SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Youth Development Academy product Cristian Cruz was named Friday to the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team roster, as announced by U.S. Soccer.
Cruz will be with the U-18 MNT as it convenes for a domestic training camp from March 25-April 1 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with details for potential scrimmages still to be finalized.
"This is a huge opportunity for Cristian to go in and prove to the staff what he has," said technical director Chris Leitch. "These chances don't come every day and I know Cristian is very excited."
Having been appointed as the head coach of the U-18s in February, Javier Perez has named 35 players to the roster for his first camp at the helm of this team. All but three players have Development Academy ties, with all of them age-eligible for the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Cruz is one of nine forwards selected to the squad. A native of Hercules, Calif., Cruz has started 16 of 18 games played for the Earthquakes U-16 side this season, scoring a pair of goals. The junior at Hercules High School will turn 17 years old next month.
ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (4): Santiago Castano (New York Red Bulls; Union City, N.J.), Ethan Horvath (Stoke City, Eng; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zackary Steffen (Philadelphia Union; Dowingtown, Pa.), Jacole Turner (Sporting KC; Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
DEFENDERS (11): Miguel Alves (PDA; Newark, N.J.), Robert Amick (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Suliaman Dainkeh (DC United; Reston, Va.), Mobi Fehr (Basel FC, Switzerland; Tokyo, Japan), Dylan Greenberg (Albertson SC; Dix Hills, N.Y.), Trevor Haberkorn (Solar Chelsea SC; Roanoke, Texas), Matthew Habrowski (Derby County Wolves; Berkley, Mich.), Malcolm Harris (Baltimore Bays Chelsea, MD; Damascus, Md.), Jalen Markey (Seattle Sounders FC; Renton, Wash.), Jose Ocampo (CrossFire Premier; Bothell, Wash.), Miguel Polley (unattached; Woodridge, Il.)
MIDFIELDERS (11): Marco Delgado (CD Chivas USA; Glendora, Calif.), Matt Dunn (OFK Belgrade, Serbia; Dallas, Texas), Alejandro Guido (Unattached; Chula Vista, Calif.), Romilio Hernandez (Baltimore Bays Chelsea, MD; Lanham, Md.), Koty Millard (S.C. United Battery; Hopkins, S.C.), Antonio Murillo (Downtown Las Vegas Rapids; Las Vegas, Nev.), Adam Najem (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), William Raygoza (LA Galaxy; South Elmonte, Calif.), Kristian Scott (Stoke City, ENG; Winterbourne, U.K.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids; Brighton, Colo.), Stefanos Stemoulacatos (Empire; Camillus, N.Y.)
FORWARDS (9): Jordan Allen (RSL Arizona; Rochester, N.Y.), Paul Arriola (Arsenal FC; Chula Vista, Calif.), Cristian Cruz (San Jose Earthquakes; Hercules, Calif.), Benjamin Lopez (RSL Arizona; San Diego, Calif.), Andrew Oliver (Chicago Fire; Indianapolis, Ind.), Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union; Dresher, Pa.), Esteban Rodriguez (Tijuana, MX; Palmdale, Calif.), Ben Spencer, JR. (CD Chivas USA; Albuquerque, N.M.), Jamie Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.)
