LA Galaxy’s Bradford Jamieson IV to play in U-20 FIFA World Cup

USMNT’s U-20 head coach, Tab Ramos announced 20 of his picks for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup today, and LA Galaxy’s rising star, Bradford Jamieson IV got a well-earned spot after his earlier appearance with them in the World Cup qualifiers. There’s just 1 spot left to fill and he has until FIFA’s deadline of May 15th to submit that final roster.

“I’m very excited about this particular group. 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.” – Tad Ramos.

Players arrive at the National Training Center in Carson, California on May 14th and leave for their training camp in Australia on May 16th. The 2015 U-20 FIFA World Cup in New Zealand runs from May 30 – June 20th. It’ll be a short trip for BJIV to his home field on May 14th, and he’s definitely excited for this opportunity to represent his nation on an international level.

Jamieson’s call up to the nationals raises obvious implications for a questionable LA Galaxy lineup, who are about to face a competitive Orlando City SC at the Citrus Bowl on May 17th. He’s started in the past 4 matches, getting a crucial solo goal in his second-ever career start when the Galaxy played against the Red Bulls last month. Although Arena has since then downplayed BJ’s impact, missing at least the next 7 matches in a busy summer season will make many LA fans nervous about the success of the team this summer. On the heels of a mainly lackluster performance against RSL, this announcement comes as a bittersweet moment for LA Galaxy supporters. The pressure is on and newcomers like Ignacio Maganto and LA Galaxy II players like Raul Mendiola could be called upon to fill the gap.

Eleven of the current 20 in this U-20 roster played in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship this past January.  Eight are playing in Europe, including up-and-coming US players abroad like Emerson Hydman and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Six more MLS players join Bradford Jamieson in the current squad. Sporting KC’s Erik Palmer-Brown, San Jose Earthquakes’ Tommy Thompson, Real Salt Lake’s Jordan Allen, NY Red Bulls’ Matt Miazga, FC Dallas’ Kellyn Acosta and Toronto FC’s Marky Delgado.

“I think the challenge was how many players we had to consider per position because the positions were very competitive,” Ramos said on U.S. Soccer’s official site. “And although there are certainly standouts in positions, when it comes to rounding out the roster, it’s very difficult selecting the last four to five players because there’s literally probably 10-12 players considered for those final spots.”  – via Goal.com

The US are in Group A along with New Zealand, Ukraine and Myanmar. The US open group play against Myanmar at 9 PT on May 30 in Whangarei. Their following matches are against New Zealand on June 2 and Ukraine on June 5, both in Auckland. All US matches can be seen live on FOX Sports 1 and NBC Universo.