Preview: U-17 MNT Kicks Off Qualifying For Expanded FIFA U-17 World Cup

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team
2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers
Estadio Nacional; San Jose, Costa Rica
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto; Alajuela, Costa Rica
Feb. 10-15, 2025

U-17 MNT LAUNCHES WORLD CUP QUALIFYING CAMPAIGN

The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team will kick off its World Cup quest at the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers in Costa Rica on Monday, Feb. 10 vs. the U.S. Virgin Islands (8 p.m. ET; FS2). The game will serve as the USA’s first step towards a ticket to the newly expanded FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, which will feature 48 teams for the first time and will be staged this coming November. Eight group winners from across Concacaf will qualify for the tournament and the U.S. is aiming for a record 19th appearance on the world stage.

The U-17 MNT continues group play on Wednesday, Feb. 12 against St. Kitts and Nevis (8 p.m. ET; Fox Soccer Plus) and finishes the qualifying competition on Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Cuba. (8 p.m. ET; Fox Soccer Plus).

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2008, are age-eligible for the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers. Head coach Gonzalo Segares selected 21 players, all born in 2008.

All tournament matches will be broadcast in English on Fox Sports platforms and on the Fox Sports app with corresponding authentication. Fans can follow all the action from Costa Rica on ussoccer.com as well as U.S. Soccer Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2025 CONCACAF U-17 QUALIFIERS
USA – GROUP F SCHEDULE

NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The new Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers feature 35 teams drawn into eight groups (five of four teams, three of five teams) played across six different countries. No knockout stage will be contested. Each of the eight group winners will punch its ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers Groups

2025 CONCACAF U-17 ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; U-17 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jack Kortkamp (Sporting KC; 2/0; Olathe, Kan.), William Mackay (Real Salt Lake; 0/0; Highland, Utah), Owen Pratt (LA Galaxy; 0/0; San Clemente, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Christopher Cupps (Chicago Fire FC; 2/0; Chicago, Ill.), Jordan Griffin (Philadelphia Union; 0/0; West Chester, Pa.), Pedro Guimaraes (Orange County SC; 3/0; Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Ramiz Hamouda (Birmingham Legion FC; 0/0; Lincoln, Neb.), Enrique Martinez (LA Galaxy; 3/0; Compton, Calif.), Gio Villa (Real Salt Lake; 3/0; Chicago, Ill.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Maximo Carrizo (New York City FC; 3/0; Greenwich, Conn.), Kellan LeBlanc (Philadelphia Union; 0/0; Royersford, Pa.), Luca Moisa (Real Salt Lake; 3/0; Las Vegas, Nev.), Cooper Sanchez (Atlanta United FC; 0/0; Holly Springs, Ga.), Cristiano Oliveira (New England Revolution; 0/0; Somerville, Mass.), Jude Terry (Los Angeles FC; 3/1; San Diego, Calif.)

FORWARDS (6): Chase Adams (Columbus Crew; 3/0; Naperville, Ill.), Lorenzo Cornelius (St. Louis City SC; 3/2; St. Peters, Mo.), Chance Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0; Ceres, Calif.) Jamir Johnson (Philadelphia Union; 0/0; Huntsville, Ala.), Tanner Rosborough (New York Red Bulls; 0/0; McDonald, Pa.), Axel Uriostegui (Real Salt Lake; 0/0; Las Vegas, Nev.)

ROSTER NOTES

• The squad features players from 15 clubs, including 13 from Major League Soccer.
• Real Salt Lake leads the contributors with four players, followed by three from the Philadelphia Union and two from the LA Galaxy.
• All 21 players have spent time in MLS NEXT and 16 have seen professional action in MLS NEXT Pro.
• Eight players are signed to MLS Homegrown contracts: goalkeepers Jack Kortkamp and Owen Pratt, defender Gio Villa, midfielders Maximo Carrizo, Luca Moisa and Jude Terry plus forwards Chance Cowell and Tanner Rosborough.
• Two players come from USL Championship clubs: Orange County SC defender Pedro Guimaraes and Birmingham Legion FC defender Ramiz Hamouda.
• Forward Chance Cowell is the younger brother of USMNT forward Cade Cowell.
• The players hail from 12 states, led by five from California and three each from Illinois and Pennsylvania.
• Six players logged more than 800 minutes in MLS NEXT Pro last season. Adams was the only player born in 2008 or younger to score nine goals during the 2024 campaign.
• Pratt, Moisa and Adams were all named MLS NEXT All-Stars in 2024.
• The LA Galaxy’s Pratt and Martinez played key roles in helping their club’s U-17 squad win MLS NEXT Cup last summer. Pratt was named Best Goalkeeper at the competition.
• Three alternates have been training with the team prior to the tournament: Houston Dynamo FC defender Micah Harris, Chicago Fire FC defender Chase Nagle and Real Salt Lake midfielder Antonio Riquelme.

NEW LOOK WORLD CUP

This year kicks off a new era for FIFA’s youngest youth world championships. Both the FIFA U-17 World Cup and U-17 Women’s World Cup are now annual events. The men’s tournament has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, while the women’s competition goes from 16 to 24. The next five editions of the U-17 World Cup will be held in Qatar, while Morocco will host the next five U-17 Women’s World Cups.

With the expansion of the field, each confederation has been allocated more berths in the competition. Concacaf (covering North America, Central America and the Caribbean) goes from four to eight entries, Africa from four to 10, Asia from four to eight, Europe from five to 11, South America from four to seven and Oceania from two to three.

SPRINGBOARD TO SENIOR USMNT

The U-17 MNT has long been an important step in development towards the senior USMNT. Of the 26 players who represented the USA at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 10 also played for the U.S. at U-17 World Cup qualifying: defenders Shaq Moore and Joe Scally, midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, forward Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah and Haji Wright.

Previously, the U-17 MNT has served as a launching pad for U.S. Soccer legends like Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, who first exploded onto the international stage at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup as the USA finished fourth.

CONCACAF U-17 HISTORY

This year marks the 21st Concacaf tournament for the U-16/U-17 age group. The competition began in 1983 as the Concacaf U-16 Championship, qualifying two teams to the FIFA U-17 World Cup from 1985-2005 and at least four teams from 2007 to now. The U.S. has participated in 20 of 21 tournaments, including each competition since 1985. By winning the 1983 Concacaf U-16 Championship, the USA had already qualified for the 1985 U-16 World Championship.

It's the first time since 2009 that a confederation champion will not be crowned at the U-17 level. From 1999-2007, two separate groups contested U-17 qualifying, while in 2009, the knockout stage was canceled due to swine flu.

The USA has a history of success at this tournament, qualifying for a record 18 FIFA U-17 World Cups, tied with Brazil for the most all-time. Ten Concacaf nations have qualified for the U-17 World Cup. Behind the USA’s 18 appearances are Mexico (15), Costa Rica (10), Canada (eight), Honduras (five), Panama (three), Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (two each).

ROAD TO COSTA RICA

This one-year U-17 MNT cycle kicked off in September 2024 at the Jezek Cup in the Czech Republic and the team gathered again for a domestic camp in November. Ten players have been called up for all three training camps: Chase Adams, Carrizo, Cowell, Christopher Cupps, Guimaraes, Kortkamp, Enrique Martinez, Moisa, Terry and Gio Villa.

At the Jezek Cup, the U-17s played up against U-18 squads from Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The U.S. went 1-1-1, highlighted by a 4-0 win against Czech Republic on goals from midfielder Jude Terry and forward Lorenzo Cornelius. Cornelius scored again in the USA’s 1-1 draw with Slovakia.

Prior to the start of the U-17 cycle, this age group had three training camps together as the U-16 Boys’ National Team. Guimaraes and Villa have been a part of all six gatherings over the last two years. As the U-16s, the U.S. drew Uruguay 1-1 and Argentina 2-2 last spring in Buenos Aires. Midfielder Luca Moisa netted the USA’s lone goal vs. Uruguay.

U-15 CONCACAF CHAMPS

This group of 2008-birth year players composed the first U.S. team to win the Concacaf U-15 Boys’ Championship in 2023. It was the USA’s third appearance in the competition and the U-15s topped Mexico 4-2 in the tournament final to lift the trophy.

Ten of the 18 players that helped the U.S. take home Concacaf’s youngest continental championship return for U-17 World Cup qualifying: Chase Adams, Pedro Guimaraes, Jamir Johnson, Ramiz Hamouda, William Mackay, Luca Moisa, Owen Pratt, Tanner Rosborough, Jude Terry and Gio Villa.

Adams and Johnson paced the U.S. in scoring at the tournament with four goals each, while Rosborough added three. Adams bagged a brace in the final and Johnson added another, while Johnson netted a hat trick in the USA’s 11-0 group stage romp against Cuba.

QUALIFIED TO QATAR

In addition to host Qatar’s automatic berth, only Oceania has already held its qualifying competition for the U-17 World Cup. Fiji, New Caledonia and New Zealand will represent the confederation this fall as Fiji makes its first appearance at the competition. The rest of the world will qualify this spring: Europe in March, Africa in March/April in Morocco, South America in March/April in Colombia and Asia in April in Saudi Arabia.

USA VS. U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

• The U.S. has never faced the U.S. Virgin Islands in Concacaf U-17 competition. It’s the island nation’s first appearance in the tournament proper.
• The Dashing Eagles failed to qualify for the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship, finishing last in qualifying Group B behind Puerto Rico, Aruba, Martinique and Anguilla.
• The U.S. is 27W-3L-7D all-time against teams from the Caribbean Football Union at Concacaf U-17 qualifying and 24W-3L-5D in the group stage.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

• Each team will be allowed to make a maximum of five substitutions in a maximum of three opportunities throughout the match, not including halftime.
• If both teams make a substitution at the same stoppage, both teams will be charged an opportunity.
• If teams are tied on points at the conclusion of the group stage, the following tiebreakers will be used:
  • Goal difference in all group matches
  • Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
• If teams are still tied, the following tiebreakers will be used:
  • Greater number of points in matches between the tied teams
  • Greater goal difference in matches between the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
  • Greater number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
  • Lower number of points based on yellow and red cards in all group matches (First yellow - 1 point, second yellow/indirect red - 3 points, direct red - 4 points, yellow and direct red - 5 points)
  • Latest Concacaf U-17 ranking
• Two yellow cards received in different games during the competition will result in automatic suspension for the next game.
  • Unserved suspensions at the end of the competition will be carried over to the next official match, including the first match of the U-17 World Cup for teams that qualify.
• The U.S. will play its first two group stage matches at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, the home stadium for Costa Rica’s full Men’s National Team. La Joya de La Sabana has played host to a number of senior team clashes between the U.S. and Costa Rica, most recently a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory for the Ticos on March 30, 2022 that clinched the USA’s ticket to Qatar.
• The venue also hosted matches for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, including the final.