Sporting Kansas City defender Jaylin Lindsey has been named to the United States Under-20 Men’s National Team for the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship, which takes place from Nov. 1-21 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Lindsey is part of a 20-player roster assembled by head coach Tab Ramos as the U.S. U-20s look to defend their confederation title, having won the 2017 edition in Costa Rica. The 2018 competition is Concacaf’s largest U-20 World Cup qualifying tournament ever, featuring 34 member nations. The top four finishers will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, set for May 23 to June 15 in Poland.
As the tournament’s No. 1 seed, the U.S. will play five group stage matches in Group A from Nov. 1-9. The newly formatted Concacaf U-20 Championship features four groups of six teams and two groups of five teams.
U.S. U-20 schedule: Concacaf U-20 Championship (Group A)
- Thursday, Nov. 1 vs. Puerto Rico
- Saturday, Nov. 3 vs. U.S. Virgin Islands
- Monday, Nov. 5 vs. Trinidad and Tobago
- Wednesday, Nov. 7 vs. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Friday, Nov. 9 vs. Suriname
Following round-robin group play, the top team in each of the six groups will advance to the qualification stage, where they will be divided into two groups of three. After a second edition of round-robin play, the two group winners plus the second-place finishers will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Additionally, the two group winners will advance to the tournament final to determine the regional champion.
2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Brady Scott (FC Koln; Petaluma, Calif.), 12-CJ Dos Santos (S.L Benfica; Philadelphia, Pa.)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting KC; Charlotte, N.C.), 3-Chris Gloster (Hannover 96; South Orange, N.J.), 4-Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; Bear, Del.), 5-Matthew Real (Philadelphia Union; Drexel Hill, Pa.), 14-Manny Perez (N.C. State; Garner, N.C.), 16-Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompac, Calif.), 19-Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Brandon Servania (FC Dallas; Birmingham, Ala.), 8-Juan Pablo Torres (K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen; Lilburn, Ga.), 8-Alex Mendez (SC Frieburg; Los Angeles, Calif.), 10-Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Tex.), 15-Anthony Fontana (Philadelphia Union; Newark, Del.), 18-Isaac Angking (New England Revolution; Providence, R.I.)
FORWARDS (5): 9-Justin Rennicks (Indiana Univ.; Hamilton, Mass.), 11-Ulysses Llanez (Unattached; Lynwood, Calif.), 13-Griffin Dorsey (Indiana Univ.; Evergreen, Colo.), 17-Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Detroit, Mich.), 20-Frankie Amaya (UCLA; Santa Ana, Calif.)
Lindsey, 18, has previously represented the United States as a member of the U-14, U-15, U-17 and U-20 national teams. He played more than 25 matches for the U.S. U-17s from 2016-2017, notably earning 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship Best XI honors after helping the Americans to a second-place finish. He made his U.S. U-20 debut in September, starting all three games at the U.S. Soccer U-20 Men’s Invitational in Bradenton, Florida.
Lindsey has enjoyed a breakthrough 2018 season with Sporting KC and USL affiliate Swope Park Rangers. The outside back has started nine of 10 appearances for Sporting KC in all competitions, becoming the youngest player in Kansas City history to play at least 10 matches for the club.
A product of the Sporting KC Academy, Lindsey has also logged six USL appearances for the Rangers, who have made their third straight trip to the USL Cup Playoffs. Featuring primarily as a right back, Lindsey boasts a 4-0-2 record as a Rangers starter in 2018.
As a result of his strong performances over the course of 2018, Lindsey was named to MLSsoccer.com’s 22 Under 22 rankings earlier this month, coming in at No. 20 in a series highlighting Major League Soccer’s best young players. A week later, he was named the No. 11 player on the United Soccer League’s 20 Under 20.
Sporting KC signed Lindsey as a 17-year-old Homegrown Player in September 2017. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native previously starred for the Sporting KC Academy from 2015-2017, competing at the U-16, U-18 and U-19 levels. After impressing throughout his first full Academy season, Lindsey signed an Academy contract with the Rangers on May 6, 2016. A day later, he became the first American player born in 2000 or later to appear in a professional match.
