Sporting Kansas City Academy striker Tyler Freeman has joined the United States U-16 Boys’ National Team for the prestigious Torneo delle Nazioni in Gradisca d’Isonzo, Italy, which runs from April 19 – May 2.
U-16 BNT head coach Shaun Tsakiris named his 20-player squad on Tuesday, one week before the U.S. opens tournament play against hosts Italy on April 24. The Americans will then face Libya on April 26 before rounding out the group stage versus Croatia on April 27.
The 15th annual Torneo delle Nazioni includes four groups of four teams, with the U.S. placed in Group A alongside the teams mentioned above. All 16 teams will play in an additional two games after the group stage to determine final placement, but only the group winners will advance to the semifinals on April 29 for a chance to play in the tournament final on May 1.
U.S. U-16 BNT SCHEDULE:
- Tuesday, April 24: U-16 BNT vs. Italy; Gradisca, Italy (10:30 a.m. CT)
- Thursday, April 26: U-16 BNT vs. Libya; Cervignano, Italy (3:45 a.m. CT)
- Friday, April 27: U-16 BNT vs. Croatia; Monfalcone, Italy (3:45 a.m. CT)
- Sunday, April 29 – Torneo Delle Nazioni Semifinals
- Tuesday, May 1 – Torneo Delle Nazioni Final
Freeman, a 15-year-old native of Shawnee, Kansas, featured extensively for the U.S. U-14 Boys’ National Team throughout 2017. He notably scored a team-best four goals for the U-14 BNT across four international friendlies in Croatia last summer.
As a member of the Sporting KC Academy, Freeman has spent most of the 2017-18 Development Academy campaign with the U-17s, where he has scored three goals in 13 appearances.
Freeman, a sophomore at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, previously represented Sporting KC at the U-13, U-14 and U-16 levels. He helped the U-13s to a fourth-place finish at the 2016 CONCACAF U-13 Champions League, scoring three goals in the tournament, before joining the U-14 BNT for the first time in November 2016.
The U.S. enters the Torneo delle Nazioni as defending champion of the competition. Led by Sporting KC Academy product Gianluca Busio and head coach Dave van den Bergh, the U-15 BNT defeated Portugal 4-2 in the semifinals before knocking off England 2-1 in the championship game last May. Busio played a leading role for the Americans, tallying three goals throughout the tournament. The 15-year-old Busio is now with the U.S. U-17s for the Sportchain Cup, which runs through Saturday in Benicassim, Spain.
U.S U-16 Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Gavin Krenecki (Sacramento Republic; Fair Oaks, Calif.); Eliot Jones (New England Revolution; New Britain, Conn.)
DEFENDERS (7): Adrian Aguilar (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.) Israel Carrillo (San Jose Earthquakes; San Jose, Calif.), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Eric Kinzner (Seattle Sounders; Tacoma, Wash.), Anton Sorenson (Crew SC Academy Wolves; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kobey Stoup (Atlanta United FC; Montgomery, Ala.), Casey Walls (San Jose Earthquakes; Mill Valley, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Javier Casas Jr. (Chicago Fire; Addison, Ill.), Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.), Jack McGlynn (BW Gottschee; Middle Village, N.Y.), Alex Monis (Chicago Fire; Naperville, Ill.), Edwin Villarreal (FC Dallas; El Paso, Texas)
FORWARDS (6): Patrick Bohui (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Tyler Freeman (Sporting KC; Shawnee, Kan.), Selmir Miscic (Philadelphia Union; Royersford, Pa.), Dante Sealy (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Dantouma Toure (PDA; Trenton, N.J.), Dominic Vegaalban (Sacramento Republic; Rocklin, Calif.)
