Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union Academy has announced that three of its players, Willyam Ferreira, Malik Jakupovic, and Isaiah Mendoza, have been selected for the U.S. Under-16 Boys’ National Team training camp. The announcement was made in coordination with the national team.

The Philadelphia Union leads the selections with three players included in a 24-player pool. The training camp will take place in West Palm Beach, Florida from February 18 to 24 under the guidance of U-16 BNT head coach Alex Aldaz.

All selected players are eligible for this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. The USA secured its spot for the world championship by leading Group F at the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers. Starting this year, the U-17 World Cup is an annual event. Players born in 2009 will form the core group competing at both the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers and FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The roster for the February training camp includes goalkeepers Thomas Burchfield (Austin FC), James Donaldson (Atlanta United FC), and Julian Pierik (Barca Academy). Defenders named are Daniel Barrett (Houston Dynamo FC), Hugo Berg (Chicago Fire FC), Eddie Chadwick (LA Galaxy), Wyatt Holt (Charlotte FC), August Nystrom (Portland Timbers), Jackson Pomeroy (Colorado Rapids), Linkon Ream (Real Salt Lake), and Liam Vejrostek (FC Dallas).

Midfielders selected include Mateo Aritmendiz (Achilles FC), Ademar Chavez (FC Cincinnati), Willyam Ferreira and Isaiah Mendoza from Philadelphia Union, Graham Ford (Barca Academy), Peter Molinari (New York City FC) and Roko Pehar (Chicago Fire FC).

Forwards chosen are James Bilden (New York City FC), Mattheo Dimareli (Houston Dynamo FC), Immanuel Ewing (Columbus Crew), Malik Jakupovic from Philadelphia Union, Samuel Sedeh (FC Dallas) and Kairo Smith-Phillips who plays for Crystal Palace/ENG.