U.S. coach Ramos tabs RSL's Allen for U-20 World Cup in New Zealand


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SANDY — Real Salt Lake versatile forward Jordan Allen's rise since coming back from an injury suffered in his rookie season has been meteoric.

The rise continued Thursday.

U.S. Under-20 head coach Tab Ramos named Allen to the 20-man roster for the national team to take part in the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand next month.

Allen, 20, was one of five forwards named to the roster, receiving the call up less than a year after suffering an injury that cut short his rookie campaign. The RSL homegrown player from Rochester, New York, returned for his sophomore season and burst onto the scene, including scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Toronto FC on March 29.

"I’m very excited about this particular group," Ramos told ussoccer.com in a statement. "It was very difficult making the final decision because there were quite a few players who deserved to go to the World Cup. Unfortunately, in the end, I can only select a certain number, and I’m very happy with the selections that we made.”

The group is highlighted by youth international standouts including Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and FC Utrecht forward Rubio Rubin. Either Philadelphia Union homegrown Zach Pfeffer or Arsenal youth star Gidion Zelalem will be the 21st member of the roster, Ramos told media Thursday. Zelalem is currently filing for U.S. citizenship and has until May 15 to finish the paperwork to be added to the U-20 roster.

Allen was one of seven Major League Soccer players named to the roster, including fellow forwards Bradford Jamieson IV (L.A. Galaxy) and Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes). New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga, Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown, FC Dallas midfielder Kellyn Acosta and Toronto FC midfielder Marco Delgado were also named to the roster.

Players will begin reporting to the national training center in Carson, California, May 14 for training camp, and will depart for Australia on May 16. The United States kicks off its World Cup campaign May 30 against Myanmar, followed by a match against hosts New Zealand on June 2, and concluding the group stage with Ukraine on June 5.

All U.S. matches during the tournament will air live on Fox Sports 1.

The tournament final is schedule for June 30. Allen could miss up to six matches with Real Salt Lake while away on international duty.

“I think it’s a great experience for them to compete against the best nations from around the world," Ramos said in a statement. "It gives them great preparation for the future so that they will hopefully have it on the senior national team.”

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