FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Coming to Poughkeepsie as
a heralded high school prospect and ESPN Rise Third Team All-American, Matt
Wendelken's freshman season as a Red Fox did nothing to disprove the hype as he
earned MAAC All-Rookie team honors. On Monday, he took an even bigger step to
putting himself and the Marist Men's Soccer program on the national map as he
started an eight-day stint with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team at their
training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Wendelken is the first-ever Red Fox to earn this opportunity.
Beginning January 2 and running through January 9,
Wendelken (Massapequa, N.Y.) will be one of 36 players in Head Coach Tab Ramos'
first Under-20 training camp. Ramos, the 1990 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
and international star with over 80 career caps, is holding the camp to begin
preparing a squad for the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament in Turkey.
"This is a great opportunity for Matt. We are all very
proud of this accomplishment for him" said Marist head coach Matt Viggiano. "It
is an honor to be selected to this camp and have an opportunity to represent
the United States in international competition"
Wendelken was one of only two Red Foxes to play and start
all 20 games from Marist this year. A starting defender, the 6'2 freshman
proved to be an asset for the team's offense off of set pieces and finished
with the fourth-most goals and total points. Overall, he scored three goals and
three assists for nine points.
Of the 36 players at the training camp, 14 of the men
play professionally and another 15 are in the collegiate ranks. Wendelken is
one of six college players from non-BCS schools in camp.
COMPLETE 36-MAN ROSTER
Roster By
Position:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Jesus Guzman (Santos Laguna; Dallas, Texas), Daniel
Medina Meza (UANL Tigres; El Paso, Texas), Tyler Miller (Northwestern;
Woodbury, N.J.), Andrew Wolverton (Pennsylvania State; Snellville, Ga.).
DEFENDERS (12): Bolu Akinyonde (Seton Hall; Brooklyn, N.Y.), Mikey
Ambrose (FC Dallas Academy; Frisco, Texas), AJ Cochran (Wisconsin; St. Louis,
Mo.), Sean Cunningham (Molde FK; Troy, Mich.), Phanuel Kavita (Clemson; Salt
Lake City, Utah), Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda
(UANL Tigres; Riverside, Calif.), Boyd Okwuonu (North Carolina; Edmund, Okla.),
Jalen Robinson (DC United Academy; Cantonsville, Md.), Matt Wendelken (Marist;
Massapequa, N.Y.), DeAndre Yedlin (Akron; Seattle, Wash.), Walker
Zimmerman (Furman; Lawrenceville, Ga.).
MIDFIELDERS (12): Seth Casiple (California; Rocklin, Calif.), Daniel
Cuevas Granados (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), Hector Delgado Cha (Club
América; Indio, Calif.), Christian Duarte (Texans SC Houston; League City,
Texas), Daniel Garcia (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas), Luis Gil (Real Salt
Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Flavio Guzman (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas),
Collin Martin (DC United Academy; Chevy Chase, Md.), Tyrone McCargo (FC
Nürnberg; Nürnberg, Germany), Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), Wil
Trapp (Akron; Gahanna, Ohio), Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.).
FORWARDS (8): Villyan Bijev (Fortuna Düsseldorf; Fresno, Calif.), Amadou
Dia (Clemson; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Chelsea SC;
Southlake, Tex.), Duke Lacroix (Pennsylvania; New Egypt, N.J.), Uvaldo Luna
Martinez (UANL Tigres; Houston, Texas), Jack McBean (LA Galaxy; Newport Beach,
Calif.), Sean Okoli (Wake Forest; Federal Way, Wash.), Omar Salgado (Vancouver
Whitecaps; El Paso, Texas).
