Four Academy players training with U.S. U18 team

New United States Under-18 head coach Omid Namazi included four Philadelphia Union Academy players in his first roster since taking over the job earlier this month.

Defenders Mark McKenzie and Matthew Real, midfielder Anthony Fontana and forward Justin McMaster are training with 32 other players through January 23 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

The camp is in preparation for games they are playing in Argentina in March.

Real, a left back, and McKenzie, a center back, are both regular starters for the U18 team and have both verbally committed to play college soccer at Wake Forest. Real has played 11 games and started 8 for the U18s this season and McKenzie has played 11 games and started 10.

McMaster and Fontana both play for the U16 team. McMaster, a Jamaica native who joined the Academy last season, has six goals in 12 games and 11 starts this season while Fontana has three goals in 13 games and 12 starts. Fontana played with the U14 team the previous two seasons.

Fontana (Newark) and McKenzie (Bear) both hail from Delaware. Real is from Upper Darby.