USMNT Newbies: Reyna, Musah, Richards and Ledezma Headline List of 10 November Camp Newbies
Ten of the 24 players named to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s November roster will embark on their first senior team camp when it opens on Nov. 8 in Cardiff
Ten of the 24 players named to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s November roster will embark on their first senior team camp when it opens on Nov. 8 in Cardiff
There’s a lot of promise in this group, so before they head to Wales learn about the USMNT’s Camp Newbies.
Johnny Cardoso - Midfielder
Johnny Cardoso, born in Denville, N.J., moved to Brazil with his family when he was a youngster. The defensive midfielder has played almost all his soccer in South America, most recently for Internacional. Cardoso, 19, competed for three youth clubs - Criciúma (2012-13), Avaí (2013-14) and SC Internacional (2014-19).
He made his professional debut with Internacional's senior team in a 3-1 away win against Atletico Mineiro in a Brazil Serie A match on Sept. 15, 2019. Internacional has called him Johnny, in the Brazilian tradition of players being known only by their one name or first name.
WATCH: Johnny Cardoso’s 2019-20 Highlights
The 6-foot, 165-lb. Cardoso has made five appearances for Internacional this season, starting four times. He also has played three times for the club in the Copa Libertadores in 2020. Cardoso performed once with the U.S. Under-23 National Team in October 2019 and is age-eligible for the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Konrad de la Fuente - Forward
A winger who is comfortable on either flank, forward Konrad de la Fuente has suited up three times this season for the Barcelona first team but has yet to see action. He has played 61 minutes for Barcelona B. During the 2019-20 season, de La Fuente turned heads for the B team, scoring three goals in only 377 minutes and six appearances. He tallied twice in the quarterfinals of the promotion playoffs last year.
The 5-7, 140-lb. attacker has represented the U.S. at the Under-16, U-18 and U-20 international levels, starting for the Red, White and Blue during its run to the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. He also is eligible for the 2021 U-20 World Cup.
WATCH: Konrad with U-20 USMNT in 2019
Born in Miami, Fla., de la Fuente competed for the Schulz Soccer Academy and Kendall SC in Florida before his family moved to Barcelona when his father took a job at the Haitian consulate. He joined the CF Damm (2012-13) and then Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy from 2013-20, working his way up to Barcelona B and potentially a regular first team place soon.
Nicholas Gioacchini - Forward
Nicholas Gioacchini has enjoyed the best of the old and new worlds. He learned his soccer in the United States and plays for Caen in France. Born in Kansas City, Mo. to a Jamaican mother and Italian father, the 6-foot, 160-lb forward played in Maryland, performing for Bethesda Soccer Club, Cerritos Soccer Academy, D.C. United Academy, Olney Soccer Club and ESSA Soccer Academy.
He moved to Italy and then France, competing with Paris FC (2015-18). During the 2017-18 season, Gioacchini was nominated as the best player in the Paris region born in 2000. Moving on to Caen later that year, Gioacchini spent a season with the club’s second team and made his first-team debut the following season, scoring in a 4-2 win against his former club Paris FC on Oct. 25, 2019.
Now 20, he has featured as a center forward, right wing and an attacking midfielder this season, starting seven matches for the Ligue 2 side and scoring twice in a 3-0 win against Rodez Aveyron on Sept. 12 and in a 1-0 victory over SC Amiens on Oct. 3.
Richie Ledezma - Midfielder
Richie Ledezma didn't waste any time making an impact in his PSV Eindhoven debut on Sunday, Nov. 1. Only 10 minutes after coming on, the midfielder assisted on Ryan Thomas' swerving strike in the 84th minute of his side's 4-0 home win against Ado Den Haag. Ledezma replaced Mauro Junior in the 74th minute for PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Born in Phoenix, Ariz. Ledezma was named the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Western Conference Under-18/19 Player of the Year for the 2017-18 season while staring for the Real Salt Lake Academy.
The year 2018 turned out to be a memorable one for the 5-6, 140-lb. Ledezma, when he turned pro, played five matches and scored once for the Real Monarchs. He signed with PSV Eindhoven later that year, playing 29 matches and scoring six goals for Jong PSV, its reserve team.
In his debut for the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team in 2018, he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win against France. He also registered an assist, setting up Sebastian Soto in the 3-2 upset of the French in the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Ledezma was selected to the U.S. U-23 roster for the 2020 Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Championship in March before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown international soccer.
Yunus Musah - Midfielder
Known for his passing, creativity and pace, Yunus Musah has demonstrated his versatility at several levels taking on many midfield roles. He can play in the middle or on the wings for Valencia in Spain’s La Liga.
Musah, 17, was born in New York City while his mother was on vacation there in 2002. As an infant, he and his family moved to Italy, where Musah competed for Giorgione until he was nine. The midfielder later joined the Arsenal Academy in England, performing there from 2012-19. He was regarded as one of the club's brightest prospects while starring on runner-up sides in the 2017-18 FA Youth Cup and Under-18 Premier League (2018-19). He also captained several England youth national teams (U-15 through U-18).
In 2019, Musah signed with Valencia, competing for its B squad in the Segunda Division before being promoted to its La Liga team and making seven appearances in this campaign, scoring one goal and assisting on another. Musah scored his first La Liga goal in Valencia's 2-2 home draw with Getafe on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. When he made his debut in a 4-2 win against Levante on Sept. 13, Musah became the club's youngest foreign player (17 years, 289 days).
Musah is eligible to play for the United States, Ghana, Italy and England.
Chituru Odunze - Goalkeeper
At 6-7 and 210 lbs., Odunze cuts an imposing figure in goal. Nicknamed “Big C”, Odunze has come up big for club and country. At the 2019 Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, the Leicester City goalkeeper made two appearances, producing four saves in the Americans' scoreless draw with Japan.
Odunze, 18, turned heads for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, performing for the U-15 and U-17 squads. When he was two, Odunze and his family moved to London. He played three years at the Chelsea FC Academy and also for Cardiff City FC and West Ham United FC. Afterwards, his family moved to Calgary, Canada, as Odunze stood out for Foothills FC, Blizzards SC and Calgary Villains FC.
Aug. 1, 2019 was a red-letter day for the then 16-year-old Odunze. He signed a professional contract as a Homegrown Player with the Whitecaps, who transferred him to Leicester City after impressing the English Premier League club during a two-month trial that January.
Odunze's mother is a physician, his father a retired chemist and university lecturer. His older siblings are studying to become doctors.
He is also eligible to play for Canada, England and Nigeria.
Owen Otasowie - Midfielder
Otasowie has proven to be a versatile player for the Wolverhampton Wolves Academy, playing on the backline (center back) and midfield (attacking and defensive) as he rose through the club’s ranks. Born in New York City, the 19-year-old Otasowie joined the Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21 team in 2017 and has worked his way up to the first team, sitting on the substitutes bench twice this English Premier League season.
The 6-foot, 195-lb. Otasowie made his Wolves debut in a 4-0 win against Besiktas (Turkey) in the Europa League on Dec. 12, 2019. He has made three appearances for the Wolves Under-23 squad during the 2020-21 campaign.
He represented the U.S. Men's Under-18 National Team three times in 2018.
Otasowie is eligible to play for the United States, England or Nigeria.
Gio Reyna - Midfielder
Gio Reyna, who celebrates his 18th birthday on Nov. 13, a day after the USMNT friendly in Wales, already has become a mainstay in the Borussia Dortmund lineup as an attacking midfielder.
Since making his debut in 2019, the 6-1, 160-lb. Reyna has turned heads and set records for young players in Europe. On Oct. 28, he became the youngest American (17 years, 350 days) to start a UEFA Champions League match in Dortmund's 2-0 group stage win against Zenit St. Petersburg. That broke Christian Pulisic's record set for the same club by 11 days.
An adept passer, Reyna recorded three assists in a 4-0 triumph against Freiburg on Oct. 3, 2020, becoming the youngest Bundesliga player to accomplish the feat. When he scored his first professional goal in a 3-2 loss to Werder Bremen on Feb. 18, 2020, Reyna became the youngest goal-scorer in German Cup history.
Reyna captained the U.S. U-17 squad at the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and was due to earn his first senior team call-up back in March before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the camp.
Reyna is the son of two former U.S. internationals - USMNT captain and midfielder Claudio Reyna and USWNT midfielder Danielle (Egan) Reyna. He played up several age groups for the New York City FC Academy from 2015-19.
Chris Richards - Defender
Defender Chris Richards faces his biggest challenge trying to break into the Bayern Munich's lineup.
Since 2019, the 20-year-old Richards has played mostly with Bayern in 3. Liga, Germany's Third Division, although he has earned some time with the first team. He made his Bayern debut in a 3-1 win against Freiburg on June 20, 2020, and made his first start while earning his first assist on a Roberto Lewandowski goal in a 4-3 win against Hertha Berlin on Oct. 4.
A product of FC Dallas and Texans SC in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the 6-3, 180-lb. Richards brings an imposing presence on the backline. In 2018, he was named the Central Conference Under-18/19 player of the year.
He also made an impact as one of three roster changes after the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship group stage, helping the Americans to a pair of wins, against Honduras and then Mexico in the final. Richards was one of the key USA defenders at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting all five matches, including a 3-2 triumph against favored France.
Richards was named to the U.S. provisional roster for the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition's postponement until next year. He has made three appearances for the U-23's.
Sebastian Soto - Forward
On loan from Norwich City (England) to Telstar (Netherlands), forward Sebastian Soto has enjoyed an impressive start for the Eerste Divisie side. He has scored five goals in 315 minutes during four starts and six matches. The 20-year-old has struck for a brace twice, in a 6-1 victory vs. Den Bosch on Sept. 28 and as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win over Helmond Sport on Oct. 23.
The 6-foot, 165-lb. Soto was one of the shining lights at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, finishing tied for second overall in scoring with three other players with four goals apiece. The Carlsbad, Calif. native twice bagged braces for the USA in the competition, in a 2-0 group stage victory over Nigeria and in a 3-2 triumph over favored France in the Round of 16.
Soto, 20, starred for Real Salt Lake and San Diego Surf in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, twice leading his age group in scoring. He struck for 31 goals in 29 U15/16 games in 2016-17 and then 42 times in 27 matches for at the U18/19 level in 2017-18.