Philadelphia Union Academy trio called into U.S. Under-16 camp

The Philadelphia Union Academy trio of Willyam Ferreira, Isaiah Mendoza and Malik Jakupovic are among 24 players currently away at a U.S. Under-16 training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida.

U-16 head coach Alex Aldaz is overseeing the camp, which runs until February 24. All 24 players in the camp were born 2009.

The players in camp are all age-eligible for this year’s 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. The USA earned its berth for the 2008-birth year world championship last week by topping Group F at the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers. Starting in 2025, the U-17 World Cup is now an annual event. This group of 2009-birth year players will form the core of the group that will compete at the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers and FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The roster features players from 14 Major League Soccer clubs, led by the Union’s three along with two each from Chicago Fire FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC and New York City FC. One player is based abroad in England- Crystal Palace forward Kairo Smith-Phillips.

U-16 BOYS’ NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER – FEBRUARY TRAINING CAMP

Goalkeepers (3): Thomas Burchfield (Austin FC; Las Vegas, Nev.), James Donaldson (Atlanta United FC; Woodstock, Ga.), Julian Pierik (Barca Academy; Scottsdale, Ariz.)

Defenders (8): Daniel Barrett (Houston Dynamo FC; Pearland, Texas), Hugo Berg (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Eddie Chadwick (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Wyatt Holt (Charlotte FC; Moseley, Va.), August Nystrom (Portland Timbers; Portland, Ore.), Jackson Pomeroy (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Linkon Ream (Real Salt Lake; Herriman, Utah), Liam Vejrostek (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas)

Midfielders (7): Mateo Aritmendiz (Achilles FC; Bethesda, Md.), Ademar Chavez (FC Cincinnati; Bakersfield, Calif.), Willyam Ferreira (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Graham Ford (Barca Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah), Isaiah Mendoza (Philadelphia Union; Salinas, Calif.), Peter Molinari (New York City FC; Bayside, N.Y.), Roko Pehar (Chicago Fire FC; Glenview, Ill.)

Forwards (6): James Bilden (New York City FC; New Canaan, Conn.), Mattheo Dimareli (Houston Dynamo FC; Houston, Texas), Immanuel Ewing (Columbus Crew; Merced, Calif.), Malik Jakupovic (Philadelphia Union; Sterling Heights, Mich.), Samuel Sedeh (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), Kairo Smith-Phillips (Crystal Palace/ENG; London, England)