US U-20's heading up north, eh...

The US U-20 squad has invaded Canada for a two match series against the young Canadians. The squad is made up of eight professionals, all playing in MLS. The rest of the players are playing college ball and could be auditioning for MLS in the near future. After all, head coach Thomas Rongen has a lot of MLS ties after coaching in the league for many years. Past and present coaches have a tight connection and the current coaches lean on those in the national program to help evaluate players. So there is no doubt that a spot on this U-20 squad is the best way to get to MLS.

Here is the squad, starting with the pros:
Nathan Sturgis, D - LA
Blake Wagner, D - FCD
Tim Ward, D - CLB
Rodrigo Lopez, M - CHV
Dax McCarty, M - FCD
Josmer Altidore, F - NY
Quavas Kirk, F - LA
Estuardo Sanchez, F - CHV

Now the college & high school kids:
Mike Gustavson, GK - University of South Carolina
Marcus Rein, GK - University of Central Florida
Tony Beltran, D - UCLA (incoming transfer)
Kyle Davies, D - Pleasanton, CA
Amaechi Igwe, D - Santa Clara University
Julian Valentin, D - Wake Forest
Bryan Arguez, M - Miami, FL
Corben Bone, M - Plano, TX
Cameron Brown, M - Garland, TX
Brad Ring, M - Indiana University
Robbie Rogers, M - University of Maryland
Omar Gonzalez, F - University of Maryland

The above players without links are either not yet in college, are just entering college or are transferring schools.

Keep an eye on these guys as they go up through the ranks. Some of them may do one year in school and jump to MLS, others will finish the four years. Omar Gonzalez had a good career at the Bradenton residency program and has grown into a monster at 6' - 5", 200 lbs. His size should help him against some still growing college defenders.