CHICAGO (Oct. 13, 2011) – U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera traveled with a 22-player roster on Monday, Oct. 10, to L'Aflas Del Pi, Spain, where the team will face off against Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Russia and Spain in the 2011 Albir Garden Sports Cup. A total of 17 players on the roster hail from Development Academy clubs.
It is the first international trip for the group, which kicked off the fall 2011 semester in September. The U.S. begins tournament play Oct. 15 when the squad takes on familiar foe Mexico. Two days later, the U.S. faces U.A.E., followed by Russia on Oct. 19. The team wraps up the event Oct. 20 against host Spain.
New York Red Bulls provide the most players on the roster with five: Steven Echevarria, Christopher Lema, Evan Louro, Kevin Politz and Wesley Wade. The only other club to send multiple players is the New England Revolution, with Guyllain Kabala and Declan McCabe making the trip. All four conferences are represented by 11 different clubs.
U.S. Soccer's U-17 Residency Program features 32 of the country's top players in the age group converging and training daily in Bradenton, Fla. The team is at the beginning of a two-year cycle that will culminate with the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship with the goal of qualifying for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. is the only nation to have qualified for all 14 previous editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup and is coming off a Round of 16 appearance in the 2011 event in Mexico.