Texas Prospects With Other Countries at U17 World Cup Qualifier

<p>Starting next week, on February 3, 33 national teams from the CONCACAF region will compete in the Qualifiers for the U17 FIFA World Cup in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The teams were split into eight pools, and each pool winner will book a ticket for the event, which will be held in Qatar in November.</p>   <p>On Monday, the United States released its roster, which includes <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2026/01/texas-players-called-up-for-u17-world-cup-qualifiers/">five players who represent clubs in the state of Texas</a>.</p>   <p>On Friday, the squads of the other 32 national teams were confirmed, revealing the presence of eight other players who compete in the Lone Star State.</p>   <p>Here they are:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">James is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] Academy, where he plays for the U15 team in the MLS Next League. He will represent Dominica in the Qualifiers, trying to help the country earn a spot in Pool B, competing against Panama, Nicaragua and Anguilla. A box-to-box midfielder, he's extremely versatile and well-rounded, being capable of playing on the right side, either as a wingback or a winger, and even in central defense. James has a very good size, and his game is very smooth, allowing him to play different roles at a high level - he's capable of dribbling the ball with calm and confidence out of the back while also having a great presence to finish chances inside the box.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/2J4A0152.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-319011" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hernandez plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283658' first='Houston' last='Rangers'] U16 team in the MLS Next League. In the Qualifiers, he'll try to help Nicaragua prevail in Pool B and qualify over Panama, Anguilla and Dominica. At attacking midfielder, Hernandez is very skilled and intelligent on the ball, making a big offensive impact in his teams. He distributes the ball very well, displaying great accuracy with his long passes, and is capable of unlocking organized backlines with his excellent vision. Hernandez can also play a little bit deeper in midfield, demonstrating good determination to play defense, or on the wing, using his dribbling ability and ball control to make 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/p/DMx2gF6OY0Q/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hernandez plays for [program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC'] Academy, being one of the top players in their U19 team. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, he will be with the Puerto Rico team that will try to make it out of Pool D, overcoming Costa Rica, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A striker, Hernandez has a nose for the goal, popping up in great spots inside the penalty box to finish chances and is very competent at putting the ball into the back of the net. He creates many problems for opposing backlines with his high-energy game, keeping them under pressure with his runs off the ball, but also has enough quality to drop back to connect with his teammates or make turns on defenders.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD0jUQ53NSQ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Echevarria is a member of the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Academy, featuring for their U17 and U19 teams in the MLS Next League. He will also play for the Puerto Rican team that was allocated with Costa Rica, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands in Pool D. 'Echy', as he's known, is a constant goalscoring threat to opponents with his highly mobile and intelligent game in the final third. He puts on big numbers year after year with his ability to find the ball inside the penalty box and his quality to finish chances with either foot or his head.</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/DIpRX57p2gD/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Salamanca is a member of the [program_tooltip program_id='283654' first='Global' last='Football Innovation Academy'] out of Houston, playing for their U17 team in the MLS Next League. He'll be in action with El Salvador, battling Curaçao, Cuba and Belize in Pool F. He's a goalkeeper of solid technical skills and superior athleticism who often makes impressive stops between the posts and is very quick to leave the goal when he needs to. Salamanca is also very good at stopping penalty kicks, holding his position until the last possible moment and exploding for the ball with power and confidence.</p>   <p><a href="https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/sneijder_salamanca?video=5790817">Highlights</a></p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0077.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277857" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Andrade is part of the HTX U17 team out of Houston that competes in the ECNL League. He's another member of the El Salvador team that will face Curaçao, Cuba and Belize in Pool F with a World Cup ticket on the line. A creative attacking midfielder, he controls the game in the attacking half, getting on the ball a lot and facilitating plays with his intelligent distribution. Andrade is not afraid ot taking his chances in long-distance shots and typically demands a lot from goalkeepers with his ability to hit the ball with power and precision.</p>   <p><a href="https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/ruben_andrade?video=5083010">Highlight</a></p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Heredia is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283658' first='Houston' last='Rangers'] U17 team, representing them in the MLS Next League. He plays for El Salvador at the international level and will try to help get them past Curaçao, Cuba and Belize in Pool F. A physical center back, Heredia is developing into one of the most promising players in the position in the state. He uses his big frame extremely well, be it to dominate in the air, to intercept long passes or to block shots, and is very timely and efficient with his defensive actions. Heredia is very reliable with the ball, too, distributing it efficiently out of the back.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0278.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-337918" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Merlet plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283654' first='Global' last='Football Innovation Academy'] U17 team in the MLS Next League. He will play the Qualifiers for the El Salvador team that's scheduled to face Curaçao, Cuba and Belize in Pool F. A dynamic and creative winger, he plays primarily on the left and is very good in 1v1 duels, showing a nice repertoire and executing his moves very quickly out wide. Merlet is also a threat when getting to the end of through balls, as he times his runs behind the backline very well and is very calm and efficient in front of the goal. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0031_6fadac.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277846" /></figure>

Starting next week, on February 3, 33 national teams from the CONCACAF region will compete in the Qualifiers for the U17 FIFA World Cup in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The teams were split into eight pools, and each pool winner will book a ticket for the event, which will be held in Qatar in November.