U.S. Under-16 Boys’ National Team head coach Paul Simpson has named a 24-player roster for the team’s participation at the 2026 Vertex Cup from April 12-23 in Miami. SKC Academy defender Luca Antongirolami is one of eight defenders selected for the tournament.
During the round-robin tournament, the USA will take on England on April 16 (2:30 p.m. ET at FIU Stadium), face Mexico on April 19 (2:30 p.m. ET at Beyond Bancard Field) and close out the competition against Argentina on April 22 (12:30 p.m. ET at FIU Stadium). The tournament will be broadcast, with streaming details to be announced at a later date.Â
The U-16 BNT will use the April camp to continue its preparation for the 2027 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers, which serves as qualification for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
All players were born on or after Jan. 1, 2010.
The camp is part of the Federation’s continued focus on the U.S. Way philosophy, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.
U-16 BOYS’ NATIONAL TEAM (2010) – ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Hometown)
Goalkeepers (3): Connor Dale (FC Cincinnati; West Palm Beach, Fla.), Abram Judy (Philadelphia Union; Wilmington, Del.), Jason Nemo Jr. (Chicago Fire; Evanston, Ill.)
Defenders (8): Miles Aalbersberg (Ajax/NED; Amsterdam, Netherlands), Jeremiah Alexander-Munoz (Charlotte FC; Concord, N.C.), Lennox Alvarado (Orlando City; Cape Coral, Fla.), Luca Antongirolami (Sporting Kansas City; Kansas City, Mo.), Patrick Arne (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Oluwaseyitan Fakiyesi (Atlanta United; Marietta, Ga.), Landon Mulvenna (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Alex Soria (FC Dallas; Burleston, Texas)
Midfielders (6): Abdoulaye Diop (Philadelphia Union; Washington, D.C.), Christopher Morales (Chicago Fire; Chicago, Ill.), Eddie Niles (St. Louis City; St. Louis, Mo.), Noe Santillan (Atlanta United; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Nathan Tchoumba (Colorado Rapids; Aurora, Colo.), Robert Turdean (Chicago Fire FC; Niles, Ill.)
Forwards (7): Ikenna Chidebe (LA Galaxy; Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.), Jamil Danjaji (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Erick Feliciano (Austin FC; Orlando, Fla.), Alexander Hernandez Bautista (Colorado Rapids; Denver, Colo.), Da'vian Kimbrough (Sacramento Republic; Woodland, Calif.), Kane Kraus (St. Louis City SC; St. Louis, Mo.), Liam Stribling (Nashville SC; Brentwood, Tenn.)
Antongirolami, a 15-year-old Kansas City native, recently returned from the 2026 Generation adidas Cup in Bradenton, FL where he captained Sporting KC's U-16s at the prestigious event. The defender was called up for a pair of youth national team friendlies against Mexico in late February and early March in the first international cycle of 2025. He participated in a pair of friendlies against Argentina in late May after partaking in a 20-player U-15 camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Most recently, he played in the 2025 Concacaf Boys’ Under-15 Championship, helping the US reach the finals of the prestigious youth event.
The centerback has now been to two GA Cups, and helped Sporting's U-15s reach the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs after a perfect showing at MLS NEXT Flex in May 2025. In the 2025-26 MLS NEXT regular season, Antongirolami has been a focal point of the U-18s, playing up a year. He earned his professional debut with Sporting Kansas City II in the team's 2026 MLS NEXT Pro opener at St Louis CITY2 and his made his first pro start a week later against Real Monarchs. The 15-year-old will return to the SKC Academy in time for MLS NEXT Flex in Frisco, Texas at the end of April, and for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs in May, after the Vertex Cup.Â
About the U.S. Way  Â
The U.S. Way is a shared philosophy, strategy and a practical toolkit to enable excellence at every level of the game and for us to win. The U.S. Way is intended to work in partnership between the club and National Team environment to cultivate the next generation of talent with three areas of focus: World Class Development Pathways and Environments, including scaled Talent Identification, expanded Youth National Team programming and accelerated development and foundation building across the Extended National Teams; Shared and Scaled Infrastructure, highlighted by the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, U.S. Way digital platform and unified youth calendar; and Professional Development for the Entire Ecosystem, featuring formal courses, technical and administrative staff community building, leadership development, and best practice resource sharing. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision/us-way.
