There are a lot of top players from the 2007 class that are not in this camp for a variety of reasons. This camp has a combination of key players that have been with this group many times and new players that are getting a chance to impress.

Zack Campagnolo, Colorado Rapids (2007)
Patrick Los, Chicago Fire (2007)
Nico Arango-Montoya, FC Dallas (2007)

It’s not a super strong goalkeeper class, but Camagnolo has consistently been at the top of it. He was third keeper for the United States U17s at the last U17 World Cup and is the clear first choice for the time being. Los has been another consistent call-up for this group. He is a little undersized, but is a good athlete and is very good on the ball. Arango-Montoya is the newcomer here and is getting his first look. He has been one of the top performers in MLS Next this year at the U17 level. 

RB, Drew Baiera, NYCFC (2007)
RB, Harbor Miller, LA Galaxy (2007)
RB, Etienne Veillard, Seattle Sounders (2007)
LB, Tristan Brown, Columbus Crew (2007)
‍LB, Emir Ponciano, LAFC (2007) withdrawn due to injury

This is a very strong right-back group and a very strong class. It’s probably the strongest right-back class within the youth pool. Miller hasn’t been called in a while but has been a top right-back within the U17 ranks. He can also play winger. Veillard, like Miller, is a former winger turned right-back and, like Miller, brings compelling attacking skills because of his experience as an attacker. The U.S. are likely trying to fend off Haiti, who I am sure would love to have him for the U20 Concacaf tournament. 
Tristan Brown isn’t my top left-back from this class, but the Crew have liked him for a while. He has been playing primarily with their U19s this year and is expected to still have a growth spurt left in him. 

RCB, Nicholas Almeida, Inter Miami (2007)
LCB, Kaiden Moore, Atlanta United (2007)
RCB, Jose Magana, LA Galaxy (2007)
RCB, Chibuike Ukaegbu, Sacramento United (2007)
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There are two very new faces to this group in Jose Magana and Chibuike Ukaegbu — both have played well this season. Magana benefits from Tsakiris being his club coach, but he isn’t getting invited just because of that. He has good height, passing range and has played well for LA Galaxy U17s this year. Ukaegbu is another player that has developed positively this year. He earned a first team contract from Sacramento recently and doubles as another tall center-back with good passing ability. Kaiden Moore has been one of the most impressive center-backs in all of MLS Next. He is a super smart lefty with great ball playing ability. Almeida has been a mainstay with this group. He is a very good playing center-back that is slightly undersized. His dad is around 6-2, so there is hope that he has one more growth spurt left in him. If he does get to 6-1 or 6-2, that would make him a very exciting prospect. 

DM/CM, Adyn Torres, Atlanta United (2007)
DM/CM, Jacob Arroyave, NYCFC (2007)
DM/CM, Synder Brunell, Seattle Sounders (2007)
CM, Darius Lane, Brighton Hove & Albion (2007)
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Torres is the USYNT veteran of the group. He has been a leader within the 2007 team for a while now. Brunell was in the last camp and earned a call back. He is a do it all, hard working midfielder that Seattle likes a lot. Arroyave was a player I was hoping to see in this camp. He is a big, smooth, left-footed midfielder that does a lot of good things on the ball. He seems to be on the fast track towards a first team contract with NYCFC. Darius Lane is a new name that I am excited to see. He is a highly rated center-mid from Brighton Hove & Albion. From what I have seen, he is a very ball secure, press resistant box to box mid that controls his space very well and has good passing touch. 

AM, Santi Morales, Inter Miami
AM, Axel Perez, Lyon
AM, Leo Orejarena, FC Dallas
AM/W, Jonny Shore, NYCFC
W, Zavier Gozo, Real Salt Lake
W, Daniel Pinter, Inter Miami
W, Charlie Rosenthal, LAFC
‍W, Aiden Hezarkhani, Real Salt Lake withdrawn due to injury

Perez has been a favorite of U.S. Soccer when available, but he doesn’t always get released by Lyon. He is a super skilled, undersized player that can create a lot from central spaces. Orejarena is a similar type of player that FC Dallas signed from the Barca Residency Academy late last year. Shore is a player that I view more as a 8 or 10, but U.S. Soccer seems to like him on the wing. The domestic 2007 wing class isn’t super strong, so this is the case of U.S. Soccer prioritizing their top players and not worrying so much about positional fit. Gozo is the top domestic 2007 winger. He battled a lot of injuries last year and is looking to get back on track this MLS Next Pro season. Rosenthal is a very quick, technical, left-footed winger that can also deputize as a striker.

Morales was not part of the original squad, which is more of an indication that this is an exploratory camp. Morales would surely be one of the players chosen in a camp meant to get all of the A-team players together. Morales was one of two 2007 players that made the U17 World Cup in 2024. Pinter, another Inter Miami product, is a nice addition. He’s been one of the most productive players in MLS Next this year and he looks much more decisive and confident on the ball than last year. 

Caden Glover, St. Louis City
Ruben Ramos, LA Galaxy

Glover is the top center-forward from this class for most people and will likely get 1,500 to 2,000 minutes in MLS Next Pro this year. He may also get more of a role on St. Louis’ first team at some point this year. He is a classic target striker with good feet and passing ability. Ramos is a CF/W hybrid that U.S. Soccer and LA Galaxy really like. 

There are many reasons why players are not in camp. The most common reasons are that a player is already provisionally cap-tied to another country, U.S. Soccer might feel that they have graduated beyond this level, they may not have been released by their club, they have injury/fitness issues, they declined the invite or they simply were not selected by U.S. Soccer. Here are some of the top players that are not in camp and my best guess as to why: 

LB, Christian McFarlane, NYCFC (England)
CB, Tyler Meiser, Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
W, Montrell Culbreath, Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

All three of these guys are top players that the United States will try to get to file a one-time switch down the road.

LB, Peyton Miller, New England Revolution
CB, Neil Pierre, Philadelphia Union

Miller was one of the few 2007s to make the last U17 World Cup roster and is likely to be in consideration for the upcoming U20 camps. I have heard Pierre may be involved in the next U20 camp as well.

CM, Nate Worth, FC Tulsa
AM/W, Gavin Turner, D.C. United

Worth and Turner will be important players for their USL clubs and their season gets underway this weekend, so they were likely not made available for this camp.

CB, Jackson Platts, Orlando City

GK, Kayne Rizvanovich, FCC
GK, Mohamed Shour, Seattle Sounders
RB, Jeremiah White, Without Club (for now)
LB, Dominik Chong Qui, Atlanta United
CB, Davi Alexandre, New York Red Bulls
DM, Jack Pymm, Inter Miami
DM, Ervin Torres Jr, Austin FC
DM, Tyson Pearce, St. Louis City
CM, Kyrome Lumsden, North Carolina
CM, Owen Anderson, Real Salt Lake
CM, Blake Willey, Sacramento United
W, Adrian Samayoa, LAFC
W, Darius Randell, Minnesota United
CF, Tomo Allen, San Jose Earthquakes
CF, Justin Ellis, Orlando City
CF, Noah Santos, Portland Timbers
CF, Zeke Soto, Houston Dynamo

This is my list of guys that I think have the skills and performances this season that are deserving of a selection. They can’t call everyone that is deserving, so there will always be names left off that are disappointing. 

The players most missed on this roster include: Dominik Chong Qui, Nicholas Almeida, Adrian Samayoa, Tomo Allen and Justin Ellis.

Overall, I don’t have any major objections to this roster. My biggest concern is with the center-forward selections. Tomo Allen and Justin Ellis are both high level striker prospects that have not gotten a sniff from U.S. Soccer for a very long time—I just don’t get it. Both have been highly productive players that have skill sets and profiles that translate to high levels of competition. 

My biggest concern with this age group is the lack of true touchline wingers, quality goalkeeping and box to box midfielders. 

The 2007s are getting close to a point in their career where coaching and scouting preference will become less and less important. It is after the U17 academy level when players start to separate themselves based on how they perform in a professional setting. Many of these players have moved past the U17 level or are in the last few months within that level. After that, there will be a more natural separation that coaches and scouts cannot ignore. The top 2007s should be focusing their attention on trying to make the U20 Concacaf Tournament roster, which will take place in late July of this year. There are many 2005 players that may not get released because they are important members of their first team. This could open the door for some younger players to get a chance.