The 2015 U-17 World Cup cycle will go down as one of the most productive youth national team cycles in the history of the US Men’s National Team program.
The three players who represented USA at the 2015 U-17 World Cup have qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic When Luca de la Torre. Weston McKenniestarted all four games for Qatar, Reggie CannonAlready with 28 senior caps, was also in the mix to make the U-17 World Cup team, but didn’t make the final cut.
Two more players from the USA National Team for the 2015 U-17 World Cup are set to make their senior USA debuts this week. Brandon Vasquez When Alejandro Zendejas.
Vazquez grew up in Chula Vista on the U.S.-Mexico border and followed in the footsteps of the U.S. national team, training every morning in Tijuana for Liga MX. Joe Corona When Paul Ariolagrew up in Chula Vista and started his professional career at Xolos.
After playing for Mexico’s U-17 team, Vazquez turned to the USA national team and scored two of his three goals at the 2015 U-17 World Cup. Unlike Pulisic, Adams, DeLa Torre, McKechnie, and Zendejas, Vazquez never attended a residency in Bradenton, Florida, but has a close relationship with his former youth teammates.
“The friendship between our old teams is still the same,” Vazquez said in a conference call with media on Monday. “It’s been like seven years since we all formed a group. All the same…we still keep in touch mostly through social media and stuff, so being back together and being together is always a lot of fun to catch up.”
Vazquez moved to MLS in 2017 and although he never played for Tijuana in Liga MX, he saw regular playing time first with Atlanta United and then FC Cincinnati after signing him in 2020. It took me a while to get it. And 7 assists – there was no indication of what would happen next.
Vazquez scored 18 goals (one in the playoffs) and added eight assists to lead FC Cincinnati to the MLS playoffs after finishing last in their respective overall standings in their first three seasons.
By the fall, when there was no one to claim the starting job as the national team’s centre-forward ahead of the World Cup, Vazquez’s name was on the rise for the team heading to Spain for two friendly matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia. popped up as a candidate.
Coach Vasquez said: Greg BurhalterThe message when he spoke to him before camp in September was, “It was a little too late to integrate me. [have] That opportunity for the next cycle. ”
Sure enough, Vazquez was called up in January along with 12 other uncapped players.
“I did everything in my control to give myself the best chance of being on the World Cup roster,” he said of his 2022 campaign. But you just shake it off and start over.And that’s exactly what I’m doing now.Have a lot of energy and a lot of excitement and start fresh.Here.”
Instead of a bell halter, Anthony Hudson Coach USMNT in January for games against Serbia and Colombia.
“I didn’t get to work with him before this camp,” Vazquez said of Hudson. ”
Vazquez and his teammates began arriving at camp on Saturday, with their first game against Serbia in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“We were only in camp a few days before each match, so we knew exactly what the tactics were, what each position did, how they wanted us to play. The session was great, the intensity is like we said the energy in the group is high.
Above: Brandon Vazquez at USMNT camp on Monday.Credit: John Dorton/ISI Photography
