Thomas Rongen has announced the roster that will be participating in the U20 World Cup at the end of September.  The US will face Germany, Cameroon, and North Korea in group play.  Every game of the U20 World Cup will be televised on ESPN or Galavision.  The US’s first game against Germany will be shown live September 26 at 9:55 am (ET) on ESPN Classic, ESPN 360, and Galavision.

The group is made up of 10 pros and 10 college players.  Anthony Wallace and Brian Perk were on the roster for the last U20 World Cup.  FC Dallas is best represented team on this roster, contributing goalkeeper Josh Lambo; defenders Anthony Wallace and Kyle Davies; and forwards Brek Shea and Peri Marosevic.

Here is the full roster, some notes after the jump:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Central Florida; Lilburn, Ga.), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas; Middleton, Wis.), Brian Perk (UCLA; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Gale Agbossoumonde (Miami FC; Syracuse, N.Y.), Kyle Davies (FC Dallas; Danville, Calif.), Aaron Maund (Notre Dame; Dorchester, Mass.), Ike Opara (Wake Forest; Durham, N.C.), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Sheanon Williams (Unattached; Boston, Mass.)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabak; Oslo, Norway), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas), Michael Stephens (UCLA; Naperville, Ill.)

FORWARDS (4): Sam Garza (Denver; Highland Village, Texas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas; Rockford, Ill.), Brek Shea (FC Dallas; College Station, Texas), Tony Taylor (Jacksonville; Jacksonville, Fla.)

Who didn’t make the roster?

Many players have gone through the U20 system at some point these last two years but the most notable omissions are Napoli playmaker Vicenzo Bernardo, Hertha Berlin midfielder Bryan Arguez, Toronto FC winger Faud Ibrahim, and Bologna defender/midfielder Giuseppe Nazzani.  Although the four of these players are professionals none of them are getting significant minutes with their pro teams.  Additionally, Arguez and Bernardo are not currently with the first team and are being shopped for a loan deal.  Arguez has had some disciplinary issues in the past both with U20 coach Rongen and the Hertha Berlin staff.

Two other notable omissions that people probably don’t realize are Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore. Both are still eligable to play with the U20′s.

Who to watch?

This group is more balanced than previous ones.  There is no clear cut superstar that is going to put the team on his shoulders.  That being said, here are a few names that you should pay attention to.

Gale Agbossoumonde is a 17 year old monster. He stands around 6’3 and 185 lbs.  The best part is that he isn’t just big he is also a very smart player.  He is still young and might not get the nod over Ike Opara and Kyle Davies, but Gale is still a very exciting prospect.

Mikkel Diskerud is a Norwegian American born in Olso, Norway to an American mother.  Mix, as he likes to be called, has played for the US and Norway youth national teams but he ultimately decided he wants to play for the US.  The young midfielder plays for Stabeak in the Norwegian first division and most recently finished Europa qualifying play against Spanish club Valencia.   Needless to say Mix is probably one of the more experienced players on the U20 team even at the age of 18. Two other midfielders to watch are NYRB academy standout Dilly Duka and Gatorade National Player of the year Dillon Powers.

Up top, the Brek Shea and Peri Marosevic combo will be fun to watch at the tournament.  Both play with FC Dallas and should work well of each other.  Shea is big, fast, and more skillful than his frame would suggest.  Peri is a pure poacher, the type of player that puts the ball in the back of the net without any decorations.  Another exciting player to look out for is forward Sam Garza.  Garza plays at the University of Denver and has been quoted as saying that he is the fast player on the U20′s.   He is a skillful and quick player that is likely looking to land a pro contract in Europe.  Garza’s younger brother Greg already plays at Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Lisbon.

Share your thoughts on the current U20 roster.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 9:56 am and is filed under DU Soccer, International Soccer, MLS, News, USA Soccer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.