The Philadelphia Union were looking forward to having at least two players on the under-20 United States Men's National Team in the upcoming cycle, but an unexpected player has received the call up ahead of both Zach Pfeffer and Zack Steffen.
Darius Madison tweeted today that he was brought into the youth national team, joining Pfeffer, Steffen and numerous other players who have gone through the Union academy system and received call ups.
Tab Ramos, the under-20 National Team head coach, has spoke highly of Union academy players in the past.
The forward started 15 times for Virginia, one of the nation's best collegiate squads, and appeared in a total of 17 games during the 2012 season. Madison scored twice on 33 shots, 14 of which went on target and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team.
Madison featured for the Union's under-18 academy team and was highly regarded while with FC Delco, before heading to college at Virginia. Top Drawer Soccer ranked him as the 47th best senior in the country in 2011 and The Times Herald named him the boys soccer Player of the Year.