Josh Deaver once again digs deep to find the latest updates on U.S. soccer players playing for reserve squads around the world. Read the blurbs, watch the videos, dream about the future.

BY Josh Deaver Posted

February 27, 2015

8:03 AM SHARE THIS STORY



UNDER-17 UPDATE

On Tuesday, U.S Soccer and under-17 coach Richie Williams released the 20-man roster that will compete for the 2015 CONCACAF Championship, beginning in Honduras on Friday. Identical to the under-20 qualification process, the U-17s will compete in one of two a six-team groups, with group winners automatically advancing to the World Cup. Second- and third-place finishers will be reseeded to battle for the final two spots. The Americans will kick off play against Cuba on Friday at 6pm Eastern.

The group will be looking to avoid a repeat of the 2013 tournament, which saw the Americans badly outplayed, missing the World Cup in ignominious fashion. Looking to avenge that embarrassing performance, Williams has called upon his top talent, including a handful of young players stationed outside the United States.

A staple in the center of the U.S. backline is six-foot-four center back Danny Barbir, who has settled in with Premier League side West Bromwich Albion after joining the club’s academy last summer. In between his spells with the national team, Barbir features frequently for West Brom’s U-18 side and has been in recent training sessions with the first team. For more, check out ASN’s feature on the young defender from 2014.

Whether he is unattached or still with Schalke, U.S. U-17 goal machine Haji Wright added to his impressive totals on Friday, turning in a brace as part of the U.S.'s 5-2 tune-up win over Bahamas. If I’m counting correctly, that puts Wright at 30 goals to go along with eight assists this cycle for the U-17s. Wright turns 18 next March.

Midfielder Josh Perez finds himself in a similar “unattached” situation. Although Perez has been training with Serie A’s Fiorentina for years, he is still not able to officially join the club. According to Italian journalist Stefano Fantoni, who covers the Fiorentina reserves, Perez is still expected to sign once the "bureaucratic process" is cleared up (whatever that means). Perez picked up a goal and two assists in the win over Bermuda on Friday.

As mentioned last week, midfielder Luca de la Torre is progressing nicely with Fulham—a club which also boasts Americans in its U-13 and U-11 setups. As an automatic starter for the U-18s, de la Torre has made the bench for the reserves several times in recent months. On Saturday, in the final match of the first phase of the U-18 Premier League season, de la Torre scored the club’s only goal in a 4-1 loss to Tottenham (see below at the :34 mark).

Monterrey forward Joe Gallardo is also back with the U-17s, having recovered from a grisly leg injury suffered last August. He returned to national team duty in late December, but has not yet featured for the Los Rayados sub17 squad since the injury.

DOWN MEXICO WAY

U23 forward Alonso Hernandez got back on the score sheet for Monterrey's U-20 team this weekend, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Queretaro. Hernandez has long been a fixture for Los Rayados, but has seemingly not progressed to the satisfaction of Monterrey coaches, who have not utilized the forward since September. Disconcerting: Hernandez has received fewer first-team minutes so far this season than he did in 2012-13. In addition to Hernandez and U-17 star Joe Gallardo, Jonathan Gonzalez, who has featured for the U.S. under-16s, is also on the books for the Mexican powerhouse.

Under-20 midfielder Amando Moreno scored his first goal for Tijuana's first team last week in a 2-2 Copa MX draw with Tepic (the club home of surprise U.S. national team call-up Julio Morales). Check out this recent interview with Moreno, in which he discusses his ascent with the Xolos.

U-23 defender Juan Pablo Ocegueda started for Ascenso MX club Oaxaca on Saturday, playing 90 minutes in 1-0 win over Zacatepec. Ocegueda has played every minute this season for los Alebrijes.

U20-eliigble midfielder Esteban Rodriguez made a substitute appearance for Dorados last week—on loan from, you guessed it, Club Tijuana—as part of a 4-2 win against Correciaminos. Rodriguez has made four appearances so far this season.

TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS

It’s the rumor that just won’t die: Juventus wants 17-year-old Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown and are willing to pay handsomely for him. In pursuit for more than a year, Italian publications (veracity unconfirmed) have reported this week that the defender’s agent made the trip to Turin in early February and have reportedly hammered out a deal that would send the young defender to Serie A giants on his 18th birthday on April 24.

In one of the more under-the-radar American moves last year, ex-Marshall defender Travis Brent completed a move to the Netherlands to sign with Eredivisie side Heracles Alemelo. Since joining the club in August, the Virginia native—who turned 23 last week—has started every available match for the club’s reserve team, making the first team bench for the first time in late January. A central defender in college, Brent has been deployed exclusively as a right back since arriving. College soccer highlights reels? Got 'em.

Moving over to the 3.Liga: After missing two weeks due to injury, former under-20 forward Jerome Kiesewetter returned to action for VfB Stuttgart II over the weekend, playing 90 minutes in a 4-0 win over SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. The 22-year-old currently leads the team in appearances and has three goals on the season.

Since making a return to the Liverpool reserves after recovering from a broken leg—called by LFC Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe, “the worst injury I’ve seen in 15 years”—Liverpool management still has high hopes for 20-year-old Marc Pelosi. Brendan Rodgers, who signaled out Pelosi when asked about his recent call-up to the senior national team. After returning from U.S. training camp last week, Pelosi did not suit up for a 1-0 win over Sunderland.

Lynden Gooch did play in that match for Sunderland, making his return to the starting XI and playing 90 minutes in the 1-0 loss to the Reds.Despite his return to the lineup in recent weeks, the club announced on Friday morning that Gooch would be heading to Gateshead FC, in the fifth tier of English football, on a 28-day youth loan. Gooch, who apparently impressed manager Gary Mills during a 90-minute shift against Manchester United U-21 on Monday, will reportedly be available for this weekend’s match with Bristol Rovers.

Another match, another goal for U-20 striker Andrija Novakovich. With his game-winning strike against Chelsea's U-18s on Saturday—part of a 2-1 victory over the league leaders—Tab Ramos’ target man now has five goals in as many games for Reading U-18. Riding a spectacular run of from, Novakovich was named to the Royals' reserve squad for a U-21 Premier League semifinal clash with Blackburn on Thursday night. Novakovich—somewhat surprisingly—got the start, playing all 120 minutes in a 2-1 extra-time loss .

Taking part in the junior Merseyside derby on Saturday, recent U1-8 call-up and Everton left back Antonee Robinson got the start and played 90 minutes in an emphatic 5-0 win. Robinson helped add to the score sheet late on (1:07 mark below), making a clever, twisting midfield run before dishing off for the final goal.



Former Los Angeles Galaxy and Kaiserslautern prospect Mario Rodriguez is in a bit of a slump for Borussia Monchengladbach II in the German Regionalliga. Off the score sheet since October, the 20-year-old Californian has battled both form and injury concerns in recent months. Having not featured for the club since the German winter break, Rodriguez was back in the lineup for ‘Gladbach on Saturday, starting and playing 65 minutes in a 3-0 win over SG Wattenscheid 09.

KIDZ KORNER These are children. I am reporting on their situations as part of an overall look at the state of American soccer players playing abroad in 2015. Let's all keep everything in context, OK?

Joshua Pynadath is a seventh grader from San Jose, California. Two years ago, he became the first American—as well as the first player of Indian descent—to be admitted to Real Madrid’s famed youth academy. Last week , the San Jose Mercury-News published an update on his family’s unique journey.

Ben Lederman hasn’t played for Barcelona since November as part of the club’s injunction that retroactively disqualified more than a dozen academy players. On Friday, four players were given the OK to return to their respective teams. However, Lederman and five other internationals remain in purgatory.

One American who is playing at Barcelona is U.S. under-14 forward Konrad de la Fuente, a Miami native. He has featured frequently for Barca’s Infantil A, including in this weekend's 4-1 win over Jabac i Terrassa. He apparently scored the fifth-best academy goal three weeks ago—so, there’s that too. ASN Contributing Editor Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter.