It’s been an amazing week for Tacoma Defiance forward Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and Sounders FC midfielder Danny Leyva.
The pair were integral components of the Sounders U-17 team that became the first MLS side to win the Generation adidas Cup Champions Division, with Ocampo-Chavez earning the Golden Boot honors – he had six goals and one assist in six games – and Leyva receiving tournament MVP honors.
On Monday, the pair were named to head coach Raphael Wicky’s 20-player roster for the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship, running from May 1-16 in Bradenton, Fla.
“It’s no surprise to us that they’ve been called up,” said Sounders FC Director of Player Development and Academy Director Marc Nicholls. “Both have proven in the last six months that they can be an integral part of the U.S. U-17 team. Their performances at the GA Cup are a testament to that. It’s a great opportunity for them to get another qualifying experience, and their goal needs to be to qualify for the World Cup.”
Ocampo-Chavez, who leads all players on the U.S. U-17s this cycle with five goals, enters the U-17 World Cup Qualifying event in a rich vein of form, scoring game-winning goals against the likes of Flamengo (BRA), River Plate (ARG) and West Ham (ENG) at GA Cup. With only seconds remaining in the final, he assisted Ray Serrano’s winner against Valencia CF (ESP) with a pinpoint cross from the right flank.
Under contract with Tacoma Defiance, the 17-year-old forward has logged 181 minutes, including two starts, in the USL Championship this season.
Leyva has gone from strength-to-strength in recent months, becoming the youngest Homegrown signing in Sounders FC history on the back of a strong preseason with the First Team, as well as several promising performances with the Defiance. At 15 years old, the midfield metronome from Las Vegas, Nev., is one of just four players born in 2003 to be included on the roster.
“It’s been quite an intense week, so they’re already in that tournament mode,” said Nicholls. “Mentally, they’re obviously very strong. Also, they have a very strong winning culture behind them.”
The Stars & Stripes open the tournament with group stage matches against Canada (May 2), Barbados (May 4) and Guatemala (May 6). All three matches will be live-streamed on Univision Deportes and the Concacaf GO app. Advancing to the semifinals of the 2019 Concacaf Championship will secure qualification for the United States to the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
You can find more information on the event here.
