THE UNITED STATES U-20 national team is assembled in Spain this week for a pair of friendlies against Morocco. This camp was only scheduled recently as a way for head coach Marko Mitrovic to have more time with his players before the start of the U-20 World Cup, where the U.S. team will begin play against New Caledonia on September 29 before rounding out group play against France on October 2 and South Africa on October 5.

The roster for this camp contains many of the players who have been with the team throughout this cycle since Mitrovic took control of the team in October 2024. Mitrovic will name his 21-player roster for the World Cup on September 18.

Mitrovic spoke with ASN at length on Wednesday to discuss this camp, the team’s growth this cycle, his group of players, and the coming World Cup.

The #U20MNT roster is here! 23 players have been called into the team’s upcoming training camp from Sept. 1-8 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. pic.twitter.com/BqZwjpYQ9O

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) August 28, 2025

Brian Sciaretta for ASN: Ahead of your June camp, you indicated that the plan was not to use the September window and instead start the pre-World Cup camp shortly after the window. What changed to where you felt it was important to use this window to have a camp?

Mitrovic: I think that the major change was when we learned that we actually played the last day of the group stage games. Then we analyzed the schedule. It would be difficult to get players before September 22nd, which is going to be our first day of camp. It just would be a big challenge for us. And then we were like if we have such a short camp before the World Cup, because basically we're starting on 22nd, but players that are going to play games on 21st might arrive on 23rd, and having our first training session on 24th is probably the shortest preparation for the World Cap ever. And then, we are, like - let's use the September window and have a week of camp.

I really appreciate support from Federation that helps us with that and also to find a good opponent to play because usually all the teams have advanced schedule games and we're making that decision last minute. But it was great and now we are having some time together. It's a shorter camp than usual but it's good to be with the guys and we take this as an extended camp for Chile. That's how we treat this camp. We're going to be away two weeks from each other after this, but it will help a lot.

ASN: How did you guys leave the summer camp where you lost to Norway 1-0 and beat Columbia? How much momentum did that camp give you heading into the home stretch?

Mitrovic: I think the camp was really two different teams that we had opportunity to play. Norway was technically very organized. But if we go through the stats from the game, we had kind of full control of the game. We had one transitional moments when Norway scored, but Norway was very organized defensively and it was challenging for us to break them down. We didn't have that situation in the previous games. Usually teams would step higher against us and we would know how to use the space. But in this game, they were very - in a low block defending and it was good experience for us. I think we actually got a lot of positive takeaways from that game and the things that we still have to work and improve going towards World Cup.

And Colombia was one team that has amazing physical potential and a lot of individual qualities on the field. Both games are actually were proper, far from friendly games. There was high intensity, a lot of commitment from both teams, but it was a very different game against Colombia in terms of style of playing than against Norway, and it was good.

Every camp is an opportunity for us to grow. That's a fact. We don't spend too much time together. We've been in March camp. Before that was November after that was June. It's the same circumstance that every other team has but it's always good to remind ourselves on who we are and to every time to try to make one step forward building our identity both environment-wise and game style-wise.

ASN: Looking at the draw, you face New Caladonia, France, and South Africa. You faced France last year and won, and even if they don't get their top players, France is France and is always good. South Africa won the U-20 African championship, and then New Caledonia is a wild card. You faced a wide variety of teams this cycle. Do you feel that variety has helped prepare you for this group stage?

Mitrovic: It's really good point, because if we go through those eight games that we played so far, actually seven opponents, because we played Chile twice. We played, I would say, almost every game was unique for itself - very different teams, very different style of playing, very different players profiles. Yes, as you said, we played against France, so based on the roster they're going to get - it's the same coach and the profile of the players are the same. I think they probably have the biggest roster in the world from all the teams.

On the other side, you spoke about South Africa. They have actually a lot of similarities as France - very athletic team with a lot of individual qualities higher on the field. But I would say probably similar somewhere to Colombia that we played.

Then we have New Caledonia. I would say it's probably the most uncertain team for all of us in the group stage - and that's our first game. I think both South Africa and France will learn more about New Caledonia because the games that they played in their qualifiers, it's a little bit different with infrastructure and intensity. It's not easy to get a real picture about New Caledonia and the things that what we can expect on the field. So we have to be ready on our toes for that game as in every other game. But I think that's where South Africa and France could learn from our game against New Caledonian and what they can expect. And that's our first game in the group.

ASN: When looking at your pool of players, first team minutes seem to be increasing over the summer months. Brooklyn Raines is playing more at Houston, Taha Habroune is getting starts at Columbus. Luke Brennan is playing more for Atlanta. Frankie Westfield continues to start. Luca Bombino has made a big impression in San Diego. The momentum seems to be increasing with a good number of your players. Are you pleased with this progress in recent months?

Mitrovic: I would say probably we have more positives, all the names that you mentioned, guys that are getting really good amount of minutes with the first teams. There are guys that were kind of on the same level, where they are now and they were before. For example, Reed Baker-Whiting - he would always get some minutes with Seattle, not every game, but he has some good minutes. Nolan Norris, obviously he's coming from injury but before his injury, he had a decent amount of appearances with the first team.

But we have some of the players like maybe Niko Tsakiris right now who doesn't get enough playing minutes. We have Cole Campbell, obviously in a big club and trying to find his spot. Josh Wynder with, with Benfica, Matai Akinmboni with Bournemouth... Matai is coming off his injury, he didn't play for four months, any minutes on the field. Actually his first minutes will be here after four months and we have to see how that is going on.

I would say that there are positives, definitely, but there are also some of the players that are trying to find their spot with their teams and hopefully they're going to break in.

ASN: One of the big news stories in U.S. youth national teams is that Noahkai Banks was called-up by the full national team for the September window. It weakens your team but it's a big positive for the program to promote players. Is he fully graduated? Is he still in contention for the U-20 World Cup? Also, what was your reaction to the news?

Mitrovic: That's the best question for the MNT staff. I have really great collaboration with them. I know that they're following our group and watching our games, and at the end of the day, that's our final goal here.

We talk about the U-20 World Cup, we want to go there, we want to represent the country, we wanted to compete there. We want to do some special things, but also we are very aware of our final project when we are talking about any YNTs - to develop players for the senior team. And having Noahkai on that roster, it makes us all happy. What we have to do to bring those players to the senior team.

Now I believe in Noahkai, I believe his talent. Noahkai is a really high potential player, and also a very good person. We would all love that Noahkai stays there and then be a consistent part of the senior team, but also we want other guys from this group to join Noahkai as soon as possible.

ASN: And after this U-20 World Cup, these same players will become the player pool for the 2028 Olympics, too. So there's another stepping stone with this group that can bridge the gap between the U-20 and USMNT levels. It's a nice path ahead for the guys with this group.

Mitrovic: Yes. This U-20 World Cup we have players that are 2005 and younger. Realistically, it's not easy to play for the senior national team when you're 18, 19 years old and there is also competition with the older guys. You're not just competing with your age group. And then having Olympics, which is massive tournament, we just come back from an Olympics year ago.

It's another great opportunity for those guys to be together for the next three years, which will give them time with the national teams - three more years of growing and developing and opportunities to get to the senior roster, instead of maybe some environments where after the U-20 World Cup, there's not going to be much to offer to the players.

ASN: Another significant piece of news in your player pool just as camp opened is that Benja Cremaschi just completed a move to Parma in Serie A in a loan with an option to buy. He draws from interesting experiences at a Miami team loaded with very high profile players and will now step into a new environment in Italy. You know him as well as anyone having coached him with three teams, the U.S. U-19's, the Olympic team, and now the U-20 team. What was your reaction to this move for him?

Mitrovic: I believe in Benja and probably Benja with the people that support him made the best decision. They know the best context. This is a new opportunity for him, a new challenge, a new experience that definitely can help him to grow as a player. It was great to see him playing. He's a young player, but he was present with the first team of Miami. He was present for several years and played a good amount of minutes.

Maybe this was the best decision to go and the experience something new that can accelerate his development. He's going to one of the best leagues in the world and he knows the context best - what is the club and what can he get there? I trust Benja as much as he made that decision, I believe that's the right decision for him.

ASN: This roster seems to be a lot of first-choice guys, a lot guys that you've had in the whole cycle. Would it be fair to say that discussions with having these players released by their clubs for the tournament have gone well to the point that you can bring them into this camp? Would you call in somebody to this camp if you knew his club is definitely going to deny his release? Are all these players in the mix for call-ups?

Mitrovic: I would say that we built this roster based on players that we believe will be available for the World Cup with the communication that we had with the clubs so far. We have to understand it's not protected by a FIFA window and I'm very aware that things in clubs can change any given moment and that clubs can change the approach. That's today's football where things change overnight.

But we built this rosters for our September camp based on a player's availability, because we are really connected with the World Cup. If there was a player who we don't think we're going to get for the World Cup, it was like -there is the Olympic cycle after that. But let's connect this with the World Cup and having players that we believe will be released for this event.

ASN: Finally, you've seemed like an optimistic guy throughout this cycle. Right now, heading into the World Cup, based on the results you've gotten this whole cycle in every camp, fans should be excited for this team later this month.

Mitrovic: This is a really good group of the players. I've known this group since I joined the federation. Now this is my fourth year and when I was the U-19 coach, it was 04-05 generation. I was watching a lot of 05 players closely while the 06 players were with coach Gonzalo Segares for the U-17 World Cup. So I'm very familiar with this coaching group and together with the whole staff I would say... We had only four camps since we started again this project, but it doesn't feel like it's only four camps.

I feel that this group is a little bit advanced. We have great character within this group and this team is ready to compete. This team is proud to go on the field and compete with whoever is in front of us. That's something that every coach I think can be happy with when he has a team and goes to the game, he feels strongly about competing. Listen, there's going to be elite teams in the World Cup and there's going to be teams, same as us, ready to compete, proud teams with lot of qualities. But we're ready to confront them and we'll see but we'll take it with pride.