Sporting Kansas City midfielder Mikey Lopez was named to the United States Under-20 Men's National Team on Monday, U.S. Soccer announced, for the 2013 Toulon Tournament from May 28-June 8 in France.
"It will be good preparation for the Under-20 World Cup," Lopez said. "These are good games against good teams. It will be great to be back with the team and build upon the chemistry that we gained through the Under-20 World Cup qualifiers."
Lopez played in four of the United States' five matches at the 2013 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship earlier this year as the U.S. qualified for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The 2013 MLS SuperDraft first round selection most recently joined the Under-20 Men's National Team under head coach Tab Ramos in April for a training camp held in Carson, Calif.
The Toulon Tournament, an Under-21 event, features 10 countries split into two groups with the group winners advancing to the championship match and the group runners-up meeting in the third place game. The United States will compete in Group A alongside Colombia, Congo DR, South Korea and France. Group B consists of Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Portugal.
The 2013 Toulon Tournament will be the United States final preparation for the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey from June 21-July 13.
41st Toulon Tournament - United States Schedule (Group A)
May 28
United States vs. France at 12:30 p.m. CT in Stade Léo-Lagrange, Toulon
May 30
United States vs. Colombia at 10:30 a.m. CT in Stade des Costieres, Nimes
June 1
United States vs. Congo DR at 8:30 a.m. CT in Stade du Ray, Nice
June 5
United States vs. South Korea at 10 a.m. CT in Stade L Hon, Saint-Raphael
June 8
Third place and championship matches
