UNDER-20s

First off, here is the under-20 men's roster coach Tab Ramos is evaluating.

GOALKEEPERS: Jeff Caldwell (Virginia; Todd, N.C.), Thomas Olsen (University of San Diego; Las Vegas, Nev.)

DEFENDERS: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Conor Donovan (Orlando City SC; Fuquay-Varina, N.C.), Shaquell Moore (Unattached; Powder Springs, Ga.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Desevio Payne (Groningen; Greenwood, S.C.), John Requejo (Club Tijuana; Carpinteria, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS: Russell Canouse (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim; Lancaster, Pa.), Marco Delgado (Toronto FC; Glendora, Calif.), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland; Santa Cruz, Calif.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas, Texas), Ethan Sonis (SC Freiburg; Coral Springs, Fla.), Joel Sonora (Boca Juniors; Buenos Aires, Argentina)

FORWARDS: Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Andrija Novakovich (Reading; Muskego, Wis.), Maki Tall (Red Star; Washington, D.C.), Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes; Loomis, Calif.), Dembakwi Yomba (Atlético Madrid; Lithonia, Ga.)

...and here's what they've been up to in recent weeks.

It’s been a tough week for Cameron Carter-Vickers and the Tottenham reserves. After dropping a result last week to Norwich City, a match which also saw the U-21 debut of DeAndre Yedlin—the Spurs’ youth fell to Chelsea in a heartbreaking 5-4 aggregate loss in the semifinal of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night.

Taking a 2-0 lead into the match, Chelsea rallied for a 5-2 win, enough to advance to the Youth Cup final next month. Carter-Vickers, who played the full 90 minutes, was denied a late (aggregate) equalizer that would’ve sent the match to extra time. Woes continued with a 3-1 loss to Leicester City on Monday night. It was another lost opportunity for the team, which remains battling near the top of an already-congested U-21 Premier League table. Carter-Vickers, who served as captain for the match, played a full 90 minutes against the Foxes. U.S. under-20 eligible midfielder Kris Scott played the final 16 minutes for Leicester.

Conor Donovan was an unused substitute for Orlando City during a 1-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps.

Erik Palmer-Brown was not part of the gameday roster for Sporting KC during a scoreless draw with Portland Timbers on Saturday. Now, about that Juventus move…

The talks between Juventus and #SportingKC regarding Erik Palmer-Brown have temporarily stalled, but that doesn't mean a deal isn't coming.

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) March 23, 2015

Speaking of club status, still no word on a destination for Shaquell Moore, who turned 18 in November. Rumors surfaced early last year of interest from La Liga sides, but there has been no update—official or otherwise—in the interim. Until then, it looks like ‘Unattached FC’ has found themselves a pretty solid outside back.

On Saturday, John Requejo Jr. made his seventh consecutive start for Club Tijuana's reserves, playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Cruz Azul.

Newest U-20 call-up Desevio Payne was an unused substitute for Groningen during a 2-1 loss to Eredivisie-leaders PSV.

Out of action nearly six weeks since suffering a broken collarbone during U-20 World Cup qualifying, Emerson Hyndman made his return to Craven Cottage on Friday, playing 90 minutes and earning a late red card for the Fulham reserves in a 2-1 win over Norwich City. U-17 midfielder Luca de la Torre was an unused sub for the Whites. Before the match, Hyndman discussed his return to fitness and training with the first team.

Russell Cannouse got the start on Saturday, playing 90 minutes for Hoffenheim II as part of a 2-1 win over Wormatia in German Regionalliga action.

Enjoying an already fruitful loan to English conference side Gateshead FC, Lynden Gooch got the start for both of the club’s matches last week, playing 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over AFC Telford United on Wednesday, as well as a 1-0 loss to Dover Athletic on Saturday.

Freiburg’s Ethan Sonis is the newest addition to Tab Ramos’ rapidly contracting U-20 player pool. With the World Cup on the horizon, Ramos is employing a similar strategy to the last U-20 cycle which saw new additions claim World Cup roster spots at the zero hour. Unfamiliar with Mr. Sonis? Here are a couple of recent features on the former FC Dallas academy product.

Joining Sonis as the newest member of the U-20 pool is Lille midfielder Maki Tall. Currently on loan to French third-division side Red Star FC, Tall has long been discussed in American youth soccer circles. Drawing favorable (albeit, unfair) comparisons to Didier Drogba, Tall was thought to be lost to the French Association, which tapped the youngster for spells with its U-18 and U-19 squads. However, after more than a year without a call-up, Tall now seems eager to explore possibilities with the American team.

Really happy to be selected in the US squad ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/VJrSJjE7NS

— Maki Tall (@MakiTall) March 22, 2015

A vital part of Tab Ramos’ midfield, Joel Sonora has missed time with the U-20s due to injury and club commitments with Argentina’s Boca Juniors, where he plays for the reserve side. On Saturday, Sonora got the start, played 90 minutes and scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Club Ferro.

#Juveniles #Cuarta 25'ST ¡GOOOOOL DE #BOCA! Joel Soñora con una exquisita definición por encima del arquero. Ferro 0 - #Boca 1.

— Boca Jrs. Oficial (@BocaJrsOficial) March 21, 2015

Paul Arriola made his eighth appearance of the year for Tijuana U-20s in a 2-0 loss to Cruz Azul on Saturday.

Bradford Jameison IV got the start and played 90 minutes for Galaxy II in a scoreless draw with Real Monarchs to open the USL season on Saturday.

Tommy Thompson was an unused substitute for San Jose Earthquakes in a 2-1 win over Chicago Fire. After making several appearances late last season, Thompson has not yet featured for Dom Kinnear’s new-look Quakes.

Under-18 forward Dembakwi Yomba made an appearance for for Atletico Madrid’s Juvenil de Honor side in a 1-1 win over Valladolid on Saturday.

After making his first-team debut last week against Watford, forward Andrija Novakovich was left off the Reading team sheet during a 3-2 loss to Charlton. The Royals’ U-21 side—off this week—continues league play against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 3.

Jeff Caldwell, Thomas Olsen and Marco Delgado did not feature this weekend. Caldwell and Olsen are out of season with their respective college programs while Toronto FC had a bye week.

UNDER-23s

GOALKEEPERS: Charlie Horton (Cardiff City; Cleveland, Ohio), Tyler Miller (Zweibrücken; Woodbury, N.J.)

DEFENDERS: Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Riverside, Calif.), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), William Packwood (Birmingham City; Concord, Mass.), Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS: Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes; Northville, Mich.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Benji Joya (Chicago Fire; San Jose, Calif.), Ariel Lassiter (LA Galaxy II; Temecula, Calif.), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio)

FORWARDS: Alonso Hernandez (Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart; Berlin, Germany), Alfred Koroma Shams (Southlake Carol, Texas), Jordan Morris (Stanford; Mercer Island, Wash.), Mario Rodriguez (Borussia Mönchengladbach; North Hollywood, Calif.), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC; Leander, Texas)

Despite being selected by the Seattle Sounders at the MLS SuperDraft, former Northwestern goalkeeper Tyler Miller decided to test the waters of European football, signing a deal with Zweibrucken in the German fourth division. The former U-18 goalkeeper recently made his first two starts for the club, including a 90-minute shift this weekend in a 1-0 loss to Saarbrucken. Unfortunately for Miller, Zweibrucken is looking up at the rest of the table and is in real danger of relegation.

Charlie Horton was an unused substitute for Cardiff City's U-21 side during a 4-1 loss to Brentford on Friday.

Christian Dean was not included in the gameday roster for Vancouver Whitecaps during a 1-0 win over Orlando City. Dean will likely see plenty of time with Whitecaps 2, which kicks off its inaugural USL campaign next week.

Juan Pablo Ocegueda played the final 21 minutes for Alebrijes de Oaxcaca during a 2-1 win over Dorados de Sinaloa on Saturday. U-23-eligible midfielder Esteban Rodriguez played the final 34 minutes for Dorados.

Loaned to League 2 side Cheltenham Town for the remainder of the season, Will Packwood wasted no time making an impact, notching his first professional goal as part of a 2-2 with Portsmouth on Tuesday. Packwood exited the match early with an apparent injury, but returned to the starting XI on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Exeter.

Will Packwood celebrates the first goal of his professional career, putting #ctfc 2-1 up at Fratton Park pic.twitter.com/fgWEZ6c8SZ

— Cheltenham Town FC (@CTFCofficial) March 17, 2015

Shane O’Neill started at centerback for the struggling Colorado Rapids on Saturday, playing 90 minutes in a scoreless draw with New York City FC.

After spending time with the Costa Rican U-23s last month and scoring a goal during a friendly exhibition, Galaxy forward Ariel Lassiter has joined Andi Herzog’s Olympic preparation camp. Son of MLS goal-scoring machine Roy, Ariel made his first appearance for USL’s Galaxy II over the weekend as part of a scoreless draw with Real Monarchs. U-23 defender Oscar Sorto started and played the full 90 minutes for Los Dos.

Despite being listed as a Chicago Fire player on the official roster, the club situation of midfielder Benji Joya is still very much up in the air. After two failed trials with Colorado and Seattle, Joya was back training with former club Santos Laguna this week in preparation for U-23 training camp. According to Joya’s agent, the 21-year-old is wanted in the first team by Santos, which held firm on a nearly $1 million transfer fee for Joya—a figure which likely removed most MLS sides from contention.

Drafted fourth overall by San Jose in this year’s SuperDraft, Michigan-born Fatai Alashe has made an immediate impact in MLS. After breaking into the first team after a strong pre-season, Alashe has played in the Quakes first three matches, including a 2-1 win on Saturday against Chicago Fire which saw the 21-year score the first ever goal at Avaya Stadium.

On Saturday, Alonso Hernandez got the start and played 90 minutes for Monterrey U-20s, picking up a yellow card in a 1-1 draw with Leon.

After making his first-team debut last week, Jerome Keisewetter returned to the Stuttgart reserves this week in 3.Liga, scoring his fourth goal of the season during a 2-0 win over league leaders Arminia Bielefeld (:20 of video).

It didn’t take long for Khiry Shelton to make a positive impact for NYCFC. After some promising substitute performances, including a 30-minute shift against Colorado on Saturday, the 21-year-old from Leander, Texas (Hill Country suburbs represent!), is set to make his national team return after a lone appearance for the U-18s in 2010.

Mario Rodriguez notched his first goal since October on Saturday afternoon, scoring the fifth and final goal for the Borussia Monchengladbach reserves in a 5-1 win over FC Koln II.

Wil Trapp, Luis Gil, Alfred Koroma and Jordan Morris did not feature this week. Columbus and Real Salt Lake were both idle, Morris is out of season with Stanford University, while Koroma could see his USL debut as early as next weekend when he returns to Austin Aztex.

ASN Contributing Editor Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter.