Union Academy defender called into United States U17 team for England tournament

Philadelphia Union Academy defender Samuel Jones will get a chance to compete in the UEFA Development Tournament in England after receiving a call-up to the United States U17 team.

The Portsmouth, Va. native is one of 20 players on team, which will be coached by FC Cincinnati Director of Player Development Larry Sunderland.

The U.S. will play Spain on Wednesday, Feb. 19, England on Friday, Feb. 21 and Denmark on Monday, Feb. 24. It’s the first competition for the group of players born after Jan. 1, 2004 that are eligible for the 2021 FIFA U17 World Cup.

Jones joined the Union Academy from Virginia Beach City FC in 2018. He made 18 appearances for the U15 team last season and has made 8 appearances for the U17s in the Development Academy this season.

U-17 USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN)

GOALKEEPERS (2): Jeffrey Dewsnup (Real Salt Lake; Herriman, Utah), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire; Addison, Ill.)

DEFENDERS (8): Logan Batiste (Inter Miami CF; Greenacres, Fla.), Kobi Henry (Inter Miami CF; Miami, Fla.), Samuel Jones (Philadelphia Union; Portsmouth, Va.), Antonio Leone (LAFC; Long Beach, Calif.), Efrain Morales (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Devan Tanton (UE Cornella/ESP; Barcelona, Spain), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Thomas Williams (Orlando City SC; Titusville, Fla.)

MIDFIELDERS (5):  Juan Alvarez (Seattle Sounders FC; Tukwila, Wash.), Eric Ayala (Tijuana/MEX; San Diego, Calif.), Zach Booth (Real Salt Lake; Eden, Utah), Victor Valdez (LA Galaxy; Santa Ana, Calif.), Aethan Yohannes (AZ Alkmaar/NED; Springfield, Va.)

FORWARDS (5): Kaile Auvray (Lille/FRA; Kansas City, Kan.), Federico Oliva (Atletico Madrid/ESP; Madrid, Spain), Evan Rotundo (San Diego Surf; La Mesa, Calif.), Dantouma Toure (New York Red Bulls; Trenton, N.J.), Darren Yapi (Colorado Rapids; Denver, Colo.)