January has been a prolific month for the Seattle Sounders development system with the United States Youth National Teams.
In total, five players across Sounders Academy, Tacoma Defiance and the First Team have been called up to various camps for the Stars & Stripes.
“Credit to the entire staff that these players are well recognized within our club itself, and they are also now recognized on a national stage and seen as the best players within their age group in the country," said Vice President of Player Development Henry Brauner. "It’s a pretty cool moment for us.”
Sounders Academy goalkeeper Mohammed Shour received his first call-up to the U.S. U-16’s, while Defiance midfielder Chris Aquino also earned his inaugural invite to the Stars & Stripes at the U-17 level. Fellow Defiance player Stu Hawkins, a mainstay on the USYNT circuit, was also called up to the U-17’s. First Team midfielders Reed Baker-Whiting and Danny Leyva got the nod for the U-19 and U-20 Men’s National Teams respectively.
With so many players across every level of the organization earning recognition at the international level, the slew of call-ups in January serve as litmus test for the club’s development pipeline.
“When we benchmark against other clubs, we’re sending a big density of talent to our national team," added Brauner. "We’re doing that at the Academy youth level, but also the professional level as we saw with Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan. Who are going to be the next 2-3 guys from the Sounders to go to a World Cup. That’s the goal.”
You can find more information on Sounders Academy HERE.
