Sporting KC forward Tyler Freeman selected to USA U-17s for training camp in Southern California

Sporting Kansas City forward Tyler Freeman has been selected to the United States U-17 Men’s National Team for a 26-player training camp that runs from July 26 – Aug. 7 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Assembled by U-17 head coach Raphael Wicky, the roster features 14 players—including Freeman—who were part of the USA’s Concacaf U-17 Championship squad in May. Earlier this month, the U.S. was drawn into Group D for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil alongside Senegal, Japan and the Netherlands.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002 are age-eligible for the U-17 World Cup, which will take place from Oct. 26 – Nov. 17 across four venues and three host cities in Brazil. Wicky has called 23 players born in 2002 and three born in 2003: Freeman, defender Mauricio Cuevas and midfielder Daniel Leyva.

The U.S. U-17s will face two USL Championship teams during their training camp in Southern California: Orange County Soccer Club next Wednesday, July 31, at 1:30 p.m. CT at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, and LA Galaxy II on Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. CT at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Born in Overland Park and raised in Shawnee, Kansas, Freeman has represented the United States at the U-14, U-16 and U-17 levels.

In May, Freeman and Sporting teammate Gianluca Busio led the U.S. U-17 MNT to a second-place finish at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Bradenton, Florida. He made four tournament appearances, starting once, as the Americans cruised to the final before taking a 2-1 loss to Mexico.

Freeman signed for Sporting as the club’s 10th Homegrown Player in October 2018. He joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2014 at age 11 and rose from the U-12 to the U-19 ranks. He made his professional debut for the Swope Park Rangers in March and tallied his first professional goal for the USL Championship club on July 17, bagging the game-winner in a 4-3 thriller against Hartford Athletic at Children’s Mercy Park.

Earlier this year, Freeman competed for the Sporting KC U-17s at the Generation adidas Cup in Frisco, Texas, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs in Oceanside, California.

U.S. U-17 MNT Roster by Position (Club; Hometown)

GOALKEEPERS (4): Aaron Cervantes (Orange County Soccer Club; Chino Hills, Calif.), Bryan Dowd (FC United; Willow Springs, Ill.), Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Norridge, Ill.), Seth Wilson (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas)

DEFENDERS (10): Axel Alejandre (FC United; Chicago, Ill.), Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Adam Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.), Nicolas Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.), Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Mason Judge (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Tampa, Fla.), Joshua Ramsey (Solar Soccer Club; Plano, Texas), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City FC/ENG; Plano, Texas)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Maximilian Dietz (SC Freiburg/GER; Frankfurt, Germany), Ethan Dobbelaere (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.), Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.), Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.), Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC; Las Vegas, Nev.), Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama City, Calif.)

FORWARDS (6): Jack de Vries (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.), Tyler Freeman (Sporting Kansas City; Shawnee, Kan.), Andres Jasson (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.), Noah Jones (RB Leipzig/GER; Berlin, Germany), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Kent, Wash.), Griffin Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.)