Amherst, OH Native Part of U-17 National Team Residency Program

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera has named the 40 players who will be part of U.S. Soccer’s Under-17 Men’s National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., for the Fall 2010 Semester.

“We tried to find a group of players with a chance to compete for a spot in these important tournaments,” said Cabrera. “We found some under-the-radar players who bring a different type of experience to our team, including one player who was part of a professional environment at Chivas de Guadalajara, so it is a good blend. It is very important that we are all focused on training and competing at a higher level. That will help us during qualifying, which is just a few months away, and we have 40 players we think will help our team succeed.”

Every player in Residency was born on or after Jan. 1, 1994, and is age-eligible to compete in next year’s CONCACAF U-17 Championship and the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico. A total of 24 players were part of the team’s most recent international trip, gaining valuable experience in two international games against Spain and two friendlies against Spanish club teams.

Of the 19 returning players from the Spring semester, eight have been part of the program since the Fall 2009 semester in Alejandro Guido, Kellen Gulley, Andrew Oliver, Marc Pelosi, Fernando Piña, Mario Rodriguez, Nathan Smith and Andrew Souders. Those eight players trained with older members of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup team during that semester, which served as the beginning of the two-year cycle.

Ten players in Bradenton were born in 1995, but only Kellen Acosta traveled with the team to Madrid. Acosta and fellow defender Russell Canouse are the only two returning players in the younger birth year.

There are 25 players who join the Residency Program from U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs, including two each from Chivas USA, Cosmos Academy West and New York Red Bulls.

The U.S. players live on campus at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and train in the morning under the guidance of head coach Wilmer Cabrera and assistant coaches Paul Caffrey, Gerson Echeverry, Paul Grafer and Erik Imler. In the afternoon, the players attend classes at St. Stephens Episcopal School.

While in the full-time residency program, the U.S. team not only trains daily under Cabrera, but also has access to the IMG Academies facilities. The team regularly uses IMG’s state-of-the-art strength-training facilities, as well as some of the nation’s best sports psychologists that work at the Academy. The facilities include three Bermuda grass fields, an indoor dome with artificial turf, two swimming pools, newly renovated student housing and dining facilities.

Beginning in 1999, the Residency Program has given players an opportunity to grow and move up the ladder in the world of soccer and become professionals in Major League Soccer, some of the biggest clubs in Europe and even make an impact on the full U.S. Men’s National Team. The program in Bradenton provides players with an environment where they can prosper as individual players and come together as a team ahead of regional and world competition.

Since its inception, more than 300 players have been through the full-time Residency Program, and more than 100 of those players have moved on to Major League Soccer, or the professional leagues in Europe. Nineteen players have also registered at least one cap with the full MNT: Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Bobby Convey, Landon Donovan, Eddie Gaven, Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Johnson, Justin Mapp, Chad Marshall, Dax McCarty, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce, Santino Quaranta, Robbie Rogers, Jonathan Spector and Danny Szetela.

Fall 2010 Residency Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): Wade Hamilton (Arsenal FC; Murietta, Calif.), Jake McGuire (Chivas USA; Chino, Calif.), Kendall McIntosh (Mustang Academy; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Fernando Pina (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas)

DEFENDERS (12): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Russell Canouse (NY Red Bulls; Lancaster, Pa.), Mobi Fehr (Tokyo Verdy 1969; Tokyo, Japan), Trevor Haberkorn (Solar Chelsea Academy; Roanoke, Texas), Luis Martir (Chivas de Guadalajara; Los Angeles, Calif.), Alessandro Mion (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.), Cole Nagy (Real Salt Lake-AZ; Scottsdale, Ariz.), Miguel Polley (Derby County Wolves; West Bloomfield, Mich.), Tarik Salkicic (Strictly Soccer; Pinellas Park, Fla.), Nathan Smith (Cal Odyssey; Clovis, Calif.), Andrew Souders (Crew Soccer Academy; Amherst, Ohio), Danny Zaid (Camp Elite Guatemala; Guatemala City)

MIDFIELDERS (16): Ricardo Aldape (Lemont Raiders; Chicago Heights, Ill.), Joe Amon (South Carolina United FC; Summerville, S.C.), Marco Delgado (Cosmo Academy West; Glendora, Calif.), Ruben Duran (Las Vegas Premier; Las Vegas, Nev.), Patrick Foss (D.C. United; South Riding, Va.), Nick Gaitan (Albertson SC; Oceanside, N.Y.), Alejandro Guido (Aztecs Premier; Chula Vista, Calif.), Jared Hegardt (Notts Forest FC; San Diego, Calif.), Ryan Masch (De Anza Force; San Jose, Calif.), Nico Melo (Florida Rush; Kissimmee, Fla.), Antonio Murillo (Neusport; Las Vegas, Nev.), Adam Najem (NY Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Marc Pelosi (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Esteban Rodriguez (Cosmos Academy West; Palmdale, Calif.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Colton Storm (HMMS Eagle FC; Mechanicsburg, Pa.)

FORWARDS (8): Paul Arriola (Arsenal FC; Chula Vista, Calif.), Kevin De La Torre (Chivas USA; Winchester, Calif.), Daniel Flores (Cal Odyssey; Fresno, Calif.), Kellen Gulley (MS Chicago Fire Juniors; Clinton, Miss.), Edwin Luna (P.A.C. Tigres; San Jose, Calif.), Alex Muyl (Cosmos Academy East; New York, N.Y.), Andrew Oliver (Westside United; Indianapolis, Ind.), Mario Rodriguez (Central Aztecs; North Hollywood, Calif.)