It's crunch time for Tab Ramos and the U.S. U-20 World Cup team, and Brian Sciaretta has plenty to say about the provisional roster—including his predictions on the 20 who will make the trip to Jamaica.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

December 30, 2014

11:30 AM SHARE THIS STORY



his preliminary 35-man roster for January’s U-20 World Cup qualifying tournament as well as a squad for a training camp currently in session in Florida. So we now have strong insight into the coach's views on his personnel six months ahead of the big dance in New Zealand.

Here are my thoughts on the roster.

Three Surprising Inclusions

There are no stunning inclusions on the 35-man roster in terms of quality. For the most part, Ramos selected a strong squad.

But it's very curious to note that Utrecht’s Rubio Rubin and Fulham’s Emerson Hyndham both made the roster despite being with their club’s first team. Since this tournament does not take place during a FIFA international window, clubs are not required to release their players. It would seem as a foregone conclusion that Hyndman and Rubin would not be released for the tournament—but perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for Ramos.

Odds are that Hyndman and Rubin will not be in Jamaica in January but perhaps either or both of them could make a surprise appearance for a part of the tournament.

Similarly, Erik Palmer-Brown has been recovering from a fractured foot and only began training in December. It qualifies as a surprise to see him on the preliminary roster and odds are against him being part of the qualifying team. But given how well he has played under Ramos in 2014, don’t be surprised to see him starting at the U-20 World Cup late next spring.

Two Disappointing Omissions

Boxi Yomba—the Georgia native surprised youth national team followers when he signed a deal with Atletico Madrid over the summer. Yomba, 18, only began playing with the U.S. under-20 team in November for a tournament in Spain, and he promptly scored two goals. As of now, it is unclear if Yomba was simply not released by Atletico or whether he is behind other players in the pool. Competition at the forward position is very intense right now with Paul Arriola, Bradford Jamieson IV, Amando Moreno, Alex Muyl, Andrija Novakovich, Rubin, Ben Spencer, and Tommy Thompson all making the cut, while midfielders Zach Pfeffer and Lynden Gooch are both capable of pushing forward.