Earthquakes Quartet Called for Youth International Duty

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San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Quartet Called for Youth International Duty

November 8, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Cruz Medina (United States), goalkeeper Emi Ochoa (Mexico), midfielder Niko Tsakiris (United States) and defender Oscar Verhoeven (United States) have been called up by their respective youth national teams and cleared to play in upcoming international friendlies.

Medina, 18, will join the United States Under-19 National Team for training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A native of San Francisco, California, Medina recently scored two goals in his last two games with the Quakes' MLS NEXT Pro team, The Town FC, which advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive year. The midfielder starred for the U-17 United States Men's Youth National Team in 2023, making the Concacaf U-17 Championship Best XI. He later served as team captain in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup group stage in Indonesia. Earlier this year, the San Francisco native was called up to the USMYNT U-19 training camp in Morocco before playing in the Concacaf U-20 Championships, scoring a goal and notching an assist as the U.S. were finalists. Mexico's Youth National Team has also showed interest in Medina, calling him up to their U-20 training camp which he attended in March.

Ochoa, 19, will represent the Mexico U-20 National Team against Venezuela on Nov. 13, and versus Japan on Saturday, Nov. 16. Both games will take place at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) in Mexico City.

The Salinas, California, native made his professional debut in May for the Earthquakes in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, where he secured a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory against Oakland Roots SC. Internationally, Ochoa has represented both Mexico and the United States at youth level. Most recently, he was the starting goalkeeper in Mexico's 1-0 win over the U.S. in the final of the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship and was named MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month in September after recording three consecutive shutouts for The Town FC.

Tsakiris, 19, will represent the United States U-20 Youth National Team, which will face South Korea on Saturday, Nov. 16, and take on France on Monday, Nov. 18. Both games will take place in Marbella, Spain, at the Marbella Football Center.

Hailing from Saratoga, California, the midfielder has stepped up for the Earthquakes' first team the past two seasons, tallying 40 appearances in MLS play. On Oct. 2, he recorded his first MLS assist in a 3-2 win over FC Dallas. Internationally, Tsakiris was a standout in helping the USMYNT qualify for the last FIFA U-20 World Cup at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, where he scored three goals. He also represented the USA at the subsequent U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where he featured in all three group stage games, scoring a goal against Slovakia.

Verhoeven, 18, will join the United States U-19 Youth National Team for training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, alongside Medina.

The Pleasant Hill, California, native was signed to the first team as a Homegrown Player on May 16, 2023. That same year, the defender represented the United States at the 2023 U-17 Concacaf Championship and the 2023 U-17 FIFA World Cup. Verhoeven has broken through to the first team, making five starts in MLS play for San Jose's back line in 2024.

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