Top U.S. players at Concacaf U15 Championships

<p>The United States U15 team won the Concacaf U15 Championships, beating Mexico four to two in the finals. The United States recorded a perfect record throughout the tournament, winning all six of the games they played. They outscored their opponents 26 to five. They majority of the 18 players on the roster played well, but there were a few that really shined. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DM/CM, [player_tooltip player_id='80800' first='Jude' last='Terry'], LAFC</h2>   <p>Terry wasn't the flashiest performer throughout the tournament, but he might have been the most important. He played primarily as a defensive midfielder and box to box midfielder and he probably logged the most minutes of anyone on the roster. Terry was physical in duels, disruptive off of the ball and he was a security blanket when building out of pressure. He was very ball secure and was able to advance the ball both by dribbling and passing. His calm and steady presence in the center of the pitch was critical game after game. Terry is highly appreciated within the LAFC program and they will be doing everything they can to keep him within the organization for years to come.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">WING, Jamir Johnson, Philadelphia Union</h2>   <p>Johnson might not have been the biggest attacking name coming into this tournament, but he was the most consistent threat throughout. He isn't even the biggest name from his own academy. Johnson was great in the press, effective in combination and he kept the opponents backline guessing with a variety of runs off of the ball. In possession he combined well and found teammates in dangerous positions. He scored four goals in six games and also added a few assists. His speed and toughness were evident all tournament long.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CM, Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union</h2>   <p>Sullivan came in to this tournament with the lights shining the brightest on him and he didn't disappoint. Sullivan is the youngest player on the team and might have been the youngest player at the tournament, but his game is well beyond his years. Sullivan was clever and progressive with the ball. He was tenacious and physical in duels. He also had a great feel for floating out wide and causing problems on the wings. His vision and instincts for the game were superior to anyone in this tournament. He capped off a great tournament by assisting on both of the first two goals in the final. The first was a beautiful play where he ran into the channel, faked a cross and smoothly cut the defender who blew right by him. He then quickly crossed the ball on the ground for a tap in by Chase Adams. It was a play that you don't see many first team players make, Sullivan is 13. Sullivan continues to check all the boxes as he continues to develop in the United States.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/yscentral/status/1690791541051469824?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">RB, Gio Villa, Real Salt Lake</h2>   <p>Villa was one of my favorite performers all tournament. For me it all starts with his one one one defending. As a right-back, you are oftentimes matched up with the opponents best attacking player on the left-wing. Villa was immense defensively all tournament. He used his discipline, quickness and footwork to lockdown opponents game after game. He wasn't as involved in the attack as he normally is, but he was useful and tidy in build up play. Villa's performance may go unnoticed, but it was as important as any player's in this tournament.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CF, Chase Adams, Columbus Crew</h2>   <p>Adams joined the U15 team for the first time in this tournament and was the only true center-forward on the roster. The center-forwards job is to score goals and Adams led the team with five in six games. He capped off the tournament with a brace against Mexico in the final. Adams got into great spots all tournament and was also effective when floating out into the channel and using his ball control and vision to find teammates. I was impressed with the strong striker and look forward to monitoring his developing next year in MLS Next. </p>

The United States U15 team won the Concacaf U15 Championships, beating Mexico four to two in the finals. The United States recorded a perfect record throughout the tournament, winning all six of the games they played. They outscored their opponents 26 to five. They majority of the 18 players on the roster played well, but there were a few that really shined.