U.S. U-14 Boys Set to Play Games in Mexico; Akale and Stiegwardt Make Team Again

Two Minnesotans who were called into the U.S. U-14 Boys National Team camp over Thanksgiving have been given the nod again. Mukwelle Akale and Max Stiegwardt, both of the Minnesota Thunder Academy and who were said to have looked good in the November camp, have been called into an international training camp in Guadalajara, Mexico from January 16th through the 23rd.

Head coach Manfred Schellscheidt and his staff will bring 36 U-14 players that are selected by U.S. Soccer’s Technical Advisors and the national scouting network which is made up of a select group of scouts from throughout the United States. The Under-14 program introduces young players to a level of soccer they would not otherwise see at such a young age and allows the country’s top youths the chance to experience soccer at its highest level and in an international setting.

These U.S. U-14 players will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico to play games against Atlas, Chivas, Cordica Select, and Rio Grande Select.

Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Cameron Keys (Lehigh Valley United FC; Whitehall, Pa.), JT Marcinkowski (Mustangs FC; Alamo, Calif.), Parker Siegfried (Newark Area SA; Granville, Ohio), Justin Vom Steeg (Santa Barbara SC; Santa Barbara ,Calif.)

DEFENDERS (10): Billy Abdallah (Cosmos Academy West; Monterey Park, Calif.), Guillermo Bermudez (Albion SC; San Diego, Calif.), Peter Brown (Grand Rapids Crew; Walker, Mich.), Chester Castellaw (Real So Cal; Hidden Hills, Calif.), Malcolm Jones (Cosmos Academy West; Chino Hills, Calif.), Benny Lorca (Real So Cal; Oxnard, Calif.), Jean Orvil Jr (West Pines United; Miramar, Fla.), Erik Pritschau (PFC; Perry, Ohio), Tommy Redding (FC America Premier; Oviedo, Fla.), Max Stiegwardt (Minnesota Thunder; Maple Grove, Minn.)

MIDFIELDERS (16): Mukwelle Akale (Minnesota Thunder; Minneapolis, Minn.), Julian Castro (Concordia Royal; Lorain,Ohio), Jeremy Colvin (LAFC Houstonians; Houston, Texas), Coy Craft (Fusion FC; Glade Spring Va.), Collin Fernandez (Chicago Fire; Downer’s Grove, Ill.), Chris Gomez (PDA; Jamison, Pa.), Cameron Lindley (Carmel United; Carmel, Ind.), Kostandin Moni (Crew Juniors; Grand Rapids, Mich.), Caleb Moore (Discoveries SC; Rock Hill, S.c.), Pablo Pelaez (Albion SC; San Diego, Calif.), Peter Schropp (Omaha FC; Omaha, Neb.), Shannon Seymour (Chicago Fire; Bourbonnais, Ill.), Benjamin Swanson (Columbus Crew; Grove City, Ohio), Alejandro Vergara (Cosmos Academy West; Long Beach, Calif.), David Villegas (Elk Grove Everton; Sacramento, Calif.), Sean Wilson (PDA; Bethlehem, Pa.)

FORWARDS (6): Malcolm Dixon (NY Red Bulls; Glenridge, N.J.), Stephen Elias (Beachside SC; Rye, N.Y.), Alex Knox (Carmel United; Carmel, Ind.), Christian Lucatero (Houstonian FC; Pasadena, Texas), Amirgy Pineda (Fullerton Rangers; Santa Ana, Calif.), Dylan Smith (Fullerton Rangers; Anaheim Hills, Calif.)