Three of the top talents from Sounders Academy – striker Austin Brummett, left back Taka Sasaki and center back Angel Martinez – have been named to the 28-player roster by Head Coach Clint Peay for a U.S. U-15 Boys National Team camp in Chula Vista, Calif., running from January 29 – February 6.
This is the fourth camp of the 2018-19 cycle as the young Yanks prepare for the 2019 U-15 Concacaf Championships, an event that S2 standouts Josh Atencio and Alfonso Ocampo-Chavezcompeted in two years ago.
“It’s a great sign for our Academy to have another group of players called up,” said Sounders FC Director of Player Development and Academy Director Marc Nicholls. “Along with Blake Malone, Angel is our second player to play a year up on the national team.”
Brummett, 15, is a well-rounded No. 9, equally capable of combining with attacking midfielders as he is at making clever runs off the ball. After joining the Homestay Program in 2017 from his club in New Hampshire, Seacoast United, the young striker broke into the USYNT circuit with his performances in Rave Green, tallying 18 goals and six assists across 39 appearances.
In the 2018-19 DA season, Brummett began with eight goals in three games with the U-15s but has since played primarily for the U-17s, with the young forward posting three goals and three assists in 680 minutes of action for the older squad.
Austin Brummett plays a league match at Starfire against Silicon Valley Soccer Academy | Quinn Width
Taka Sasaki, a dynamic left back who joined the Rave Green from Pac NW after several cycles in Sounders Discovery Program, has also earned playing time above his age group after impressing during the first round of qualifying for the Generation Adidas Cup. The young defender has impressed the coaching staff with his ability to progress possession and adopt a leadership role despite playing two years up.
Finally, center back Angel Martinez’s call up signals his rising stock for both club and country, as the young defender is playing up an age group with at the national team level. Martinez, a 2005, came through SDP and made 30 appearances for the U-15s last season, despite playing three years up.
Composed in 1-v-1 situations and an adept reader of the game, Martinez was named Player of the Tournament at the Youdan Trophy over the summer as the Sounders won the prestigious event for the third consecutive year. At just 13-years-old, he’s already started seven matches for the U-17s in the current campaign, which is the latest example of the Academy’s willingness to test top prospects by taking them out of their comfort zone.
You can find more information on the U-15 national team camp here.
