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Real Salt Lake Academy Standouts Richard Ledezma, Diran Bebekian Called to National Team Camps

March 16, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah - Two Real Salt Lake Academy players have been called to their respective national teams for upcoming March camps. MF Richard Ledezma has been summoned by U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director Tab Ramos for U-20 camp in Spain while Diran Bebekian will attend Armenia camp with the U-19 group.

"Both of these boys have continued to make great strides in their development," RSL Academy Technical Director Martín Vasquez said. "The opportunity for these players to represent their countries yet again says a lot about their leadership and growth as players and young men."

This will be Ledezma's second call-up to the USYNT camp after Ramos called Ledezma to the Youth National Team Summit Camp in Lakewood Ranch, Florida as part of the first-ever U.S. Soccer integration camp last January. While with the U.S. U-20s, Ledezma will take part in a 12-day international training camp from March 17-28 in Spain, highlighted by two games against France in Alicante on March 21 and 23. After seven days in Alicante, the team will travel to Madrid, where it will face off against Atletico Madrid's U-21 squad.

A Phoenix, Arizona native, Ledezma has featured in 17 matches for the RSL U-19s this season, making 16 starts while scoring on nine occasions.

This is Bebekian's second call to Armenia after he spent time with his national team in November 2017 for two matches against Belarus. Bebekian will be with the U-19s for a two-day training stint in Yerevan, Armenia before travelling to Dubai for the Dubai Cup in the United Arab Emirates. While in Dubai, Armenia will play three matches between March 21-18, first against The United Arab Emirates on March 23 followed by Saudi Arabia on March 25 before closing the friendly tournament against Tajikistan on March 27.

A native of Palm Desert, California, Bebekian has scored four goals for the RSL U-19s this season having appeared in 17 matches for RSL, making 10 starts.

The RSL Academy sides look ahead to a two-match weekend where it will visit FC Golden State and the LA Galaxy this Saturday and Sunday respectively. The U-17s are set to kick off at 12:00 p.m. MT against FC Golden State on Saturday with the U-19s following at 2:30 p.m. MT. On Sunday, the U-17s will kick off at 10:00 a.m. MT and the U-19s at 12:30 p.m. MT against the LA Galaxy from Carson, California.

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