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Five Real Salt Lake Players Named to U.S.A. U-20 Roster for 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

February 9, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


First-Teamers DF Justen Glad, D/M Danny Acosta, FW Sebastian Saucedo & FW Brooks Lennon Joined by Academy Product DF Aaron Herrera to Comprise 25% of Tab Ramos' Roster; USA Opens Qualifying vs. Panama on Feb. 18 in Costa Rica PORTLAND, Ore. (Thurs., Feb. 9, 2017) - Five Real Salt Lake players - DF Justen Glad, D/M Danny Acosta, FW Sebastian Saucedo and FW Brooks Lennon, along with Academy product Aaron Herrera - were named today by U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team head coach Tab Ramos to the United States' 20-player roster for the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, the largest representation from one club. The regional tourney later this month doubles as the team's 2017 World Cup qualifying tournament, running Feb. 17-March 5 in Costa Rica.

"The honor of representing one's country is a testament to these players first and foremost for the work they've put in the last two years to get to this point," said RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar, proud of his club comprising 25% of U.S. U-20 roster. "Their selection is a wonderful representation for RSL, for the USL Monarchs and for our youth development academy, as all three entities have contributed to the success of these players. Everyone in the 'RSL Family' should be proud."

The USA has been drawn into Group B along with Panama, Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis. The U.S. opens against Panama at 2 p.m. MT on Feb. 18, followed by Haiti at 3:30 p.m. MT on Feb. 21 and St. Kitts and Nevis at 3:30 p.m. MT on Feb. 24. All three of the USA's matches will be broadcast in the United States on Univision networks, while fans can also follow the action on twitter at @ussoccer_ynt.

Acosta and Saucedo are the Utah natives of the RSL quintet, with Lennon and Glad calling Arizona home. Herrera hails from Las Cruces, New Mexico, the same hometown as current RSL assistant coach and former Real Monarchs head coach Freddy Juarez, who coached all five players in the club's Casa Grande, Ariz., youth academy.

"This quintet is part of an era in our Academy that reached three finals, as well as a Generation adidas PK loss to an international team," said Juarez, beaming with pride. "These five guys represent a group that has consistently exceeded expectations and have always had potential to take the next steps. I'm excited for them to continue to grow within the U.S. Soccer framework, and Costa Rica provides a huge opportunity."

Glad had a breakout season for RSL in 2016, earning the club's Defensive Player of the Year honors after featuring in 28 games for RSL, giving him 35 appearances in his MLS career. His year was highlighted by his first career MLS goal on April 2 in a 2-1 win at Sporting Kansas City and he finished the year with two goals and one assist. For the second straight year, he was also featured in the Chipotle Homegrown Game.

Acosta played much of his first professional season on loan with Real Monarchs SLC, logging 18 appearances for the USL club. He also played 10 matches for the U.S. U-20 National Team and was invited to play in the 2016 Chipotle Homegrown Game.

Saucedo spent the season on loan to Veracruz in Mexico's Liga MX, scoring his first professional goal in a Copa MX match. For the U.S. U-20s, he scored three goals in seven matches in 2016.

Lennon joined Real Salt Lake on loan from Liverpool earlier this week. Also a graduate from the RSL-Arizona Academy in 2015, he spent most of his 18 months at Anfield playing for Liverpool's reserves.

Herrera, who graduated from the RSL-Arizona Academy in 2015, played 22 matches in his sophomore season at the University of New Mexico. With two goals and two assists, the defender helped the Lobos back to the NCAA Tournament.

USA U-20 Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Jonathan Klinsmann (University of California; Newport Beach, Calif.), JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown; Alamo, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Marlon Fossey (Fulham F.C.; Surbiton, England), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (New Mexico; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee's Summit, Mo.), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC; Oviedo, Fla.), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; Media, Pa.)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake; Salt Lake City, Utah), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls; Wappingers Falls, N.Y), Coy Craft (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Luca De la Torre (Fulham F.C.; San Diego, Calif.), Jonathan Gonzalez (CF Monterrey; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Jeremiah Gutjahr (Indiana University; Bloomington, Ind.), Jonathan Lewis (New York City FC; Plantation, Fla.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Park City, Utah), Eryk Williamson (University of Maryland; Alexandria, Va.)

FORWARDS (3): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; Bethesda, Md.), Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Emmanuel Sabbi (UD Las Palmas; Libertyville, Ill.)

Four countries will directly qualify from this tournament for this Summer's 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea. The U.S. U-20 MNT is looking to qualify for its 15th trip to a FIFA World Youth Championship or FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The USA finished tied for third at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and advanced to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, where the team lost to eventual World Cup winner Serbia 6-5 on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

This year marks the 26th occasion that the U.S. U-20 MNT will compete in the CONCACAF Youth Tournament or Championship. The USA has earned second place in the qualification tournament six times (1980, 1982, 1986, 1992, 2009, 2013), but has yet to win a CONCACAF U-20 Championship title.

Qualifying Format Change:

The CONCACAF U-20 Championship format has changed for 2017 and now comprises three groups of four teams. Previous tournaments featured four groups of three teams or two groups of six teams. Under the new setup, the top two teams in each group will advance to a second-round classification stage, featuring two groups with three teams each. In this second group phase, the top two finishers in each group will qualify for the U-20 World Cup, with the first-place teams in each group playing for the tournament championship.

Eyes on South Korea 2017:

The U.S. has qualified for 14 FIFA World Youth Championships/FIFA U-20 World Cups and has its sights set on No. 15 in 2017. The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea will be held from May 20-June 11 in Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Seogwipo, Jeonju and Suwon. The final draw will be held on March 15. The USA's best U-20 World Cup finish was a fourth-place performance at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.

For up-to-date news, information and compelling video content from RSL's preseason, please visit www.RSL.com regularly in the run-up to the club's March 4 season opener at Rio Tinto Stadium against Toronto FC (2:30 p.m. MT kickoff).

Season Tickets for both Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs' 2017 campaigns are now on sale; please visit www.RSL.com/tickets/royalty or call 844.Real.Tix for more information, including "Crown Club" discounts for those who pledge loyalty to both Claret-and-Cobalt professional sides. The Rio Tinto Stadium box office is open Mon.-Fri., 10a-6p; more information can be found online at www.RSL.com/Tickets . Current or interested RSL Royalty Season Ticket Members can purchase extra tickets at preferred pricing or gain assistance via the Fan Relations Hotline at 801-727-2702.

Coming in late Summer, 2017, the Real Monarchs / RSL training center opens in Herriman, Utah, approximately 20 minutes southwest of Rio Tinto Stadium. The $60 million facility will serve as the daily training home beginning in 2018 for both of the club's professional teams - RSL (MLS) and Real Monarchs (USL) - while centralizing the club's U-18, U-16 and future U-14 development academy youth selections. The Herriman facility will provide adjacencies for an on-site charter school opening this Fall, with STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 300 boys and girls.

In mid-November in North Logan, Utah, RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen broke ground on the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 2-3 years. Each $5 million RTC houses a classroom, as well as an indoor and outdoor field, dedicated to fulfilling a curriculum dedicated to the club's vision and mission for youth soccer training and education, and the continued development of both recreational and competitive pre-Academy (ages 7-12) initiatives across Utah and Arizona.

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