Texas Players Called Up for U17 World Cup Qualifiers

<p>The U.S. U17 Boys National Team will try to earn a spot in this year's FIFA World Cup in February, when they compete in the CONCACAF Qualifiers. The 48-team tournament will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 5-10, securing eight teams a berth in the event.</p>   <p>Head coach Alex Aldaz selected a 21-player roster for the event:</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DT0oHdvgRkw/ </div></figure>   <p>Five athletes who play for clubs in Texas made the list, making the Lone Star State have the most players selected in the group alongside California. Here's all you need to know about each of them:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Barrett is the top-ranked player in our Class of 2027 State Rankings and plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'], featuring almost exclusively in their II team in the MLS Next Pro League. A center back, he's an elite defensive player, with outstanding athleticism and excellent instincts. Barrett is dominant in the air, strong and quick on the ground, and is very aggressive and intelligent with his tackles, having a very high success rate with his defensive actions. He can play right back, too, and that's where he's been mostly used in the USYNT, delivering a great ability to lock opponents down out wide and supporting the offense with strong runs and accurate crosses.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Vejrostek is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Academy, playing mostly with their U19 team in the MLS Next League and was recently with their MLS Next Pro North Texas SC in their preseason camp. A lefty, he can play center back or left back and consistently delivers at a high level, standing out with his excellent decision-making and mental toughness. Vejrostek is very good at reading the game and anticipating plays, stepping up to win the ball with great efficiency. He's an excellent passer, too, making very few errors and being capable of breaking the opposing press with his accurate distribution.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DHMpIJqO9l1/?img_index=1 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Walker is third overall and the best midfielder in our Class of 2027 State Rankings. He plays for [program_tooltip program_id='283458' first='San' last='Antonio FC'], featuring for their team in the USL League since 2024, when he made his pro debut. A dynamic and intense defensive midfielder, he stands out with his ability to shield the backline and cover ground in the center of the field. Walker is very good at making stops, timing his tackles extremely well and being very precise with his actions. He also has solid quality on the ball, making moves to create space in the center of the field, thriving when moving it upfield with strong runs through the middle and improving his passing ability.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/falmouthscout/status/2015783624310751446?s=20 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gardner appears in third place among the forwards and in seventh place overall in our Class of 2027 State Rankings. He plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'], splitting his time between their II team in the MLS Next Pro League and their U19 team in the MLS Next. Gardner is an athletic and well-rounded wide player who can play anywhere on the right, from outside back to winger. His offensive game is built on his ability to push the ball forward and attack the space in front of him, but he's also skilled enough to beat opponents off the dribble and deliver accurate crosses into the box. Gardner is improving his defensive side as of late, but he has solid foundations, playing with great determination and making strong actions to stop plays out wide.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DObaxeWkZMj/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Dimareli ranked second among the forwards and fifth overall in our last Class of 2027 State Rankings update. He's part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] Academy, playing exclusively for their II team in the MLS Next Pro League, and has recently featured for Mexico's youth national team as well. A lefty, he plays as an inverted winger on the right, standing out with his pace, ability to beat defenders off the dribble and playmaking skills. Dimareli is a very good passer, especially when bringing the ball inside from the wing and playing through balls. He times his runs behind the backline extremely well and is lethal in front of the goal, demonstrating impressive accuracy with his shots.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_bYlnMarG8 </div></figure>

The U.S. U17 Boys National Team will try to earn a spot in this year's FIFA World Cup in February, when they compete in the CONCACAF Qualifiers. The 48-team tournament will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 5-10, securing eight teams a berth in the event.