Youth & High School

Williams On Board for U.S.
Boston player makes 21-man cut
August 2, 2007
CHICAGO – Boston's Sheanon Williams was one of the 21 players named to the U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team Thursday in preparation for the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

Williams, a defender out of Rivers High School in Weston, Mass. and a member of the FC Greater Boston Bolts, was selected by U.S. head coach John Hackworth to travel to South Korea for the U-17 World Cup from Aug. 18- Sept. 9.

Hackworth selected the majority of his 21-man roster from the 40 available players in U.S. Soccer's Under-17 Residency Program based in Bradenton, Fla., with only two players, Tommy Meyer and Daniel Cruz, not currently part of Residency.

“We felt all along that the talented pool of players in this age group is very deep, making our decisions extremely difficult,” Hackworth said. “However, we feel that we selected players that have proven that they are dedicated to our team's success at the World Cup.”

The roster includes 16 players who were a part of the team that won Group A at the CONCACAF U-17 Final Round Qualifying Tournament in Kingston, Jamaica, earlier this year. The U.S. scored nine goals in four games during qualifying, including three during their shutout victory in their opening game against Trinidad & Tobago. The team then topped Canada, 2-1, before falling to host Jamaica, 3-2, but bounced back to defeat Costa Rica, 2-1, to ensure themselves the top spot in the group.

The team is currently training in Clemson, S.C., as they enter the final stages of preparation for the Cup. The camp includes a friendly against fellow World Cup qualifier Costa Rica on Tuesday, Aug. 7, in Atlanta on the campus of Kennesaw State University. The following day, the team will head home to Bradenton for three days before returning to Atlanta on Aug. 11 where they will train for two days and then leave for South Korea on Aug. 13.

The only team to qualify for all 12 FIFA Under-17 World Cups, the U.S. was drawn into Group E of the 24-team tournament with Tajikistan, Tunisia and Belgium. The U.S., one of the six seeded teams in the draw, opens against Tajikistan on August 20.

The full roster by position:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Josh Lambo (Middleton, Wis.), Zac MacMath (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Larry Jackson (East Palo Alto, Calif.);

DEFENDERS (6): Sheanon Williams (Boston, Mass.), Mykell Bates (Roseville, Calif.), Tommy Meyer (St. Louis, Mo.), Chris Klute (Grand Prairie, Texas), Kofi Sarkodie (Huber Heights, Ohio), Brandon Zimmerman (Pasco, Wash.);

MIDFIELDERS (7): Daniel Wenzel (Federal Way, Wash.), Jared Jeffrey (Dallas, Texas), Kirk Urso (Lombard, Ill.), Dane Shea (College Station, Texas), Gregory Garza (Grapevine, Texas), Brendan King (Naperville, Ill.), Alex Nimo (Portland, Ore.);

FORWARDS (5): Ellis McLoughlin (Seattle, Wash.), Bryan Dominguez (Atlanta, Ga.), Abdusalam Ibrahim (FC Dallas.), Billy Schuler (Allentown, N.J.), Daniel Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.).