Union trio called up for U20 World Cup qualifying

Three Philadelphia Union players will be part of the squad that seeks to qualify for the 2019 U20 World Cup next month in Florida.

Mark McKenzie, Anthony Fontana and Matt Real are among the 20 players Tab Ramos called up for the tournament that runs Nov. 1-21. The top four teams out of the 34-team field will qualify for the U20 World Cup in South Korea May 23 to June 15.

The United States is the top seed in the tournament and will face Puerto Rico (Nov. 1), followed by U.S. Virgin Islands (Nov. 3), Trinidad and Tobago (Nov. 5) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Nov. 7) before finishing up against Suriname (Nov. 9).

Philadelphia native and former Philadelphia Union Academy and Continental FC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos is one of two goalkeepers on the roster. Dos Santos is currently playing in Portugal for Benfica’s U19 team. Dos Santos is one of four players on the roster who was part of the United States team at the U17 World Cup in 2017.

With three players, the Union have the most players represented on the team among seven MLS clubs. FC Dallas is the only other MLS team with more than one player on the roster.

Four players currently playing in college soccer are on the roster, including Griffin Dorsey and Justin Rennicks (Indiana) who played in the 2018 College Cup final at Talen Energy Stadium, Manny Perez (N.C. State), and Frankie Amaya (UCLA). Five players are currently attached to teams in Europe.

2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship Roster by Position (Club or College; Hometown)

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Brady Scott (FC Koln/GER; Petaluma, Calif.), 12-CJ Dos Santos (S.L Benfica/POR; Philadelphia, Pa.)

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting KC; Charlotte, N.C.), 3-Chris Gloster (Hannover 96/GER; South Orange, N.J.), 4-Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; Bear, Del.), 5-Matthew Real (Philadelphia Union; Drexel Hill, Pa.), 14-Manny Perez (N.C. State; Garner, N.C.), 16-Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompac, Calif.), 19-Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Brandon Servania (FC Dallas; Birmingham, Ala.), 7-Juan Pablo Torres (K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen/BEL; Lilburn, Ga.), 8-Alex Mendez (SC Frieburg/GER; Los Angeles, Calif.), 10-Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Tex.), 15-Anthony Fontana (Philadelphia Union; Newark, Del.), 18-Isaac Angking (New England Revolution; Providence, R.I.)

FORWARDS (5): 9-Justin Rennicks (Indiana Univ.; Hamilton, Mass.), 11-Ulysses Llanez (Unattached; Lynwood, Calif.), 13-Griffin Dorsey (Indiana Univ.; Evergreen, Colo.), 17-Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC/CAN; Detroit, Mich.), 20-Frankie Amaya (UCLA; Santa Ana, Calif.)