Earthquakes homegrown midfielder Cruz Medina scored three goals for the U17 U.S. Youth National Team in their 5-0 win over Barbados last Saturday in the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Guatemala. Medina gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute before scoring a long-distance rocket in the 43rd minute. Team USA added two more goals late in the second half before Medina tallied his third to seal the final score.
The United States will next face Trinidad and Tobago on Feb. 13 and Canada on Feb 15, with the two matches kicking off at 5 p.m. PT and broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The top three finishers in the four groups will advance to the Round of 16 and join the four teams already qualified for the knockout round: Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. From there, the teams will play a single-elimination tournament with the four semifinalists qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Medina is also joined by Quakes Academy players Oscar Verhoeven and Edwyn Mendoza, making San Jose the most represented club on the 20-man roster.
