Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown was named to the United States U-20 Men’s National Team roster on Tuesday for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, to be held from May 20 – June 11 in Korea Republic.
Palmer-Brown, 20, is one of three players on head coach Tab Ramos’ 21-man squad who also represented the U.S. at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, where the Americans lost to eventual champion Serbia in the quarterfinals.
“It’s an honor to be named to the U.S. U-20 World Cup roster for the second time,” Palmer-Brown said. “I learned a lot from the tournament two years ago, and I look forward to sharing those experiences with the rest of my teammates in Korea. We have a strong group of players and are entering the tournament with a lot of confidence having won the CONCACAF Championship in March. I know the entire team is looking forward to getting the tournament started and representing our country to the fullest.”
The United States is one of 24 nations competing at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, a biennial tournament in its 21st edition after first being played in 1977. Palmer-Brown and the U.S. were drawn into Group F with Ecuador, Senegal and Saudi Arabia. The top two teams in each of the six groups — as well as the top four overall third-place teams — will advance to the Round of 16 in the tournament’s knockout stage. A total of 52 matches will be played in six host cities across Korea Republic.
“We are very excited to once again provide a great competitive opportunity to our players and are looking forward to heading to Korea Republic,” Ramos said in a U.S. Soccer release. “As always, there were some extremely tough decisions to make. This is a talented age group.”
The U-20 MNT will depart for its preparatory training camp in Japan on May 10 before arriving in Korea Republic on May 17. All three of the USA’s group stage matches will be televised live on FS1. The first two will be played at Incheon Stadium in Incheon, while the third will take place at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon.
U.S. U-20 MNT group stage schedule at FIFA U-20 World Cup
- USA vs. Ecuador – Monday, May 22 (3 a.m. CT, FS1)
- USA vs. Senegal – Thursday, May 25 (6 a.m. CT, FS1)
- USA vs. Saudi Arabia – Sunday, May 28 (4 a.m. CT, FS1)
The U.S. U-20 MNT roster includes three members of the USA’s 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup team, with Palmer-Brown joined by fellow defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and midfielder Gedion Zelalem. The trio takes the number of U.S. players to appear on two FIFA U-20 World Cup rosters to 12 all-time.
Palmer-Brown, who celebrated his 20th birthday on April 24, captained the U.S. to CONCACAF U-20 Championship glory in March with a penalty shootout victory over Honduras in the final following a 0-0 draw through regulation. The center back showcased his versatility throughout the tournament in Costa Rica, serving as a defensive midfielder en route to Golden Ball honors as the competition’s best player. In the classification stage of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, Palmer-Brown scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 defeat of Mexico that gave the U.S. U-20s their first win over their archrival since 1986.
A native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Palmer-Brown has made 13 appearances for Sporting Kansas City in all competitions since signing for the club as a Homegrown Player in August 2013 — 10 in MLS, two in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and one in the CONCACAF Champions League. He became the youngest defender in MLS history to appear in a game when he made his Sporting KC debut as a 17-year-old in May 2014. Palmer-Brown developed in the Sporting Kansas City Academy, where he became one of the brightest youth prospects in the country.
In addition to featuring regularly for the U-20s, Palmer-Brown has represented the U.S. at the U-15, U-17 and U-18 levels. He attended the prestigious U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida in 2013 before making his U-20 debut in January 2014.
Palmer-Brown returned to Sporting Kansas City ahead of the 2017 season after a year-long loan with storied Portuguese club FC Porto. He played 17 games for FC Porto B and helped the side win the LigaPro title last May before scoring his first professional goal against the Leicester City U-23s in the Premier League International Cup in November.
U.S. U-20 MNT Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jonathan Klinsmann (University of California; Newport Beach, Calif.), J.T. Marcinkowski (Georgetown; Alamo, Calif.), Brady Scott (De Anza Force; Petaluma, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake; Salt Lake City, Utah), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur FC; Westcliff-on-Sea, England), Marlon Fossey (Fulham FC; Surbiton, England), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (University of New Mexico; Las Cruces, N.M.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee's Summit, Mo.), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC; Oviedo, Fla.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Luca De La Torre (Fulham FC; San Diego, Calif.), Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Eryk Williamson (University of Maryland; Alexandria, Va.), Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal FC; Bethesda, Md.)
FORWARDS (6): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; Bethesda, Md.), Lagos Kunga (Atlanta United FC Academy; Tucker, Ga.) Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Emmanuel Sabbi (Unattached; Columbus, Ohio), Josh Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallen, Mo.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Park City, Utah)
