U.S. U-17s head coach John Hackworth said. “They’ve earned that invite through their performances in the Development Academy and their opportunities with us last fall. We’re excited to have them and see if they can push for a spot on that qualifying roster.”
Lindsey, 16, first joined the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in late August after representing the Sporting KC Academy and the Swope Park Rangers for much of 2016. He made his professional debut for the Rangers on May 7 against Saint Louis FC and earned his first start on Aug. 13 against Real Monarchs SLC.
The Charlotte, N.C. native was a regular contributor for the U.S. U-17s along the backline in 2016, including starts in all three Nike Friendlies in December that saw the U.S. topple Brazil’s, Portugal’s and Turkey’s U-17 sides by a combined score of 15-2.
Barber, 16, moved to Kansas City from Blythewood, S.C. in August 2015 and has since made 39 appearances for the SKC Academy while splitting time between the U-18s and the U-16s, scoring 14 goals from midfield.
Barber has spent significant time training with the Swope Park Rangers, and appeared for the club in a bye-week scrimmage against the University of Tulsa on April 16, 2016. Barber was previously selected for a U.S. U-17s training camp in May 2016.
Both players will spend the next few months with the U.S. U-17s as the side prepares for the CONCACAF U-17 Championship, which acts as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October.
