SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Homegrown players Cruz Medina and Oscar Verhoeven are among 21 players called to represent the United States Under-17 Men’s Youth National Team in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set for Nov. 10–Dec. 2 in Indonesia.
The USA will compete in Group E with games on Sunday, Nov. 12 against Korea Republic (8 a.m. ET), Burkina Faso on Wednesday, Nov. 15 (5 a.m. ET), and France on Saturday, Nov. 18 (8 a.m. ET). All three group stage matches will be played at Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta and shown on FOX Sports and Telemundo platforms.
The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
Medina, 19, was an integral part of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship team that qualified for the World Cup after reaching the final. The native of San Francisco, California, was named to the tournament Best XI, notching a hat trick in the group stage. Overall, the midfielder has earned 18 appearances for the U-17 national team and has been called to nine of the last 11 training camps. As a member of Earthquakes II this year, Medina collected two goals and two assists to help the club qualify for its first ever berth in the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. Earlier this month, he was one of just three American-born players named to The Guardian’s list of the top 60 young talents in the world.
Verhoeven, 17, was also part of the Team USA squad at the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship, making five appearances in the tournament. A native of Pleasant Hill, California, he was a prominent figure for Earthquakes II this year, earning 22 appearances (21 starts) as the team reached the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the first time. The defender featured prominently as a starter in their first postseason win, a 2-0 victory over St. Louis CITY2, to reach the Western Conference Semifinals.
FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-17 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; 7/0; Castle Pines, Colo.), Zackory Campagnolo (Colorado Rapids; 1/0; Ft. Myers, Fla.), Duran Ferree (San Diego Loyal SC; 4/0; San Diego, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Noahkai Banks (Augsburg/GER; 3/0; Dietmannsried, Germany), Tyler Hall (Inter Miami CF; 14/0; Miramar, Fla.), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 11/1; Reston, Va.), Stuart Hawkins (Seattle Sounders FC; 16/0; Fox Island, Wash.), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution; Unionville, Conn.), Tahir Reid-Brown (Orlando City SC; 0/0; Orlando, Florida), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; 16/0; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC; 1/0; Dallas Texas), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; 9/4; Columbus, Ohio), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; 18/6; San Francisco, Calif.), Santiago Morales (Inter Miami CF; 1/0; Weston, Fla.), Paulo Rudisill (Unattached; 18/2; Irvine, Calif.), Pedro Soma (UE Cornella/ESP; 16/1; Coconut Creek, Fla.)
FORWARDS (5): Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; 4/2; High Point, N.C.), Micah Burton (Austin FC; 17/5; Mounds View, Minn.), Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; 10/8; Warrington, England), Bryce Jamison (Orange County SC; 4/0; Lake Forest, Calif.), David Vasquez (Philadelphia Union; 13/0; Los Angeles, Calif.)
