Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker Omar Salgado will kick off 2012 in a similar fashion to how he ended 2011, with another important off-season training camp. Earlier today, United States U-20 national team head coach Tab Ramos confirmed his 36-player roster for a training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from January 3 to 9.
Salgado is one of six players that will return to Ramos’s side after participating in a 10-day camp held last November in Duisburg, Germany. Other players include Sean Cunningham, Luis Gil, Tyrone McCargo, Caleb Stanko, and Jose Villarreal.
Ramos is preparing the squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifying, which will likely begin in early 2013. The U-20 World Cup will be held in Turkey in 2013, and every player on the roster is age-eligible for the competition.
In addition to the two USA camps, Salgado enjoyed a 10-day tour of the Netherlands with Major League Soccer’s Generation adidas squad at the start of December. During the tour, Salgado scored the match-winner against Dutch second division side FC Volendam. The 18-year-old was also a guest player for over two weeks with English Premier League side Fulham FC this past November.
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, Salgado scored one goal and recorded one assist in 14 appearances for 504 minutes of action with Whitecaps FC this past season.
USA U-20 SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS (4): Jesus Guzman (Santos Laguna; Dallas, Texas), Daniel Medina Meza (UANL Tigres; El Paso, Texas), Tyler Miller (Northwestern; Woodbury, N.J.), Andrew Wolverton (Pennsylvania State; Snellville, Ga.).
DEFENDERS (12): Bolu Akinyonde (Seton Hall; Brooklyn, N.Y.), Mikey Ambrose (FC Dallas Academy; Frisco, Texas), AJ Cochran (Wisconsin; St. Louis, Mo.), Sean Cunningham (Molde FK; Troy, Mich.), Phanuel Kavita (Clemson; Salt Lake City, Utah), Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (UANL Tigres; Riverside, Calif.), Boyd Okwuonu (North Carolina; Edmund, Okla.), Jalen Robinson (DC United Academy; Cantonsville, Md.), Matt Wendelken (Marist; Massapequa, N.Y.), DeAndre Yedlin (Akron; Seattle, Wash.), Walker Zimmerman (Furman; Lawrenceville, Ga.).
MIDFIELDERS (12): Seth Casiple (California; Rocklin, Calif.), Daniel Cuevas Granados (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), Hector Delgado Cha (Club América; Indio, Calif.), Christian Duarte (Texans SC Houston; League City, Texas), Daniel Garcia (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Flavio Guzman (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas), Collin Martin (DC United Academy; Chevy Chase, Md.), Tyrone McCargo (FC Nürnberg; Nürnberg, Germany), Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), Wil Trapp (Akron; Gahanna, Ohio), Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.).
FORWARDS (8): Villyan Bijev (Fortuna Düsseldorf; Fresno, Calif.), Amadou Dia (Clemson; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Tex.), Duke Lacroix (Pennsylvania; New Egypt, N.J.), Uvaldo Luna Martinez (UANL Tigres; Houston, Texas), Jack McBean (LA Galaxy; Newport Beach, Calif.), Sean Okoli (Wake Forest; Federal Way, Wash.), Omar Salgado (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; El Paso, Texas).
